The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-10

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 clear water Of the mighty lake came the incompa parable perfumes of loam and field
 [ The girl in the fishing boat closed her eyes in droWsy ecstasy. Her lips stir red, and she breathed deeply and strongly in vain to catch the essence of those namab1e yet intangible perfumes
 At the same time there was swirl of water about fhe oar blades, and the gf:izzled old guide smiled as he saw the rod describe half circle and heard the line speak like softly touched hafpstring. 4 moment later there was a siIyery flash thirty feet away, and then the battle began.
 The girl set her teeth upon her meth CT lip. supremely excited Oh, the brave hshi Sure that her strike had gone home. she relaxed her thumb, and the reel purred under the wild dash for the deep ledge which fell away abrupt ly from the shoaL
 Twenty feet she let him go, then her thumb came down relentlessly. With the butt of fhe rod snug under her left arm, her left hand clasping the reel she began slowly to bring him in Up, uI5sh he came, broke, spangIing the air with topaz drops; down into the deeps
 
 the boat. Could she, beat him? A bit of slack now and she would lose him. But well she knew the game She swept the rod into her right hand, ho8lfng it high. Just in time. He was straight below now. Easily she low eres1 the rod: the tip almost touched the water Mighty tugs. strong and EaYage. She had him.
 She began to strip the line expertly, enl presently she saw him, tiger of Sa4 lakes, a streak of golden brown against background of jade and ezn- erald and ma1achite
 The netE'' irnperiousIy.
 She played him till he came to the top, on lis side. and deftly she reach ed under him with the mesh. Golden brown for a moment longer, and then black as a coal he lay at her. feet, gasp ing. beaten.
 She stared down at him so small thing, yet so wild and. strong, his fins stretched their widest, his tail like beautiful fan
 SoberIy she passed the net over to the guide who reached down Inside and thrust . blunt finger into the gills. sWhHt d'y' know bout that?'s he cried as he exhibited the hook. whicl, had fallen out IF he'd on'y known it-one more yank n he wouldn't be here. Take i'm home. He,n go three poun n haIf l never see more perfeck fish
 ssLet him go, she answered, rubbing her aching wrists.
 The guide laid the bass in the wa te The erstwhile tiger lighted him SC sank a foot or. two and vanished like the shadow of a flying bird.
 You're tn best sport. Miss Wynne, ever seer
 Thanks. How many bait Ieftg,
 Four. after glance into the bait pail
 ssE1e will not die ?9
 Nope; they wa Tt no blood on him. s long s they don'f bleed none they're all right But it ain't no use Iettin' tn bleedefs go back They make 2 big fuss at tn start-on. but they comes up sooner r later. m tn gulls git 'eT7l. .'' Brave things!'
 sThad's cause you're real fisher man, miss. Some O tn folks as fish from tn village ain't pertickler whut they git iu th' box. We ain't brought home fish under fourteen inches. ,Ns when tell tn boys that you throw back two n three p0unders, why. they gimme tn haw-haw. Ketch 'em again. sezs | Whut folks want? They want tn air n the sunshine tll gittin' up early n tn gittin' t bed early n Twin like human bein's fer few days A two poun' bass'H do more 'n' any pill ever heard of.
 The girl laughed- 1.-the few days e1e had been up here she had grown quite fond of the old man at the oars. There was more in hls native philos- Ophy than in many books
 sThey's a young feller comes up here who's jes' like you Sport ali tn way through: Ketches 'nough fer shore dinner n chucks th rest back. They ainsE no sale Q bass these days. but that didn't ma ke no difference with hiEn- It was tn game He aIlus thrpwed tn little ones back Wanted ID grow Be atn,t been up here this |