The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-18
Piscatorial PersiAage


Ancient Tale Of Trout and Boy.
I'm patient man most always and can
And of pltfle and OF drivei and Of al, tina,
kind OF stun.
can listen withou, blinking to the man
that knows It all
As he airs out his opinions. without giving
him a call.
He can kick about the country and how
And how the French and English and Bel
gfans make him sore.
And except mild desire to strangle him
His sizzard from his wlshbone and rub 1t
in his hair.
I am calm and patient always and let him
Until ne starts on fishing. and then I let
him bray
And laugh at sporting tackle and soon at
five ounce rods.
And sheer at humble, fourteen nies--but.
When he begins 20 prattle about that moss
grown NTH.
or the barefoot boy" with cotton line.
and alder pole OF "hith."
rise up in my manhood and smite him
And kick his stomach through his back
regardless of the Jaw:
And Toree his ewes. and bite his neck, and
kick him In the shins.
And beat him up most generally: for OF all
the cardinal sins
That stain the fateful book OF life. the one
Is that ancient lie Of the alder pole"
PIN hook" and Barefoot boy"
ways bout the same.
How te- backwoods village a sporting
''dude" once came
How he was dressed in knickers. Norfolk
Jacket and SLOUGH hat.
Most always he wore glasses and his chest
seemed kind of nat.
And he said he came for fishing. and asked
about the trout.
And was the n.hing verv good In the
streams and ponds about?
And how they told him, Yes sir that
the trout were there no doubt.
But 1t needed darn strong tackle TO snake
them big ones out
And how they laughed and chortled when
they saw his bamboo rod.
And thin silk line and little flies. and
how with many nod
They told him that he could not hope to
catch n trout upon such tackle.
But to cut himself an alder pole and dig
some barnyard hackle.
looting toys.
And went fishing morn and evening to the
amusement of the boys;
But he. never 'ketched" a single trout
"daown raound the swimmin' hole"
TIL who showed up hut the barefoot boy
and his alder fishing pole,
And this barefoot little wonder sat him
down upon the bank.
Ard no sooner threw his Feast worm" in
than the trout began TO yanlS.
AID while that hishfalo ing dude In envy
stood No doubt. ,
That barof9~' li'tl" wonder caught himself
a doten trout ="
Now have been barefoot boy and used
an alder pole.
And line Of twine and angleworms and
hshed tho swimming hole.
with scratches on my sun Drowned legs
and stone bruise on my heel,
with sunburns on my freckled nose and
llisters thst did meet
with h'ask hy hites behind my ears. and
HIVES upon my chest. --'-..
I fshed with that dsrned alder pole and
did my level best
To catch the trout knew were there, but
they could see my line " =
In water nothing shows so plain as a
blamed old piece Of Irvine
And II you like contraptions that. were
made to try your soul.
Just try IN ca"' cotton limo on o crooked
alder pole. a.
We like to say we caught the trout. but
know H. II "A lie: . a"E
Bull heads, clubs and kivers were the best
that We could try.
Oh how envied that lucky dude with his
bamboo rod and reel,
And silken line and wendrous fiies and
And he knew how to hsh for trout and
made Of It a game
In which the fsh got half a chance and
he got Just the same
And In my admiration for his skill and
sportsmanship
A solemn vow to learn his game let fall
from my lips.
And now whene'er I get a chancs, al
ways kill with Joy
| The pinhead zap with his ancient tale of
the trout and barefoot boy
| John c. COSSEBOOM,