The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1909-09-28
)le..A e.r-.ssr with Bare
.saae. ,6ubIe Prize Ia That
Swallowed Girls
Reimbursement Ring.

"Te"a de best fish story you
know."A 81 he mar sitting opposite.
The man whom things happen lit
fresh cigar
Fish stories are 50 common and
easy that they are hardly worth
WHILE" he replied. However, must
confess that l have been fishing q few
times in my life"
And the, fish v weighed less
than four pounds ~apiece"
Those that got away never did.
But the biggest fish / ever landed
weighed just three pounds and six
ounces That's very moderate. you
know, and the story would not be
worth telling except for the remark
able way in which l caught him. The
TACT is I landed him without either
net, hook or bait"
HE Just jumped into your boat vol
UNFAIRLY, l suppose"
No; l reached down into the water.
slipped my fingers into his gills and
hauled him in"
That's q good opener"
yet you will agree that the thing
was very simple when l tell you
about it. You see, l was out rowing
for the mere pleasure of stretching
my muscles and Of being talked to by
the belle of -he resort. / had f1shed
the lake for ,tRree days without catch
ing anything worth taking home and
had given up in the belief that there
no fish in those waters. So when
invited the belle to go for an after
noon row l did not take the trouble
to throw in a line. And, of course, as
We were crossing a particularly clear
n shallow spot We spied a splendid
pike wing on the bottom. Girl-lfke,
she dargled her fingers in the water.
And then she screamed. No; the fish
had not come up and bitten her fingers.
Her dianond ring-an engagement
ring, she assured me-had slipped into
the water. You see it had been doing
d'ty as a summer resort engagement
ring for two seasons and it was a lit
tie large for this girl.
u was gallant and told her I'd dive
fo- It. thought that would be better
than to offer to give her another on
NY own account. But just as I was
about to jump in that big fish sided
laziv u pto it, opened his mouth and
swallowed it with the most self-satis-
fed mile / ever saw On the face of a
fish. I told her | was glad to learn
VIA Find of bait the fish in that lake
wanted and would come back next day
fully prepared. But she began to cry.
She said ! was cruel and Why didn't ]
dive and bring up fish ard all? I had
to set my wits at work then. She
wore a watch and so did I. l took
out the crystals and by putting them
tcacether made a sun glass. With that
] caught a u -ay and turned it into
the water rig--Ove where the fish
was lying. He saw it and began tc
Investigate. Evidently, he thought 1,
was a larger and better diamond than
the one. +lAe had just captured.
p'ayed.1t over him in the most tantal
i2ing way I could and he became Sc
~ifte.ested that he forgot all about us
~ frorrht him close beside the boat
and while he lay just below the sur
fac. mctionless. fascinated by the
brilliant sun ray. reached over witt
MY free hand, slipped my finger into
his gills and yanlsed him into thu
boat"
and you got back the diamond?"
Yes: but I noticed next day she
was not wearing it and asked her why
She blushed and answered:
"'We'l, it was an engagement ring
Just as l told you. but it was Suzette's
not mine. borrowed it for the &C
casion.'
But never could get her to tel
me why she wanted to borrow anothel
girls engagement ring when she wa.
going for a row with me-"
And . never suspected that sh,