The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-12

LlSHAIlB. -ol- JOtllf GA-O.
1 remember as well as if it were yes
terday, the first fish 1 ever caught, 1t
was red bellied perch-we used to pro-
nounce it ''pyerch."
My nurse and special attendant was a
negro girl whose name was Maria, and
not being able to enunciate the word, l
called her "Wywee." She had taken me
down to the creek to the little wash
hole" where the water tumbled over the
rocks into a small pool. which was about
neck deep before it meandered off over
Inc SAND pebbles and under the bay
| trees and alders which bordered the
stream.
| The big wash hole was higher up the
creek. but that has nothing to do with
this story.
"Wywee' put a pole into my hands,
stood me on the rocks near the little
wash hole" 1 don't know just how old
| 1 was, but I know it was over so years
ago, and I was very little chap, for
| 1 was attired only in a blue Bingham
checked apron buttoned in the back, and
| fastened with belt, and my native
modesty.
1 stood there holding the pole which,
/ after while, 1 lifted and found, to my
amazement that there was a big red
belly on the hook. Screaming for wy
vice. to come and tell me what to do.
stood there until the fish wriggled off
the hook, back into the water just as
"Wywee" arrived, calculating, Oar,
now, you done let dat fish git away"
y, LAT fich az
away by reason of not knowing how to
land him.
The second fish caught was sucker
which swallowed a hook, bait and all,
and when I saw the cork disappearing
tried my best to get him out on the
bank, but only succeeded by the help of
a man who saw my predicament.
I carried my fish home in triumph, the
cook dressed it for breakfast and left 1t
in big dish in the kitchen over night.
was very proud Of my catch and was
deeply chagrined to learn the next morn
ing that in the night cat had slipped in
and carried off my fish.
I have had no use for cats since, and
have often seen cases when suckers have
been taken in by more or less expert
anglers only to be lost to them through
the predatory instincts of those whose
main aim in life Is to live on the results
of the labor of others, among whom are
the hog and the dog and the bulls and
the bears.
Talking about bears reminds me of the
comment of the little girl whose teacher
sought to impress her by the story OF
Elisha, the bad children and the bears
She said: "You know when Elisha was
going up to Bethel the little children ran
out and Knocked him and said. Go up
thou bald head and Elisha looked back
and cursed them in the name of the Lord,
and there came forth two she bears out
of the wood and ate up AZ children, 60
you must be careful not to mock old
people,
The little girl looked thoughtful awhile
and then said: II don't believe that
| story
why said the teacher. 'it is in the
! Bible"
| "Well, anyhow, two she bears could
not hold AZ children
| So the effect and the moral of the
story was lost. This frequently happens
when one who attempts to tell story
| which is inaccurate.
| II Kings, "a, says: And there came
| forth two she bears out of the wood and
\ tare forty and two children of them"
| Now, if the teacher had quoted the
| scriptures correctly and said, "tare" in
| stead of late up she would have i'm.
] pressed the child and possibly taught re-
spect for the aged, an important lesson
| and also respect for the scriptures, fol
everyone knows that there are In mos
| communities AZ or more children who
ought to be torn up by bears or some
thing In the alb sence of bears, good
1 hickory we'll applied Is effective and may
save a killing later on.
i I always try to tell the truth, ant
4 when fall it is because of my environ
ment or stress of circumstances which
causes the failure. The truth is Away
4 good enough.
But to resume Once when I was wait
ing at Titusville. Fla, to see party,
thought would go down to the docl
and fish awhile, SO procuring a piece ?
string, an oleander switch, nickle'
worth of hooks and a small piece Of raw
beef from the cook at the hotel, cas-
my meat upon the'waters, and was i'm
mediately rewarded, for school of cat
fish with which the waters Of Indian
river abound swarmed in. I caugh
good sized catfish as fast as I coul
take them off the hook and throw then
back, which was thought the proper thin
at that time as catfish were not con
sidered desirable food.
After awhile landed curious 1ookin
fish, which began to swell up like a
indignant taxpayer, making noise lils
! a diminutive donkey engine as 1t fnhale
| throat.
| 1t kept getting bigger and bigger, an
p the spines with which 1t was covere
| stood out until it looked as If 1t d.
served the name of porcupine of pir
cushion fish, or balloon fish, with tt
company name of gymmodont of tertrt
dontid or diodontid fish.
The boys in Florida tell me that whe
a fish like that swells up as big as
can they put it under board and jun
on it, when it explodes like a pistol {
n an inflated paper bag. I did not fe
like being SO cruel, nor did I want to
hard on the fish, SO / threw it bac
into the water where it promptly co
| lapsed to It's normal size and swan o
to seek new adventures.
Some of those fish grow quite large.
once had the skin of one dried ar
stretched, cut hole in the back SO q
electric bulb could be inserted and use
it for a globe for a porch light. 1t W:
: as large as a pumpkin and excited
: great deal of comment.
= Darwin says that off the coast of Pa
. agonia he found sharks which had swa
lowed (evidently by mistake) fish of tn
species which had gnawed their wa
through the body of the shark to fire.
DOM the shark perishing during tt
process, Notwithstanding which the ope
alton was entirely successful.
Talking about sharks, fisherman
Palm Beach told me that once when l
| was sailing from New Inlet to Jupit
Inlet, about 40 miles, the water ber
very clear. he saw lying on the bottor
| as thick as they could get togethe
sharks for the whole distance. For
miles of sharks are a good many
reckon there must have been several b