Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-06-16
BEuin a Star Fisherman

fered to bet Deacon Abe Stowe, cham
pion angler of East Crossroads, that
he could bring in the most trout on
the opening day of the season, Abe
treated the matter humorously and
staggered.
"Sho, | Amt jokin'." the elder pro-
tested. vehemently. I'm lay We a gall
Tern o applejack | a. beat We weight
to weight.
An ketch EN- fair an sQuare?"
laughed the deacon.
Not a pleggid soul I help"
"Keteh with a hook an liner
Il amt sayin'."
/" 'Tother ways is Unlawful warned
Abe.
Il won't bust nary a law" declared
Sim.
Honest Injun?"
Honest Injun.'
Then, I'll bet We the gallern IL
| you'll let Nose White so long with
ye." agreed the deacon.
Starting, Nose can 80 IL you'll take
along Hen Snow, replied Sim.
So 1t was settled and sun-up found
| the men each with a companion APP
| pointed by the other, miles from the
village. The deacon chose Chances
Falls on Furnace river, the other
headed for the outlet of Rocky pond,
where the big trout lay sluggishly
along the sand bottoms.
"Sorter think I'm an idiet comm
this way, now don't We, Nose In
| quired the elder, good naturally.
Wall. to tell the treuth, | was sort
er iggerin' thet you was some rash
that is, a little mite rasher'n I'd be-"
Nose admitted.
"Jusso, jusso, an quite proper, too
said the elder, 'but mebbe your nod
Gle's thinkin' hind end to, We never
can tell. Well see soon, though, for
unless I'm off my bearin's them white
rocks over yender's what I'm lookin'
for" He pointed to a huge pile of
broken powders at the foot of a cliff
and went on: Il tol' Abe I'd beat
him without the help of a soul or
breakin' of the law, but | didn't say
nuthin' bout bein' helped by critters
tibet hain't got souls. Now there's a
bear in them rocks an he's jest walk
In up arter winterin' calm an COM
f'table. He's hungry enough to eat a
side O. tanned sole luther an I'm a.
goin' to git him to do my ishln' for
me-"
"Sho, you don't say!" gasped Nose.
taken completely by surprise.
"Yis, I do say" the elder chuckled
exuberantly. The fust thing the var
minis do when they wake up an quit
suckin' their claws is to git out an
forage; n they allus takes what's
highest. The brook bein' Jest over
the hill yender he'll pint for the big
holes an scoop out the trout Eastern
you can string EN- OF a CAD. VIII he
eat 'em? o. course, he'll eat EN-
till his belly's full. Then, while he's
got his hand in, SO t. speak, he'll keep
on seoopin' 'em out an poke 'em un-
der the bresh, After that he'll crawl
into a holler lawg, or hole, or his
cave, mebbe, and sleep awhile fore
he on t. eat some more"
The men Skinned a spruce tree near
bAV tdNt dhh bHNC dulOnk int LINK
boughs the elder drew forth the bear
by bleating like a lost spring lamb.
He came out gaunt. stiff and blinking
and once in the open air shifted,
stretched and gauped.
Hell set a minute an then he'll
head for the outlet. Sh-h-h-h, there
he goes now" he cautioned, as bruln
numbered over the hill, whittier the
men shortly followed. Hell hit Injun
pool fust, likes not. That's where
l seen him last spring and got the
idee."
The hunter was a good prophet, for
at the wide and shallow pool the bear
had anchored himself by the hind legs
and allowed his body to hang over the
water. One paw just touched the rip
pies; the other stretched out to bat
the trout ashore when they were
fshed up. Suddenly the suspended
paw shot downward, the water boiled
and a FOUNDER topped on the bank.
Down went the paw a second time and
a second trout gasped beside the first.
1t made the elders mouth water to
see the pair disappear within bruin
and he idgeted a little when IA more
followed the trail of the first. But
there was nothing TO do but wait.
When his stomach was fairly
weighted with fish the bear waddled
to the next pool and resumed opera
lions. Here the fishing was better
and as trout after trout few In the air
and was knocked high and dry the
captor uttered grunts of greedy sat
isfaetion and licked his chops with a
long, red tongue. Not a trout weighed
less than a pound, while some were
twice that weight, and the elder was
in a delirium Of delight. From this
pool bruin journeyed still further
down stream and as soon as he was
out of sight the men saved him the
trouble Of ~disposing of his catch by
hypothecating 1t. When they had
picked up 65 beauties Weighing rs
pounds they made tracks for home.
The store was reached at -four