Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-13

-7HEY got into the boat, Mark taking
the oars and Percy the trollng-line,
and started up the river.
Percy paid the line out as ey
went along, and it was not long before ne
announced that he had "nibble."
LET him take good bite before you try
to hook him." advised Mark, and
Hello! Have you got him?'
Percy was excitedly hauling the line in hand
overland, as though he was afraid whatever
he had caught would let go its hold OF the
hook; and soon fish about eight inches long
made its appearance at the surface OF the
water and was quickly ierked into the boat.
Mark had stopped rowing and turned about
in his seat to watch Percy land the catch :
THAT'S pretty good for a starter, isn't it!'
said Percy, with considerable show of pride
over his achievement. II didn't think had
him at first, but as soon as i began to pull In
/ could feel him tugging at the line, and then
] knew he was hooked for certainty. What
kind of a fish is it %
"a black bass, I guess" replied Mark, ex-
aiming the fish, They're good eating. any
way. I've had them at home"
Percy again paid out the line, and almost
before he had it entirely out he got
bite and quite as excitedly pulled another
fish into the boat. This was a pike, some
what larger than the bass.
''If we keep on at this rate we'll have a
fine mess for our breakfast, wont we!" he
u.
Mark made no reply to this remark. He
began to wish very much that he had taken
the first turn at the line himself: At the
present rate Percy would have all the fish
there were in the river caught out by the
time a half-hour was up, and he wouldn't
have any fun at all. However, it was his
own agreement, so he couldn't find very much
fault with the way things were gong
And Marks fears in regard to Percy catch
ing all the fish were not groundless, to Judge
bv the way he kept pulling them IN. Two
minutes after the boy cast the line out for
the third time, he got bite from little
came another bass, then mullet, one more
small sunfish and another pike. And last OF
all, just as his halfhopr was up, he caught
a great, writing eel.
Percy as he exchanged places with Mark.
''Now see if you can do as well:
Percy had not ea,ight quite all OF the fish
out of the river, however, as Mark soon
found when he took his turn at the line.
He caught two splendid bass. a sunfsh
and a pike before he had been trolling fifteen
minutes, and the prospects were good for his
continuing right along in the same way until
But the prospects went wrong in their
working, in this case-as prospects often
times will do-and Mark was treated to,
little disappointment.
He had cast out the line, after the pike
had been landed, and was just preparing for
another bite, when Percy stopped rowing and
began taking off his coat.
II can't row with this thing on any longer;
it's getting too alfred warm" he replied to
Marks frowning interrogation of what ne
was doing"
And his stopping had let Marks hook sink
to the bottom of the river, so that. when
they started up again the hook caught on
small piece of water-soaked brushwood that
had lain in the bottom of the river and drag
ged it along.
Mark felt the piece of brushwood on the
end of his line, but supposed it was "nibble."
and waited patiently for the fish he supposed
was worrying his hook to take good bite:
In this way, they went quite quarter of a
mile up the river Then he happened to
notice that his line was standing out pretty
straight behind and at the same time mo-
ticed a strange ripple following along the
them, about where his hook ought to be, and
he "tumbled" to the fact that something
was wrong, and accordingly pulled in his
line, The ripple came closer and closer as
he hauled the line in, and soon its cause was
"P Hang it all! How'd that get on there?"
said Mark, as he caught sight of the piece of
br1ishwood. That's your fault, Percy"
And he vexedly tore off the brush and
threw it away out into the river.
"My fault! How is it my fault?" queried
Percy, in surprise
"Why, when you stopped the boat back
there to take your coat off, you let my hook
sink to the bottom of the river, and it caught
onto and dragged that thing along that's
how it's your fault. But go on; don't want
to stop and argue it out with you now. My
half-hour is nearly up as it is, and l want to
catch at least one more fish before we go in"
Percy turned about and resumed rowing.
But he did so In manner that showed he
was by no means convinced that he was the
one to blame for what had happened