Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-06-24
WHY FISH DID NOT BITE.

1T will go fishing with you if you will promise to bait my hooks" said the woman.
 j'I won't promise" declared the man. "f'Every fisherman his own batter is my motto" "what does one use for baits'
 "Oh, worms mostly"
 '@That settles it. Now won't go, for such is the enn1ity that exists be- tween me and all creeping creatures that never, never will deliberately allow myself to be placed in the same street car with them"
 But despite all this protest she, went She put on her stoutest boots, her Panama hat, and prettiest shirt waist suit, of course, for the delecta- ton of the fishes, and went down the river to snug place and sat on an. inverted box and flshed.
 The man had brought some flies for bait for her, not because he wanted to encourage her prejudice against worms, but because he wanted to De left in peace to catch whatever was catchable without being interrupted every moment to bait hooks.
 X The woman, as soon as her ny touched the water. took an expectanf air and assumed position that would enable her to pull out fish the mo-
 ment 1t gave notice that it was secure ly attached and ready to be. caught.
 This didn't happen as soon as she exs
 pected, and so she began to talk.
 ''Who is 1t who Is known as the dis- ciple of fishing. or whatever 1t is r she l asked "Isaae Newton, isn't it2" "H'fn," replied the man. .s
 ''I wonder in what century he lived. Strangest thing, never could remenl- Der dates. One of shakespeare's con- 1 temporaries, wasn't he?'
 a'H'm,'' said the man.
 aT wonder what his favorite nsh was. Perhaps the delicious. but pony shAd more probably the. guileless and humble catHsh.s 4N stl "F9'm,, said the man. 2
 'rWell?' gasped the woman at this. l ''Of all the impolite persons ever met really think you are the worst. IS 1 there any reason. I should like to know (working herself in to a rage9
 why you should not reply to my oD- servations. If have offended you n any way wish you would say so, ana not sit there glowering at your rou as if you expected to see whale appear
 at the end of 1t at any moment. You remind me of Simple Simon" IA fellow doesn't usually talk when he is trying to fish, responded the
 man, patiently. "The best authorities agree that one is much more likely to catch something if he maintains per l feet silence. Fish are not deaf as Wo- men popularly suppose, but are keeniy alive to sound, and not oftenest Ionna ! where humans are not.
 "Ohr' said his companion. somewhat modified. Us that 1t? Perhaps that l is the reason haven't caught. any thing yet, although we've been nere l fully 10 minutes"
 Then the woman kept quiet and
 watched the line anxiously. Three
 times she pulled 1t out of the water
 suddenly, hoping thus to surprise 2 l fish on the end of it. but the rresuit oI these maneuvers was merely to scare away from the mans line the ones that were nibbling there. Three times the woman made strange motions with her l eyebrows at the man, greatly to has 1 nystif1cation. but he always nodded
 back encoura gingly, and that seer seemed l to satisfy her, ,e.s ,..+. -
 After ten minutes of this dumb show and just as the man was playing, with much inward excitement, what he ! termed n "whopper," the woman jumped up and threw down her line. l "Who wants to sit still all day holding on to a sticky" she asked. T don't, I can assure you. My back IS just about 1 broken now, and my tongue feels. az if 1 if were paralyzed. I am going to pick l some of those lovely daisies." And off she went
 When the man followed her after a
 while he had mastered his emotions. ''Tm tired too" said he (indeed, he's q l most exceptional manl; "let's go home
 and go out to the park where we will see something. instead of staying in l this tiresome place"
 "But thought you wanted to fish" objected the woman, unselfshly 70, I don't care to to-day. said her escort. "I will come down tomorrow ! with some of the fellows. would
 rather hear you talk now. Baltimore
 News.