The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1923-12-27
Of Tale
of the
EatwO0ds

an sVou hSH were uTOppeO INTO tne
live box. the others thrown back into
the river-precisely as war claims the
best men and leaves the defective
hand the fisherman seined on.
Several haulS had been made, none
of them quite so profitable as the first,
and the sun was fast mounting toward
mid-sky when. as a wind-up. they pre-
pared to drag the famous Alpine hole
that lay along the south edge OF the
narrow sandbar jutting far down
stream from the lower end OF the is
land.
This hyur's a hard hole t fish," OBJ
served Counterman, handing the near
brazil TO the preacher and taking his
place at the oars with Jack, "but
they're thar, If we can git EN-"
Banks purity steep" called Uncle
Nick from his place in the stern. BET
ter not try L wade out none"
The preacher nodded and the other
stopped TO his task at the seine.
But hen the usual circuit was com
pleted and they began to haul in on the
seine, it was noticed that 1t did not
bow out in the wide curve a spread
seine should. Instead, as the men
pulled. the sides drew in toward each
other until the floating corks stretched
out into the river in nearly parallel
lines.
Hung mp, by thunder" growled
Counterman, s%craping the sweat from
his grimy forehead with a grimier fore
finger. "Snag r somethin' about forty
yards out thar-right whar the bot,
toms out, too, as the Teller says"
Jack walked up the bank a short
distance to where the boat was
beached.
Stripped 70 the skin, n figure that
might have been a model for those
master sculptors who conferred i'm.
mortality upon the gods of classic
Greece, he was just slipping intp the
water when Uncle Nick came up the
bar.
you'll find the lead line fast on
somethin'-a snag more'n likely" he
directed. ".Jist hist 1t Off. 'Tain't no
trick-hut we've lost our fish"
W ll'BV SibllN'' JAVA oNVl HIS
shoulder and nodded. The next mo-
ment he was blowing through the
stream with strokes so powerful II
seemed his great shoulders fairly
scorned the water and spurned Il out
Of the way. But the task ahead proved
harder than the light remark OF his
old friend had indicated. II was only
- ~ -, h. hal - H.. l.zl A. -
bottom Of Alpine hole that he was able
TO locate the snag and release the
seine.
When he swan ashore. following the
seine as Uncle Nick and COunterman
hauled II in, the preacher. who had
come up the har, was seated on the
forward gunwale Of the boat. feeling
over his clothes stacked in the bow, as
II eager to assure himself that they
bad not come to harm.
The wOodsman was putting his wad-
ing clothes on again when n slight
thud. as of some heavy object striking
the bottom Of the boat, caught his
quick ear. Withour turning his head
he happened to he Just then squeezing
the water out of his hair before put
ting his shirt on-he was able to catch
a glimpse Of the ivory butt OF a six.
gun protrvding from a pocket of the
black frock coat as II was being tucked
back in the pile with the tall hat and
shiny boots.
Nor was that all-with a dizziness
that would hardly have been expected
In one OF his profession, the slim fin
gers were feeling over the other two
stacks of clothes as II making sure
that the six-gun he had just tucked
away was the only one in the crowd.
sill, probably such an intention was
farthest from his thought. Six-gun and
all. II was likely merely another OF the
many eccentricities of a man who had
the double drawback of being q profess
sor as well as a t~enderfoot-in the
eyes of the woodsman, a combination
about as had as could he made.
Uncle Nick and Counterman had
Jus, finished hauling in the seine when
Jack warhope, followed by the preach
err, came down the bar and rejoined
them. But the old mans prediction
about losing the fish proved correct.
The haul produced net a thing except
a very surprised. highly indignant
swapping turtle. Counterman kicked
the turtle hack into the water and
stared ~ruefnlly at the empty seine.
Them fish has + be made up'I-he
glanced up the river-"an' thar's jist
one shore place Z do IT."
Mud haul Uncle Nick finished
"Egzac'ly. Hits sich a nasty place
4 fish that II amt hardly ever fished.
hut they're thar
The preacher had turned a quick
up the river an expression Of po-
lite displeasure clouded his face-an
expression which the others. busy
with the seine. failed to notice. AS q
matter of fact. his part in the morn
ing's sport had been lex to negligible.
After the mild and momentary excite
meat over the FIRST haul. his Interest
had obviously waued.
III Tha housaboat and fhs Soot.