The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-06-03

| /
way. l hate fishing. How nice and cool it looks
down in the water. l wish | was fish so | could
be in the water"
The words were scarcely out of his mouth before
he changed into q little fish and was swimming
around in the water. At first he hardly knew
which way to 60 but it was fine and cool and the
little waves were dancing on the surface of the
water and down in the lake-botom were beautiful
! little stones and queer things growing. Flowers
and strange grasses lilies whose roots were planted
firmly in the carthbottom. and whose beautiful,
sweet-sccnted white howcr-faccs we're floating on
the top Of the water held there by the long scn-
der, rope-like STEMS blue flowers whose cala-lilv-
like leaves gave tropical look to the plant; tall
weeds that bent and swaycd III the breeze.
In and out among the grasses and water-plant5
I,addie swan gay-
"IIow fine it is to be fish" he thought so
nice and cool and with many pretty things to
see"
Two very large fishes just then came swim
ming near linn and Laode could not but notice
how closely they eyed HIM aud he also noticed
what very large mouths they had.
As they swan slowly around him he heard one
yes. a. nice fat little fish. will keep my eye
on him, and when l get hungry l will cat him"
"Horrible!" thought Ladde. They surely
mean mel And he swan away as fast as he could
but the big fish swan faster
Around and around went Laddc. hunting for
some nook among the weeds and rocks where he
might hide; and around and around went the big
fish always keeping his goggly eyes upon Laddic.
Hide where he would those great round eyes found
him out.
Laddc wondered if the big fish had begun to get
hungry vet and how long it would be before he
would swim up to him and pen that huge mouth
and-ugh!
Poor Laddie began to think that the life of
fish was not one of perfect happiness.
He was beginning to get hungry, too, and there
m he to eat hp
hunted for it. He remembered how, when he was
hungry. Grandma always had something waiting for
him to eat; but there was nothing here waiting for
him and he must hunt if he would eat
Watching his opportunity, he slipped out from
behind the rock and swan cautiously away, looking
right and left to if the gogge-eyed fish was
watching him. He breathed a sigh of relief he
got away from those eyes, and darted rapidly after
some little flies and bugs that were skimming the
surface of the water. TO his surprise he found
them quicker than himself, and they did not stay
to be caught.
Il never supposed fishes had to work for their
food" thought Laddie. He was growing very hun
CRY now. How good of Grandma's cookies
would taste
Just then he saw little worm that was keep
ing quite still. all curled in a heap. Quick as a
flash he darted at it and seized it in his mouth,
when OH what an awful prick it gave him! And
he jerked into the air and swung the end
of long line. which man was drawing into a
boat. Oh, dear Oh, dear! How it hurts. lie
heard the other fishes say: "Foolish little thing
not to know that dead worm was bait"
As he was thrown into the bottom of the boat
he heard the voice of bird in the wood beyond
singing loud and clear.
"Oh, it is awful to be fish" moaned Laddie.
Il wish [ was bird" And before he knew what
had happened he was flying through the air.
He sang gleefully as he saw the man in the
boat hunting for the missing fish Hunt away,
he sang, you'll never get me to be fish again
And he spread his wings' and flew away and away
to the deep, dark woods.
How fire it was to float through the air;
much better than swimming.
"Oh, there's nothing like the life of bird"
said Laddie, "away up here, where | can look down
on the people moving slowly while skim through
the clouds in this delightful manner"
Then he settled himself on the branch of tree
to rest.
"Such nice little bugs, all handy by, for me to
eat"
He ate his lunch of flies and bugs and was
preenng his feathers and arranging them in or
der, so he would look very pretty indeed, when he
suddenly espied with gun creeping eau
tious y past the trunk of tree.
"He can't want to shoot me- thought Laddie.
II not good to eat and [ never hurt him any" !
The raised his gun to his shoulder and
bang! A sharp pain darted through of Lad
dies legs and a sudden dimness came before his
eyes, and he fell down and down, and with sick
ching thud he landed amid the tall grass upon the
hard ground.
The man did not even look for him. but strobe
away, while Laddie futtercd to the cover of some
shrubs and lay gasping with pain. He soon became
thirsty, but was not able to fy, for his broken leg
hurt him terribly if he but moved. Oh, dear. Oh,
dear. Would help never come.
There nothing to do but lie tl.ere and die by
inches from pain and thirst and starvation, as
many another bird has done that has been shot
Just for fun" by some boy.