The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-06-06
VERACIOUS TALE OF
FISH AS MUSIC LOVERS,


"Fish have a great many fine traits
about Them" remarked the veracious
and erudite disciple of old Izaak Wal
ton, as he was talking on that subject
with some friends one day during the
past week, according to the Washing
ton Post. You would hardly suppose"
he continued. that a fish is fond of
music. but he is. all the same. and I
myself have had personal observation
of the fact. and of al the fish that
swim, these taylors that herd by the
thousands In the lower Potomac and
In all the rivers about the eastern shore
of Virginia take the cake. They like
fine operate music, at that, and none
of this ragtime stuff o can hear q
darby whistling on the corner any
day in the week..
I'm give you one illustration" said
the %garrulous old gentleman. You
know / was born and bred around In
old Accomac. and If there is any bet
ter fish anywhere under the sun l
never heard tell of them. Only a year
or SO g a lot of young people came to
me to take them out on @ sailing ex-
cursion, and. of course, / was agree
able. SO / took them out n beautiful
September afternoon In my schooner
rugged 'bugeye,' and a merry time they
had of it, those boys and girls.
"They had plenty of good things to
a with them, and they didn't care to
spend any time fishing, but they
danced and sang a%-plenty. There was
one young woman who could sing like
an angel. She had a guitar with her,
and played on 1t while she sang The
Last Rose Of Summer and The Harp
That Once Through Tara's Halls and
all such beautiful things. and | am
a red COW IL a whole lot of these tay-
lors didn't come to the top of the water
and listen, just as If they were human
creatures, I'll take my solemn oath
to that said the old fisherman.
Then, after a while, there was a
young man who had a voice like a
church organ, and he began to sing
Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep
and the FISH that had zone away when
the first music stopped came back In
shoals. If ever fishes were charmed
those were with that young mans
d~eep-toned melodies. He sang several,
and the fishes stopped, or, rather, kept
ups with US all lit llIiiO, duQ i i6fGI
heard such a s%plashing in all my days
as they did when he ended every song.
OF course, anybody could tell that they
intended that for applause.
Then there's another feature about
fish / want to tell you about, their
fondness for delicaeies-such as people
have. They love watermelon more
than a Georgian darby. OF course, It's
all along caused by the change In
flavor of the water In the fruit from
river water. but they do love a slice
of watermelon amazingly. Now. / got
wind of this in about the same way
that I did of the fishes love of music.
"And I can tell you something
strange, but nevertheless a fact on this
subject. This happened also down
about the Capes In lower Virginia, just
like the music yarn did. / had my
same old 'bugeye' out with another
party on board, and they, had prov
ender enough with them to last for a
weeks cruise. The provisions were
mostly watermelons, big, luscious fell
lows, red to the rind,' like your street
fruit peddlers say, and the boys and
girls just ate the heart out of them
and threw tho rinds overheard, Well,
the fish came up to the top of the
water In multitudes after the fruit.
They were so thick and close together
that a fellow could walk ashore on
their backs, and | will make an afr
davit before n Justice of the peace
in town to that. The watermelon that
was thrown overheard was gobbled up
almost Immediately. and some of the
fish that didn't get a square meal Just
jumped aboard the schooner and
helped themselves to some of the cut
slices lying on the deck. All Of this is
solemn truth.
"Well, I don't are II ! do take Just
one more said the old man, breaking
away suddenly from his fish stories;
''and please, bartender, don't make
mine SO sweet. So long; good-by,
boys" he said, as his hearers departed
marvellng.