Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-07-13
"creepy Mouse Creepy Mouse rckley riekley Tickey"

1t is terrible thing to have life
Clute of Betzville says-and we who
have none should be thankful. Last
Thursday Uncle Ashdod nearly per-
ished through an enmity that culmi-
mated on that day.
When Uncle Ashdod was a boy of
II he began fishing in Mud creek. and
the very first time he threw in his
hook he caught a pike, but when he
pulled it out it was such thin,
small, miserable little skimp of fish
that he was as mad as hops, and he
stood right up and told the pike what
he thought of it and then slammed
1t back into the creek, and thought
no more about it. But that pike did
pike is the most vindictive kind of
fish; terribly vindictive; and never
forgets an injury. Year after year
that pike lay low and nursed its an
ger and planned revenge, and poor
Uncle Ashdod knew nothing about it.
He never suspected it in the least he
says. He would have treated that pike
the same as he would have treated
any other fish, if he had met 1t, he
says.
Things went along that way for So
years, with Uncle Ashdod Clute think
ing nothing at all, and the pike gnaw-
ing its cankerous heart out for q
chance of revenge, and last Thursday
1t thought it saw its chance.
There was Uncle Ashdod sitting on
the bank Of the creek with his pole
stuck in the mud beside him, when
suddenly there came cloud-burst a
mile or so up the creek and almost
instantly the creek began to rise by
leaps and bounds. Before Uncle Ash
dod, who isn't as spry as he used to
be, could get to his feet the creek
was up to his knees, and there in
dashing and slashing at him with its
Jaws wide open, and leaping out OF
the water in frenZied attempt to
catch Uncle Ashdod by the neck and
drag him down to death.
Any pike can leap like deer, but
Uncle Ashdod saw there was only
one chance for his life, and that was
to climb tree So he made a dash
for big pine and jumped for the
lower limbs, and all the time the
water was rising, and no matter how
fast he climbed the tree the water
rose as fast and there was the big
pike right facing him and crashing
its teeth. Every moment the pike
would make leap, and before II
could fall back into the water the
water would overtake it. In that way
Uncle Ashdod climbed the tree, with
the creek and the pike never three
as If he would run out of tree before
the creek began to go down, and hi
knew that If he reached the top O
the pine and the water kept on rising
the pike would swim in and complete
the deed 1t had set its heart on
But Just as he reached the top the
water began to fall as rapidly as i
had risen, and the pike gave one CRY
of futile anger and made last enor
nous leap and grabbed Uncle Ashdot
by his long gray whiskers which were
blowing out over the topmost limb
and at that moment Uncle Ashdot
tainted and dropped. If it hadn't beer
for the pike Uncle Ashdod would have
been dashed to death, but once {
pike gets hold it is like a bulldog; i
never lets go. So there they hung By
his whiskers. one on one side of thu
limb and one on the other, like PAL
of saddle bags, until Uncle Ashdod re
covered from his faint.
Then there was a terrible battle
Uncle Ashdod put up his hands ant
took good hold of the limb, and be
gan to kick the lower end of the pike
and the pike frightened its grip Oh
Uncle Ashdod's whiskers and begal
to slash at his legs with its cruel bon,
tail. 1t looked like about an evel
fight, for If Uncle Ashdod had boot
on, the pike had tough scales, an
there they fought, face to face. Ur
Gle Ashdod said he never In his lif