Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-13
Bv Ellis Parker Butler.

''caw caw!" Of crows or, once In awhHe.
somebody knocking the ashes out OF
or a little splash when somebody caug't
a fish. Then everything would be gu -,
again.
So me and Swatty walked along do
the path because, we thought we we
go as far as we had ever been, or l.
Their, this time. Once, we stopped a. 4
ate most all Of my lunch; 1t was
o'clock, but we We're mighty hung.
Then we went on. ,
slough and most of the tishing pla' 1
were empty there and wanted to st -
but Swatty said: Jaw! come on! u TE
go ON down to the point" so we we S
The point wasn't much of point,
you felt more out in the slough w
YOU were on it. There was a big wa NV
maple at the end of it, with me roo.s -
sit on. and sat on some OF tne 10 E
others and fished. 1t was good and w
and the slough smelled warm c a
weedy and we liked it, because tnat
was part of the regular fishing smeli.
There n was Just 1t gowp pp renty amd
just leaned back and felt good. Over
across the slough was another point,
but more rounded and bigger, anu aros ~
and three big elms on it. and back IN
the fields cows bell jingled once IN
awhile, and the crows cawed, and the
sawmill hummed away off IN the dls-
/ watched my cork until 1t seemed to
lose itself in the ripples and my eyes
got sleeper and sleeper and, the next
thing knew, I woke up and SWatty
wasn't there! wasn't there! Neither
was my cork.
The first thing / did was, give my
pole yank and out came Jim dandy
goggle-eyed sunflsh. just about 's
good as ever caught. held MN -
got the hook out Of him and strung
him on a piece of Irvine and I was
tying the string to q root so the Cog
gle-eye would be in the water when
hawked, clearing the. tobacco out Of
his throat, and I looked around and
saw Swatty coming back to the point.
not making any noise. He held up
q finger for me to be quiet and then
he climbed out onto the roots of the
maple and sat down.
II caught a dandy goggle-eye, Swat
ty," I whispered.
He leaned over toward me.
"Don't make any noise!" he whis..
pered, 'Bony is over on that point"
I looked and saw him. 1t was
pretty far across the slough and bony
couldn't hear US if we whispered.
mo" swatty said. and then
climbed eyer beside me d ana sat tbe
he said, and he pointed.
II heard him Spit" I whispered. I
began to feel scary because there
wasn't any use for swatty to be so
whispery unless there t1,eg .h was somethlns
Hes got Bony's fathers signet.
ring" Swatty whispered. "Anyw a
I guess he's got it. He's got a r.
like what Bony says his fathers ring
ring on his thumb"
Well. then knew what Swatty had
done. While I was asleep ne hau
sneaked down to see what luck the
"Geew I said.
swatty, sat awhile with his fore
head wrinkled and looked at the
slough and he was thinking.
"Garsh!"' he said: I'D like to be the
I knew for certain it is Bony's fathers
ring. Fifty dollars is a lot Of money.
"What bank?' I asked him. 1.-THE
Savings Bank or the Riverbank Ma
tional?"
II guess maybe I'd put half in one
and half in the other" Swatty said.
'"rhen If one bank busted I'd have
well, If one did bust maybe you'd
get some Of your money back" I said.
My 1atner nau money III ~ pahh oilco
and it busted and he OF part Of it
back"
"That's so," Swatty Id. IF I put
in twenty-five and the bank busted
maybe I'd get back fifteen of it. That
would be forty dollars I'd have, even
if the bank did bust. Id like to have
it,"
So we sat there awhile and the
crows cawed and the coWbell jinglec
and it was quiet, but we didn't catch'E
any more fish,.
IF we hadn't got mad at Bony 4
would be over Eere," swatty said,
a while.
"Well, what If he was?" I said.
"Well, he could sneak up and 81
that ring is his fathers ring, cou'
he?" said Swatty.
"Well, then" 1 said, why don't
call to him to come oVer?.
AS soon as said it ! knew 1t wa
much to say, because it was two
three miles back to the end of
Slough and four or six miles
would have to go to get around to a
and he wouldn't come anyway, be h
cause he'd think maybe we wanted t.
lick him or something. And if we
shouted what we wanted him for the
burglar would hear lis and would get
away from there mighty quick.
I'm going over and get Bony."
How are you going to get him?" i
asked.
"Im going to row over" he said.
you stay here and watch that man
and I'll go over and get iBony.'
Well, I guessed that il he said he
would he'd find some way to row over,
whether there was n boat or not, be-
cause that was the way SWatty was.