The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1905-05-31
Fishing
BIZ KEITH GORDON
.....Copurioht. 1905. BY Keith Gordon.....
.,.copuhoht. 1905. BY Keith Gordon. :.

When he reached the village the hush
of early twilight lay ON the broad, dee
orous streets which We're almost desert
ed Their very emptiness. however.
was full of suggestive cheer. Pictures
of broad, low rooms with hountifully
spread supper tables, ON which feath-
cry biscuit, cold chicken and preserves
made tempting array. rose before his
dreamy eyes; cheerful, natural faces
doomed In the thick, red light of old
fashioned lamps; the rag carpets. rock
ing chairs and secretaries all the de
tails of the rural household scene We're
wildly. pleaSurably before him.
Behind him the long poles dipped
with Il rhythmical, monotpnous motion
rs the horse logged evenly along. At
the crossing of two streets the slight,
graceful figure of girl paused for him
10 pass. In the shndowy light she
seemed like IL sprit-the spirit of the
advancing night.
Thus sunk, lost, wrapped III revery.
he drove on. the poles waving up and
down behind him like long. hungry ten
tacles. exploring the evening air for
something to catch and hold. \ jolt
and rumble and the buggy rolled
over the crossing with an energy TINT
sent the poles dipping lower than ever.
and then the tcntaeleS hooked some
thing hooked II tight and after Il brief
resistance on the part of the hooked
thing, which manifested II strong in
clnation to remain where II WINS lift
ed 1t high in a triumph and malciously
disappeared down the duslsy street,
leaving paralyzcd, shadowy shape
staring after it with astoundcd eyes.
For moment the girl stood speech
less, beWlldcrcd TO have her hat sud
denly plucked from her head rs II by
II hand thrust from the sky in II sleepy
little village of the new world well,
1t was an experience that stopped her
mental machinery with Il jerk.
Had 1t been in Greece in tac year
something or other Is. g II would have
been eNplicabe rs the deed of some
goddess, jealous and angcrcd mt the
beauty OF her love of Il hat Jealous
goddcsses, she recalled. lrld done even
ing Il mortal's hat.
OR had 1t been later, in medlaevnl
times, She might have ascribcd this
hat lifting To black mngic. But in the
United States of America IN the year
of 1903 neither of these explanations
could hold, and that was the reason
she stood MS If she had taken root
while these thoughts shot rapidly
through her mind
Meanwhile her hat dancing up and
down III Il tantaliZing, diabolical fash
ion. AS If 10 wave her II moCklng fare
well, was being borne, slowly but In
exorahly, into the gloaming. Before
she recovered the power Of speech and
motion the buggy was halfway down
the block She mnde Il step after IT.,
then stopped. She had II sharp, hu-
morous vision of herself, hatless and
dishevcled, pursuing that dancing
hooking bobbing will=O the =wlsp of II
hat through the village streets making
frantic, Intellectual jumps mt IT, as n
dog at II biscuit held Just beyond its
reach, and the vision caused her to
pause.
"IIerc, Oh, | say, stop, won't your
she called impIoringly. but the quad-
rupcd drawing the buggy proceeded
with II deXterlty that reminded her Of
the jugglcr who keeps four balls In the
air at the same time, while the fall Of
its hoofs came To her In II more ana
more distant cadence.
"Oh, man. she called desperately,
but the owner OF the fishing rods was
wandering In n dream world, smiling
the damp, earthly, evening Smells com
munIng with the approaching spirit of
night, deaf to any but trumpet voices.
Well" she exclaimed eXplosiyely.
with an energy that empticd her lungs
TO the remotest corners well, | Ike
that. I'd Just like to know what I'm
going TO d0f'
And in answer to the query the of
fcious, obtrusive, subconscious self
set her in motion, and she found her
self heading toward her boarding place
to the monotonous inward wall of,
And it's the only hat | have with me"
Meanwhile the young man drove on
muslngly, blissfuly. until he reached
the house where he was staying, all
unconscious of his latest and most un-
usual "catrh' The light was stream
Ing warmly from the windows as he
drove past the side of the house up to
the barn and jumped out
At the sight OF the dark object dlmly
visible at thcend of his poles he stared
In surprise A moment later, when he
had carried them into the patch Of
light from the nearest window. his
hands dropped helplcssly.
There It WAS, II trim, nI'ty hat-a wo.
mans hat, or, no, a girls hat Even t.
his groplng7 masculine sense there was
something Foqucttish, playful, allurinS,
about IT, But there II was, held firmly
as an ensnarcd fish Ivy the two sharp
hooks, surely the strangcst object II
fisherman .evcpcaugln.
"WlbeIp'd 1t come fromY' demanded
the boy who had come out torunharness
the horse Thcn, suddenly, as II the
Joke were just revealed to him, he
burst into a loud guffaw, In which the
young man Joined in spite of,hlmsclf.
Later on he worked 1t out. IT must
belong TO the. slender young girl who
had waited for him to drive paat. He
remembered distinctly now that she
had paused there, alta certainscrossing,
waiting for him, to get by, sort OF
shadow girl.whoshad seemed part Of
his musings. Doubtless she had passed
close bchind'the buggy and the bobbing
poles with the dangling hooks had par
odied the tragedy OF AbsalNn. But
how should he find her and restore her
lost headgear>
The same problem was tormentlng
the brain ofnthe owner of the hat, and
as result the postmkstrss received
two notices within the next hour with
the requestTthat she put,them up in the
postofiice.
IF the person whose icareiessnesS" =