The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-12-10
APOLOGIZE OR FIGHT
81 N. ouAp.

MISS true Gordon OF the city and q
summer visitor at her aunt's manor
house had never caught a fish In her
life. She didn't even know that she
wanted to until she strolled out to
the lake on the grounds on the third
lay Of her arrival ana was welcomed
BY ragged lad If fourteen. who had
h pole and line 10 spare When he had
baited her hook for her and spat on
the bait he bluntly asked:
Say you got Teller yetGn
"A feilerT' she repeated
Yes. a beau"
"Of course not. I'm just out Of
school"
We'll. you'll get one in time All
gals do Fellers are looking for gals,
and gals are looking for fellers IT'S
right TOO. I'm glad you come out here
this morning II you catch whopper
Of Ash you'll have beau within a
week. Never knew II 10 fail IN my
life There's an awful whopper In
this lake. He's pickerel He's two
feet Tong He's bit Off more n a hum
bred lines II you could only catch
him. I.ordyW
"What would happeng' asked Prue.
you'd catch on 10 feller IN nc
time and he'd be daisy and you'd
get married and i've happy forever
after won't be here this afternoon,
but You come ont and fish by yourself
The old whopper always comes around
ID the afternoon. Don't get scared 4
Ne bites tait shut your teeth and pun
for al you're worth
In the afternoon Miss Prue hshed
again. a young man took q seat. on q
log forty feet away and Without look
Ing In her direction he calmly prepnr-
ed line and hook and east them into
the lake 1t was likely some one sum
mering In the village hotel. and he had
been told that the lake was free 70 all
Miss Prue was nettled The longer
she watched the young man out Of
The corner Of her eye the more annoyed
She felt. Ii would have been AT least
fresh" for him 70 have approached
her. but his action seemed TO ignore
her. A long, dreary hour mad passed
when the stranger suddenly leaped &c
his feet and began 10 dance around.
That swhopper' had taken his hook
She watched his excitement for mo
ment and then threw her fish polls
into the lake and started for homo
with swapping eyes and blazing cheeks.
In telling her story after she got there
she. wept tears Of anger and humilia-
tion. That evening as she sat on the
gveranda after dinner. gritting her
teeth now and then as she thought Of
her wrongs, Dick came sauntertng up
to hear how her fishing had turned
out. She poured the story into his
ears, and he said:
Il know the Teller. He's an artist
stopping at the tavern told you
about that whopper and got you to
nshing. and now It's up to me to do
something. I'm your guardian Ike
I'm going 10 do something"
But what can you doT was asked
Lots. He's got to apologize "
night"
but. Dick. you see''-
But Dick was on dog trot FOR tNe
village. he had never spoken with
the artist, but that made no difference
to a boy like him. He had come on
an errand. and that errand must be
done The artist was found on the
hotel veranda enjoying a cigar and
the cleaning. and no time was lost
III addressing him with
Say. you, but you've got to apollo
gize or there'l1 be the biggest kind OF
row around here"
III have burt your feelings | don't
remember it, replied the surprised
guest.
s0h. II Amt my feelings, but girls.
Don't nobody never hurt my feelings,
It's a girl, and you made her awfui
mad and you made her cry. WIN yor
apologize or fight dueIY
Il hurt girls feelings? When
whereg Boy. tell me all about III"
ITS a girl named Prue She's Aunt
Judiths niece. She's from the city.
She's as handsome as a duck learn.
cd her to fish this morning. told her
about that whopper Of a pickerel in
the lake, and | told her that II she
could catch him she could catch dan
dy Of a felIer wasn't back there
this afternoon. but she was She was
fishing for the whopper when you but
ted In"
"Oh, 1t was that girl at the lake, ehl
Why. never spoke to herr
mo, but you caught that whopper
Of a pickerel Jest as he was going to
take her hook, and you must apologize.
She's waiting FOR You to come along
back with me and do Il"
The artist was only twenty-four and
romantic and yenturesome He allow
I'd himself to be marched up to the
manor and before Miss Prue and Aunt
Judith. and he didn't make his apology
until Dick had said, This is the Teller
who caught the whopper, and when !
.old him be must apologize or fight he
came along"
Then the apology was made. It was
prefaced by the statement that the
'whopper" had turned oni to be an old
boot dshed up from the bottom Of the
hike and it had been taken from the
hook and thrown into the grass. After
that things came easy. Dick. TO his
humiliation, was shunted aside for talk
about art. books. travel. etc. and at
last he made quiet sneak, AS he
went be said 70 himself:
II never teaches another girl how TO