Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1904-05-26
JES s.
BY Martha
McCuIIocb- cJfliionS
-..Coppright, 1905, BY T. c. McClurs.....

| turned up high In front so high her
| feet were plainly visble-pretty feet
| enough, in spite of the scuffed shoes,
| smallish, well arched and light step
ping, to say nothing of the slender
| ankles above them. The ankles match
| ed taper wrists, but gave no hint OF
the dimple swelling arms revealed by
| sleeves rolled halfway TO the shoulder.
Big, soft new LEAKAGE flung down
| variable shadows on her bare head.
She kept the dasher moving merrily,
| now and again patting one foot in
| time to it. Her voice, if unframed. was
clear and not too loud altogether, the
| man coming down the creekside In
| high wading boots, with a rod in his
| hand, creel slung from his shoulder,
| would have been justified in finding
himself glad of her presence.
He was distinctly not glad - cur
| mudgeonly fellow, He had been whip
ping the stream for trout since sunrise
| with no luck at all. All his hope was
| conferred upon the cool, deep hole just
below the spring house. He knew the
| stream OF old, and that particular
| reach of it had never yet failed TO give
| him good sport. Why must this crea-
ture go spoil his chances with her idiot
| ic trillng? Fish had sensitive ears
| he was certain of il. Nothing would
| rise to the most tempting lure after
such affronting of the auricular sense.
George. | wish she was in-IIalifaX!'
| he said to himself as he prepared, rath-
| er hopelessly, for a cast He had hard
| ly looked toward the sincer-besides
| Robin Adiar. with an accompaniment
| OF whishing, buttermilk rather got on
| his nerves AS the song kept up he
| called over his shoulder in anything
| but an amiable voice:
Madam, l will pay you double price
| for the butter you are churning If you
will go away until afternoon and let
| me fish in peace
Indeed you WON'T Jess retorted,
| with the least toss of the head. TEND
| to your own business, Mr. Fisherman.
| promise you I'll tend strictly TO
mine. Buy my butter, indeed. Sup
| pose / don't want to sell it? And |
| don't. It's going into cake for the pic
| mic tomorrow"
The fisherman. Allan Beckley by
name. scowled at his image in the wa
| ter and swore--under his breath. He
| knew landmarks and land lines there
| about-this noisy girl must belong TO
| the people who had bought his uncle's
place. Vaguely he recalled the name
| Wilmot Wilmot possessions came
! right down to the waters edge, albeit
| the stream proper belonged to old
| Squire Bass, from whom lie had leased
exclusive fishing privilege. The churn-
er was clearly upon her own ground,
| therefore unassailable. In high bad
| humor he splashed across the pool
head and sent his fly spinning out in a
| tremendous cast from the opposite
| bank, although by all rules of angling
the place was hopeless.
| 1t must have been q day for the
! traversinS Of art and rule. The fly
was hardly settled before, with a Wig
orous upswrling rush, monster trout
took 1t. For the next ten minutes Al
! Ian Beckley was conscious of nothing
! but his quarry. The quarry was game
1 anu WHY no ever IOSt W II ul l u,
! down, athwart stream he darted. div
| ing, plunging, now and again leaping
clear of the water. coming with such a
rush backward the singing reel could
not take up the slack, wheeling to bore
headtirst against the rocky bottom so
strongly the plant rod tip bent almost
double. The fisherman stood just be-
low n oh oh
have plunged in the water but that
there was no good foothold. Cautious
ly, with nice judgment and sportsman
skill, he played his catch 1t was one
to rejoice in-the giant Of al. trout In
Clear creek. Five pounds NJ the very
least Idly he began to speculate if il
might not be the same willy fellow who
had so often outwitted him when he
was, a native STRIPPING His i'll humor
eyaporated magically. He was at
peace with himself and the world.
! The trout was weakening Though
he still fought gamely the rushes were
less electric. In five minutes more--in
threc-in one-with long steady
pressure he drew the fighting creature
to the bank, shifted his rod deity and
made to slip the landing net under
meath. And then-and them Some
thlng gave way under and behind
him With huge splash he went
/ down into four feet of water. with a
/ ton OF loosened rock at his back. He
hung out his arms to save himself.
Inc trout, as the line Stacked, dashed
madly away and went to the bottom
upon the farther side But he could
not break loose the hook nor instantly
chafe the line in two against the bot
tom. There was still bare chance
OF him Beckley, bruised and shaken
/ though lie was, tried to turn about
snatch his roo and fight the battle to
the bitter end
lie could not do it, Somehow the
taIling rocks had damned his feet
INTO creyice of the bottom. beyond
MS power to pull them out. He tug
ged and strained and swore. this time
audIoly, Tor some minutes. He wa.
not IN tie least hurt. Ills feet had
room a-pl'nty in their rocky channel.
but he corld not get them out until
tne stone was moved from over II.
he had fDrrptta,, Tho