The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-10-11

Just ct the spot where ketIy haa8DeSl
staring.
A salmon leaned to the bait, then.
feeling the hook, made z tremendous
dash forward.
The sudden jerk found Lotus cutie
unprepared. and he had somehow got
himself clumsily entangied ia the line.
With one franctie but Intellectual
clutch at the side of the boat, over ne
went, headlong into the water.
A cry broke from Betty, but terror
( made it too weak and faint to reach
any distance. Then, with a gu *
movement OF the oars. she shot tie
boat forward to bring it alongside Of
Lotus when he rose.
Up he came, choking and splutter-
ing, but with a face Of radiant salts
faction. Eve got him, and I'm certain
he is a twenty-pounder," re gasped,
as Betty, shipping n oar. reachad
out her hand to grip him and help
him to Chamber into the boat again.
But If Lotus. had get the fish the
fish had also got him. Before Betty
could clutch at the hand he stretched
out to her, down he went again, tug
ged by the violent struggling Of the
salmon, which was heading now for
the bending birch.
A scream caught Betty in the
throat, but got no further. Tor one
dreadful moment she thought she
would have to see Loltus drown before
her eyes. But in the next moment she
had shipped her other oar, and was
tugging at the buttons Of her shoes.
TWO tugs and the shoes were OF,
then, rising to her feet she dfyed, and
coming to tine surface just as Lotus
rose for the second time, she prompt
ly seized him by the collar of his sal
Tor blouse, and turning him e on
his back. struck out for the boat.
But the fish vas pulling vieiously
still, bounding forward with great
jerking leaps, or circling round and
round in fury and pain, while the line
and Lotus were so entagIed that it
was impossible to free him.
If only she could reach the boat
One try she made and failed, then
tried again, and once more failed,
then tried again, and once more fail
ed.
But the boat was drifting, and hap
PLY it was drifting nearer to them,
for the current set toward the bend
ing birch, in which direction the sal
mon was still heading.
Watching her opportunity, when the
fish had momentarily ceased to strug-
gle Betty made a great effort, and sue
ceeded in getting hold of the side Of
the boat.
This was something gained, for now,
as long as she could keep her clutch
on the boat, there was not so much
danger Of their being towed under;
but it was just a matter OF endurance
now, for she had no strength to lift
LOTUS into the boat, the fish was
pulling hard and the current was
drifting them ever faster down toward
the bending birch.
I'VE shall 90 out Of bounds after all,
1 am afraid" Betty murmured, as the
leaping. struggling fish pulled them
nearer and nearer to the tree.
Then she remembered, with a pang
of fear, that the current ran mush
faster when the bend in the creek was
passed, and if they were washed
down as far as the rapids she knew
that she would not be able to keep
Lotus adoat, but would have 10 see
him torn from her grasp and dashed
upon the rocks, that showed black
jagged edges above the swirling wa
ters.
If only she could cry out some help
might come. But terror always made
her dumb, and the greater the danger
the less power she had for scream
ing.
Another Struggle from the FISH, so
violent this time that LOTUS was
nearly dragged from her grasp, while
at the same moment the salmon leap
ed clean out Of the water - such a
beautifully big one that the sight Of
it set her pulses ~throbbing in spite Of
her peril,
The creature had enormous
strength, and, dashing forward, pulled
SO vigorously that it towed the boat,
Betty and Lotus with as much ease
as If the whole lot Of them had
amounted to no more than an empty
bait a or two.
They were drawn right under the
birch tree and caught as if in a net.
Betty dragged Lotus a little higher