The sun., 1903-09-13
THIS TROUT ROSE
! TO A BEAR
And Thereby Introduced a New
Complication Into Politics in
the Knob County.

when feller is up to his neck IN polltics
he can't pitch In and take this un's side or
that un's side on questions that's moNlh
the bailiwicl, and back him up by argufyin
ag'in t'other un. fer if he does, when lhe
returns comes in he'll mebbe find that VI"
election has gone fer him 40 amanin strong
that il has showed him way back in the ranks
so fur that he won't never be heerd on ag'in
even fer poundmaster
so didn't commit myself, but Joe said
he'd be wilin' TO bet farm that Tn hig
trout was ketched cause it had got IL IN It's
head that it was little the smartest thing
in the Knob country. But Eli and lou
more OF 'em poohpoohed and said that
instead o. the trout bein' ketched cause IL
was too smart. il come to its end fer Jest
the contrary reason
mo trout that didn't have softcnln
o. the BRAIN says Eli wouldn't ever
thought o rsin' to bear, cxpectln 10 gll
away with il, says he.
"'Pish" says Joe. snort y-like; and t.ll
says to him that he could pish, or he could
push. or he could posh, II he wanted to-
but livin' facts was livin' facts, jest the
same; and see that If this ever got to be
political issue in the comm campalgn'er
constable thrones mowt totter; 40 | dion t.
commit myself.
THE way it all como was that Petes wife,
Sairy Lib, had dropped in at Joe's and says
to him that she had come to ask him il he'd
do her a little favor. and Joe says that he
would, o. course. and Sairy Lib said that II
want nothin' but for Joe to go over to
their place and see if he couldn't save their
pig SOS they could have il when KILN
time come along
"'You don't mean 10 say that your pig
has been took with the cholera. do you|
saws Joe.
"'lt hain't been took with nothin', says
Sairy Lib It's as slick and fat and healthy
as kin be- says she, and that's the reason
we see that there's danger of US not savin'
it till pig-killin time says she. It's 30
al-pervadin' fit says she. that it's mekin'
slammin' big bear sneak around there
and water at the mouth fer it, and lay its
plans to lug that pig off
$50 all want you 10 do, Joe, says Sairy
Lib, + 10 go over and sort o foler the track
o that bear and whang him, SOS We KIN
seq our way clear to savn' the pig says
she If you will, you kin have the bear,
and me and Pete'll he much obleeged be-
sides. says she
Joe was always wiilin' TO obligr neigh
Dor, and he says to Sairy Lib that o course
he would and he went right along over
to do il.
Three wears before Sairv Lib come in
and asked Joe 10 do her that favor, though,
Limpy sam, who druv team fer the tan
merry, had took a day of To 20 trout fishn
and in less than an hour he come rushin
back, pale as q ghost. bare-headed. and
most out q wind He had half OF his hest
nut fish pole in orc hand and I OF her half
IN tot h.r hand. and ther" was only little
piece OF his horse hair fish line 'etf.
L hooked him" he says. as soon as
he could git wind enough. I was baited
with pickerers belly fin! ] played him
tin he broke my pole and my line, and here
they be- he says
And there they was, sure enough. Bit
six wears before hat as Abner was fordln
the creek with his team. Jest below the
bip deem hole where the shelvin' rocks
are, he happened to drop the cracker end
of his whip lash in the water. close by the
rocks. when he heeri n loud splash and
'Ig come at his hip lash maj mos' EahRen
him ont of the wagon. .
He trailed his lash IN the water ag IN,
when whoosh trout that hi, said seemed
TO him 10 I've a half as long as his whip lash
snr,lng from the water under the rocks.
shown' its hull big len'th, and grabbed
the lash.
WHEN Abner told about that fishermen
Aocked to that pool thicker than shelters.
They coaxed that trout with all IN" mes
that was ever heerd on and with hull lot
more that was never lecrd on before ana
haint never been heerd on sence:
"Thav ried red worms and yaller worms,
and blacl, worms and white worms, They
tossed him crickets and grubs. and grass
hoppers. and bugs by the peck,
Young frogs live mnnies. little snakes
and all sorts of hand made critters, the
likes of which was never in the cart oron
il or in the air or in the water. was handed
over 70 this big trout in that pool but he
turned no his nose AT all of EN-, except when
there wasn't no hook in EN-. If there
wasn't no hook in 'em he'd take his pick
of the offerin's and gobble EN-.
Crack fishermen from here, there and
everywhere trailed in there to show folks
how they could fool that willy and aggra-
vatin' trout into grabbin their hooks,
and then lug him home, They tished and
they tished, year in and year ont. They
fished on rainy days. and sunny days, and
chilly days, and moonlight nights.
When the wind was in he north. though
that s the time no angler ventures forth.
~
the east. and the fishes bite the least; when
the wind was in the west, time the fishes
bite the best; when the wind was in the
south, that blows the bait right in their
mouth they fished and fshed and fished.
but no wind or wave or weather made any
difference to that KNOWN old trout, and
he stayed right there and laughed at en-,
80 to speak.
sore, one o them crack fishers, who had
been alone on the creek, come in and SOL
emnly and gaspinlv give it out hat he
had hooked the big trout with white
miller on his hook. ard that he'd "A landed
him sure as kink in pig tail If the hook
hadn't pulled of Folks lost confidence
in that fisherman at once and Nose asked
him fer his bill at the tavern without waitin'
a minute.
"'Then at last T.mpy Sam come in that
day with his fish pole broke in two and his
line snapped and his hat gone and his wind
most shet on. and him pale as a ghost
and his Swearin' 10 it that il was all because
that wise old trout had been deceived into
grabbing his bait of a pickerel's belly fin,
and folks couldn't seq no way but what il
must be 70.
"Limpy Sam got to be big feer on the
lump. He was riZ from mule driver to
head sawyer in the mill and he had future
ahead Of him brighter than a new milk
pan in IN" sun.
And then Evander went and spilled il
all by trappin' fer mnk-
A couple o days after Sans sudden
lift IN the world. Evander ketched a mink
in on" o his traps along the creek The
mink had IA hook i'm its Jaw wit N fDIIr foot