Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-12-01
1
! @sYounger Set !
By ROBERT w. CHAMBERS. &
Author Of Fighting Chance" Etc
g Copyright, 1907. by w. Chambers
Copyright. 1907. by Robert w. Chambers
s@@Msas 4 s@@M&@@@# @#@@@@@#@@@#&@a

small boy with pole and sinker and
barnyard worm-these were the only
foes the trout might dread. AS for a
man and fly rod, they knew him not,
nor was there much chance for cast
ing line. because the water every
where flowed under weeds, arched
thickets of brier and grass and leafy
branches crisscrossed above.
"This place is impossible" said Sell
wyn scornfully. What Is Austin
about to let 1t all grow up and run
Wild
He reeled in his line until only six
inches of the gossamer leader remained
free. From this dangled single sill
yer bodied fly, glittering in the wind.
There's likely pool hidden under
those briers," he said. I'm going to
poke the top Of my rod under-this
way Hah! as heavy splash
sounded from depths unseen and the
! reel screamed as he struck
| Up and down, under banks and over
shadows, rushed the invisible fish, and
Selwyn could do nothing for awhile
! but let him go when he insisted and
check and recover when the fish per-
mitted
| Eileen, spray of green mint be-
| tween her vivid lips, watched the per-
formance with growing interest, but
when at length big. fat, struggling
| speckled trout was cautiously but sue
cessfully lifted out into the grass she
, turned her back until the gallant fight
er had departed this life under a mer-
ciful whack from a stick.
| That" she said family, sis the part
don't care for. Is he out of all pain ?
What? Didn't feel any? Oh, are you
quite sure?"
! She walked over to him and looked
down at the beautiful victim of craft.
"Oh. WELL" she sighed, you are very
clever, of course, and suppose I'll eat
him, but l wish he were alive again
down there in those cool, sweet
depths!
killing frogs and insects and his
smaller brother fish?"
did he do that?"
'No doubt of it. And If 1 hadn't
landed him heron or a mink would
have done 1t sooner or later. That's
what trout is for-to kill and be
killed"
She smiled. then sighed. The taking
of life and the giving of. it were mys-
teries to her. She had never Willingly
killed anything.
'Do you say that it doesn't hurt the
trout?" she asked.
"There are no nerves In the Jaw
muscles Of a trout Hahw as his roc
twitched and swerved under water anG
his reel sang again.
J. And again she watched the perform
ance and once more turned her back.
Let me try" she said when the
coup de grace had been administered
to. lusty, brilliant tinted bull trout
And, rod in hand. she bent breathless
and intent over the bushes, cautiously
thrusting the tip through a thicket o.
mint
She lost two fish, then hooked /,
third, a small one, but when she lifted
1t gasping into the sunlight she shiv
cred and called to Selwyn:
"Unhook it and throw it back! L
simply can't stand thatr'
Splash! went the astonished trout
and she sighed her relief.
There's no doubt about it," she said
"you and l certainly do belong to dit
| ferent species of the same genus. Me-
and women are separate species. D
you deny it?'
, 81 should hate to lose you that way,
he returned teasingly.
''Well, you can't avoid 1t. gladly &C
| NIT that woman Is not too closely II
| lated to man. We don't like to XII
| things It's an ingrained distaste, nc
, | merely a matter of ethical philosoph.
You like to kill, and it's trait commo
! also to children and other predator
animals, which fact" she added airil.
, "convinces me of woman's higher civ
!. iiization."
1T would convince me, too" he salt
a "if woman didn't eat the things ths
y man kills for her.
ST know. Isn't it horrid? Oh, dea
we're neither Of us very high In th
i, scale yet-particularly you"
q "Well, I've advanced some since til
y good old days when man went wo
/. ing with a club" he suggested.
'You may have. But, anyway, yo
q don't go wooing. AS for man collie
. lively, he has not progressed so yer
= far" she added demurely. "As an e.
a ample that dreadful Draymore man a
A tually hurt my wrist"
4 Selwyn looked up quickly, shade
); frank annoyance on his face and
vision of the fat sybarite before b
e lnn0lIITr nnn0r