Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1908-04-17
CAPTAIN seth TALKS
OF HUMAN D0GFISH


citing game of dOminoes vas going on
at a corner table. where three fisher
men were fighting it oGt sor the cham
pionship of the fish pier Each man
had a little group of hackers, who ar
gued noisily. A husky doryman was
leaning back in his chair turning over
the RACES of a file Of our Dumb Ami
mails in a bored manner, while four
graybeards were clustered around the
stove watching the smoke curl out
through a joint in the stereotype
The door opened letting in a cold
blast, and a tall man entered and
hastily closed it behind hiE..
ANY letters here for Seth Par
sons?" he demanded, and the retired
fishing captain who manages tne read
ing-room came forward to look through
his tiny post Office.
'Nothin' dom, Capt. Seth" he sail,
Guess they didn't spect ye 50
soon"
Seth grunted. and then removed his
coat and about three yards of red
muffler He had gray tuft of hair on
his chin. and his grizzled locks looked
sadly in need Of a BARRIERS attention,
but he was a sturdy old man with
a good-natured grin.
At the stove they made room for
him respectfully.
when did We get in, Seth?" asked
an old man with long gray beard who
was smoking vile tobacco in black
ened clay pipe.
Half an hour ago." replied Seth.
settling himself before the fire and
producing a well colored meerschaum
which he ostentatiously filed and
lighted.
Got a good trip?'
NO" said Seth. disgustedly. The
burned fish wouldn't bite OF else there
weren't any"
Il guess the fishin banks amt no
more to be depended on than the
money banks" said the old man.
You can't git much out of either these
days"
Well" said Capt Seth, 1T won't
trouble no bank much to pay for what
fish I got. First thing know the OWL
erl be tellin' me they need a young
er man. that can get fish when he
goes after it,
/''You don't need to worry bout that
with what money you got in the
bank" returned the other
Il need to worry about the bank
though said Seth. Every time I
come in l draw a check just to see
80 .i,.,.-., .+:l1 Jcir. L,reipoce NH-Lora
would I be if the bank should bust
Ezra Jenkins?"
Bout where am now said
Ezra. with 4 doleful grin, and there
was a chuckle from the others, for
Ezra subsisted in great part upon his
friends
Whats this money trouble all
about anyway" asked a little thin
man who sat by the wall half envel-
oped in a cloud of tobacco. My old
woman took all she had out of the
bank and keeps it under the mat
ress; but what she's afeared of ]
dunno
Il amt no fnancier,' said Capt
Seth, but | can see through ladder,
l can You can't get money out of
the banks for the same reason that I
can't get fish on the banks. Cause
it amt there
why amt it there? Didn't we put
it there?" demanded Ezra.
Huh" said Capt Seth. Il tell you
why it amt there. You felIers all |
know that Georges is stocked with
millions and millions of fish. had
dock, hake and pollock. We sail |
down there and we got to do
certain things to get the fish.
We bait our hooks and set our travis {
and then wait for the fish. But the |
dogish is right down there with the /
fish. and hasn't any forms to go /
r simply opens his mouth /
and swallows them right down.
Its the same in bank. You step /
up to a big iron gratin', and ask the |
man inside if he won't please give you |
what belongs to you. Well. theys hui
man dogish, and they're inside .
the gratin. Theys nothin' to stop .
them and they just gobble up all the /
while the poor fisherman with .
his line through the payin' teller's win
dow never Gets bite, and the teller
tells him that OWN to the condition Of
the money market he'll have to wait
till everybody comes round and depos
its some more
Capt. Sc, made his point, and
looked around for a contradiction
There was none, and he hit his
knee a resembling whack.
I'm in favor of congress putin
bounty on dogfish, and exterminatin
EN-, and If they put a bounty on hui
man dogish. the banks d be safe
enough"
DO you think that there's goin' TO
be hard times?" asked Ezra jenkins
Yes" said Capt Seth Hard times
'or the banks I'm goin' to dig hole
Ii my back yard and bury my money
after this
Sure Enough.
Never notice me, do you?" sneered
he fence post.
80, ,,or, addraccfnO r,p2'f demanded