The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1908-11-04

Bert, flushing, put his hands behind
his back.
"I'd be mighty glad to run errands
for you, SIR" he said, breathlessly,
"any time, sir. But l don't want
money. If you'd let me have-if
you'd"
"If I'd what?"
"If you'd lend me an old rod, I'd
try to catch that tarpon for you"
Mr.. Simpson slowly pocketed the
quarter. "You think fifty dollars in
the lagoon are better than a quarter
in the hand, eh! Well, don't know" "
He eyed the boy meditatively. ever
used rod?"
Lots of times. I've caught sea-
trout and cavally and kingfish and
tarpon, too. But they were small
ones," Bert added, truthfully.
Il don't know" mused Simpson.
well, all right. I'll let you have a
rod and fixings If you'll promise to do
more errands. A rod costs good
money"
"Ill PROMISE" said Bert.
After a man is tired of trout, and
has come to be match for the skilful
salmon, he is likely, If he is a con-
sistent angler, to turn to Southern
waters for new conquests. There he
will find among the hordes of strange
fish eager to take his bait a giant
herring, that for weight, agility and
cunning is the king of all game-fishes,
with the possible exception of the
huge leaping tuna. Men who have
found salmon-fishing an easy sport
have had their pride lowered when
they came to cast a tarpon line in
some placid lagoon. Here there are
no running waters or eddy-encircled
rocks to complicate the battle; moth
ing but the big fish himself to fight,
but the chances are that he will beat
you.
Bert had his Aown logy bateau and
his particular friend and admirer,
Wash Lee, who stood ready to do
nlenial labor for him at any moment.
1t never entered the youthful auto
Gratis head to ask favor of Lee. If
he planned a fishing expedition, he
merely mentioned the fact within
Lees hearing, and it was then under
stood that the darky was to do the
rowing.
The idea of fishing for tarpon like
"de gen'men from de Moth" inflated
Lee with an unusual sense of i'm
portance. At the appointed tine he
appeared at the landing with a brand
new rag round his perennially sore
toe, and the left hind foot of a rabbit
in his trousers pocket.
She'll shore bring US luck, too" he
confided. "She's de same what Yaller
Jack bruck de las dry spell with"
Bert shifted. He had not much
faith in such charms, at least, when
it came to fishing. He put a pop
eyed, slippery, one-pound mullet on
the hook and swung it overheard.
The velvet cluck of the big reel was
inspiriting music. He had never held
such a perfect rod in his hands be-
fore, and his pulse stirred bravely.
There was not ripple on the sur
face of the dead blue lagoon. The
scattered boats from the hotel lay off
to the north, as motionless as If glued
there. Bert had chosen new ground
near the narrow inlet, where the tide
runs in from the sea in long, pulsat-
ing jets, like blood in an artery.
He had dropped anchor there at
slack water, but the iridescent film
that gathers on the surface at such
times was now beginning to break up
into lines and darkening feathers
that glided slowly toward the head of
the lagoon. Soon it was all gone.
Then the Grst clean gush of sea-
water came, lifting the boat little,
and letting it sink gently as it rolled
on.
With this green water came preda-
tory fish. Few of them were visible,
but now and then a porpoise showed
a slice of fat, muddy back, or a pir-
atically slanted fin ripped the surface.
In the lagoon there was plenty of
gentle prey.
When the tarpon came, 1t was a
descent Of Norsemen. Boring their
way up the inlet, their bright backs
rising and falling, they came in rush
ing fieets-eager to be the first on the
feeding grounds. They stretched
from shore to shore like the metal
plates of steel corslet, racing so
close to the boat that they cast spray
into it, but not one noticed the
hooked mullet. He was too insignifi-
cant all by himself. They wanted a
school to charge and devour, worry
and scatter. In few minutes they
were gone with the inflow that had
brought them.
yves too far down." walled Lee,
in despair. "Dey's gone up to de
boats, and Sid'll catch our fish, sure.
Pull up de anchor, Mister Bert. Pull
him up"
Pull up nothing" said Bert,
sturdily, although he was somewhat
pale. He had never seen so many of
the great fish before. i've watched
this place, and II you can't catch one