Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-07-12
BIG FISH YARNS.
Natives Made Smart Drummer Feel
Ashamed of Himself.

There Is certain travelling salesman
composed of part Of central Missouri,
some Of the Usage river country and
some Of the Ozark region. He loves
to go fishing, and his territory has
given abundant opportunity. With such
inclination and experience 1t follows,
In the course Of nature. that from the
facts Of experience and the workings Of
an active and vivid imagination he
came to construct and evolve a roper
tory Of fish stories that he took every
opportunity to tell, and all who heard
them wondered and gave out they
couldn't be beat, much to the drum
mer-fisherman's satisfaction.
But he has for some time past quit
telling fish stories, though he still goes
fishing. He has quit from much the
same feeling as comes over the crack
billiard player of a small town when
he sees an expert like Hoppe perform
with the cue.
One time not very long ago this
Missouri, to his territory and he went
there loaded as he was with his fish
yarns. Now everybody in Camden
county fishes. There Is much good
fishing matter there, the Usage, the Lit
tie and Big Niangua, the Wet Glaize.
the Dry Glaize and innumerable minor
streams, lakes, ponds and water filled
sink holes. Years Of constant fishing
and plenty Of time otherwise to serene
ly conjure the matter in mind, together
given the average Camden county man
a gift of telling fish yarns with detail
and Gulliver-like reality that Is the
very highest and most artistic per-
formance yet reached In fish narration.
Camden county is rather isolated; few
outsiders know anything about 1t and
the people of it. The drummer did not
know, so he went to Linn Creek, the
county seat Of Camden, "drummed" the
town, ate his supper and, in the gloam-
ing, sat out on the hotel gallery side
and side with sundry elderly Linn
Creekers of the ruminative cast that
betokens appreciative listeners. And
that drummer began telling those ell
ders his fish stories. beginning with
his mildest and gradually getting into
his most ferocious. The strain Of these
last made him run down and pause to
think up another. At the pause lit >
tie old man with white beard and seri-
Gus demeanor, who had been listening
attentively, spoke up and, in a low,
even, fiute-toned voice that never
quavered, let loose this one:
up at my place." said he, "a short
spell ago, the boys and me cut down
big tree. After 1t fell we set down a
NIT on the trunk to rest and heard
something make queer sort Of fiut-
tering, sputtering noise down inside
what we was settin' on.
Boys. sez 1, amt this here tree
holler?'
"'No, sez them, it's solid and sound
"Then hear the sound inside again.
I grabbed an AK and, sez I, while set
in to choppin,' There's something in
side this here, and I'm going to know
what 1t is
Il notched big notch and cut into
a holler place inside with punk water
in it. In there was a nine-pound cat
fish, which was what I'd been hearin'
fioppin'."
How did that fish get into such
place" asked the drummer.
II amt no idee, less'n the tree had
growed round him, which l reckon 1t
had done some time or other"
Before the drummer could catch his
breath a grave senior Of Linn Creek.
sitting on the other side of him, let
this one loose:
There was a terrible big fish used
to come up the Usage before the war,
and we got to hearin' so much about
it a passel of us fellers set In to catch
him. We got 200 feet Of inch rope, had
the blacksmith weld up a big hook
and we put on yaller dog for bait.
We set our line, and sure enough 1t
wasn't long; that fish took dog, hook
and all and we had him hung fast.
We couldn't nigh land him, though
there was more'n a dozen Of us-and
he'd pulled US all in the river only we
hitched on two OK teams-siX yoke
each-and then steers, and we all drug
that fish out after a tough, hard pull.
He measured nine feet between the
eyes, and his eyes set heap closer to-
gether than they'd order set in fish
of that SIZE"
Another elder took right up follow
ing and began this way:
"Once up on the Glaize"-but our
drummer arose, remarked that he had
to get away very early next morning
and had better go to bed. He did go
upstairs and to bed right then and
there, and from that time to this very
day nobody has heard him tell nsh
yarn.-Kansas City Star.