The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1911-07-27
A Modern Fish Fry.

The waning crescent of the moon in
its last quarter was not far above the
eastern horizon where it rode queen
through a star-be-studded sky, on
last Saturday morning, when | made
the first move to attend a fish fry
down in the river country, just a mile
or so southwest of the Marvel Bridge
in Walnut township. BY eight 0 clock,
accompanied by my two little> girls
and one of their young lady friends,
we were taking in one of the pictur-
esque beauty spots of our experience
from the center OF that magnificent
structure-M Marvel dge-across the
Marais De Cygne river where water
and sky and ledge and bluff and
verdure all bend and blend and curve
and gurgle. into a panoramic scene
that might well be called color spot
of nature. Continuing on our way
westward along typical river road,
skirted by cornfield and river and
stately groves Of bottom timber, we
soon turned south and at the end OF
another mile pulled up at "Pine
Hurst the hospitab.e home of that
prince of 'River Kings Mr.. Louis
Stalker the end of our fifteen mile
journey, at half past eight O'Clock.
Here Bonnie and "Croeseus
were Embarrassed and watered and
hayed; and then we waited-for be it
remembered that it had been noised
abroad that there was to be fish fry
at Staker's Lake on July 22nd, in the
year of our Lord l9ll-something
unique and out of the ordinary to an
"upland citizen of my calibre.
Well, as the novelist would remark,
time passed on, and found us at the
lake, a body of water covering an
acre or so and formed by the annual
overflows of the river which bring
out the fish and leave them there
when the water goes down; where
they thrive in spite of their circum-
scribed limits. Here made rather
remarkable discovery, and that was
that my friend, Billie Bell, the genial
ex-treaSurer, owned farm-a real
farm-with a house on it and well
close by, in close proximity to the
lake. Here was to be the rendezvous
guaranteed by the "unwritten law
of society down there) and by II
O'Clock the whole countryside had
contributed, with its citizens coming
in carriages and buggies, on horse
back and afoot, until something like
so to rs people had gathered there
still they waited, until l began to
wonder what for. Here were the
Moores, Scribners, Carmichaels,
Woodfins, Thompsons, Bowmans,
Wilson's, Boards, Taylors, Jones,
Mayes, Orears, Briscoes, Stakers,
McCalls, Doolittles. and others can
not now recall-allapparently anxious
to commence operations, and yet
there seemed to be "hitch" some
where. Soon would hear some say.
Il wonder where Bill is, and anon,
"what do you reckon Bill is doing
that he don'tcome." Ibegan to think
something was wrong, but was quiet
ed on all sides by them saying, "Oh, +
Bill will be here sure, he never fails
to come to a fish fry" and soon a
shout of Here he comes" caused me
to turn and there came your "Uncle
Billie Briscoe," with crowd of
"standpatters" at his heels with a
seine. I
Now, all were busy, the "draggers"
withdrew to some near by bushes to ;
make there their fishing toilet" and
when they emerged l don't believe {
they would have known their own
photographs. Some were gowned in
ancient toggery which smacked j
Of having flourished before the
war, pants that Noah might have i
Fished in. Some were bare-footed, a
displaying caves Of the inflated