Evening star., 1915-05-19
Little Storle,
@ Bedtime
BY THORNTON W. BURGESS.
Copyright, 1915. by J. g. Lloyd)
A Family Fishing Party.
Fishy, Fishy. here's won
Watch how he will twist and squirm
Bite him first before you look
10 see IL he is on hook.
Copyright, 1918. by ]. 9. Lloyd)

Farmer Browns boy said this over
twice just for luck as he tossed his
bait into the second little pool in the
Laughing Brook. Then he waited to see
what would happen. He waited ana
waited and waited. All good fishermen
as necessary as bait to catch fish So
Farmer Browns boy waited. Nothing
happened. nothing at all:
II wonder If some one has been here
thought Farmer Browns boy. Il didn't
get a nibble in the first pool and
haven't had a nibble in this one Guess
I'll have to be moving on.
So he moved on toward third little
pool farther down the Laughing Brook
He had almost reached it when he
heard splash and then another He
laid down his pole and crept forward
a sound When he could see the little
pool clearly he caught his breath
sharply. There were other fishermen
ahead of him. In fact, there was a
pool, and they were having better luck
than he had had. They were catching
fish. the very trout he had been so sure
of catching himself. They were the
who do you think they were? Why,
they were Little Joe Otter. Mrs. Joe
Otter and the two little Offers.
Farmer Browns boy. kept perfectly
about his own fishing. He never had
seen Little Joe but once or twice be-
fore. and then only had had glimpse
of a little brown head in the Smiling
Joe or the two children at all.
Little Joe dived. He was gone so long
that Farmer Browns boy began to
wonder what had become of him. Then
all in flash his brown head popped
up and in his mouth was a beautiful
speckled trout, trout that Farmer
Browns boy would have been delighted
to have caught. Gee" he exclaimed
the trout straight over to where the
two little Offers were sitting on big
fiat stone at the edge of the water,
fairly dancing with excitement. Just
before he reached them he dropped the
fish. Now that fish wasn't dead. He was
hurt SO that he couldn't swim his
fastest. but he could swim, and you
may believe he did his very best.
Splash The two youngsters were
after him. each eager to be the one to
catch him. They were clumsy and over
eager, and you know overeagerness
often is quite as bad as being too slow.
They got in the way of each other. The
fish twisted and turned and they tried
to follow. At last one Of them made a
lucky dash and proudly turned toward
the bank with the fish in his mouth.
swan after him and tried to take 1t
| away from him. It looked very much
as If there would be fight right
there in the little pool. but just then
Mrs. Joe took hand. She swan in be-
tween the two and pushed the unsuc-
cessful one away. He went off by him
self and sulked. while the other
dragged his prize ashore and began to
eat 1t.
A few minutes later Mrs. Joe dived
and caught another trout. and this one
she carried to the little Otter who had
none. When she let the fish go 1t could
swim only very little. and the young
ster had no trouble at all in catching
1t. He brought 1t ashore as proudly as
the first one had his. Farmer Browns
boy wondered if it was just chance
that those fish were alive or If they
had been kept SO purposely to give the
youngsters a lesson in fishing? What
do you think