The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-07-27
A SWAN AND PIKE STORY

Horace Hutchinson, in Westu1iri-
srrr Eazzcr1e- A Tracnd has been tell
11g -as Z pleasant, q pathetic, and an
I--sg-osabic story Il Is the tale 0, :
swan and a pike-the latter, Il IL
events. ~ M means creature which
we snuuid rxpec1 n ind playing an
z1z1Iable and Da1hetlc role II any
drama He Is . frequent cause, 10 be
SIRE, u tragic happenings 10 other
people, bu1 for his own part Is mol
.zszaIfy sgngpz1hrlc- The swan and
-he pike lIved On and n small piece
n5 ornamental water, and were TO
one another as Mary and her lamb.
Wherever the swan went the pike
went 100, swimming alongside the
bird When the swan went ashore
II IS ug1 related that the pike tried 70
follow, br1 i Is SAID that he waited
beside the hank, swimming up and
down IN forlora, distracted way M
N the swan came back again Inc
devotion OF the pike was thus the
more manifest OF The two. and II was
Z subject Of some debate whether the
swan returned the attachment, until
: tragic event came 10 put the cues
rioa 10 p-oof-the pike died, and the
swan was SO overcome with grief at
his loss that he pinned away and soon
died also.
Tha. is very pleasant story. Just
what view ! take about the cTedlDll-
ity OF all lis details ! am not very
anxious TO avow. j know perfectly
well what the readers view about II
Viii be But the readers view Is
wrong There really IS . basis Of
truth Tor The tale; the incredible part
OF the edifce begins only with tile
I-fe-enres-wt1ich We are always 50
ready ID draw along anthToPomor-
uf1ir Eaes about motives and the ser
1z-aenrs o. the other animals. What
did happen, beyond question, Is thar
the TWO strange companions SWIM
abolTt Together, keepIng company IN
very -enal iazbie way. There were
No other large Ish IN the pond
though IL was fun OF little Bnes; ano
IF those little ones The pike was ss2lly
F-Il, afso, Al MS meal -I-les- BIZ ne
was TRITON among the nIIunows;
there was no possibility OF ulfstais-
ing MS identity, and ne was always
there. II attendance On the swan,
swimming along abreast OF MIN
What was the meaning Of II all.
have 10 admit tf1z- / am puzzled Inc
exclamation that occurs most -ra clty,
and which VIII be immediately re-
iecr-L by the uII-ne1lraiIst, DeCzTBt
i Is 50 p-psaic, Is that the PIKE
kept beside the swan fo- me sake q
the shade winch the birds ue5estsc
fo-n afforded. ] am uuite inclined
10 agree thai this was the way II
which -hr coupauionshIp was formed
N The FIRST instance; but the pike Is
not, On the whole. . very shade
loving 6s1. On the contrary, we
often see him bssking in the sunlight,
on the waters surface. just as il he
had real enjoyment in Sun bath
But there Is no doubt that he too,
like the other FISH, Is incommoded by
the sun now and then, and it is likely
enough tint II is shade he was seeking
when he first began to range him
self alongside his comrade. An in
genious suggestion has been made
that the pike made use OF the swan
as q species OF stalking-horse, much
as a torpedo-boat may lie in wait
under the cover of big merchant
man in order to dash out at sub
marine before she can submerge her
self. To suppose that the pike ranged
itself thus, and with this motive, ar
the beginning of the fellowship,
would be to inpute too human-like