The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-01-02
cA Tale
of the
Eatwoods.

live box. the others thrown back into
the Unexpectedly as war claims the
best men and leaves the defective
and 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 { FISH," OBJ
served Counterman, handing the near
oraiI to the preacher and taking his
place at the oars with Jack, but
! they're thar. II 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 othe1
stopped to his task at the seine
But when the usual circuit was COM
pleted and they began to haul in on the
seine, 1t was noticed that IT 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 up, by thunder" growled
Counterman, scraping the sweat from
his grimy forehead with 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 to the skin. a 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 into 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 it OF. 'Tain't no
trick-but we've lost our fish"
Warhope glanced back over his
shoulder and nodded. The next mo
ment he was2 blowing through the
stream with strokes so powerful II
seemed his great shoulders fairly
scorned the water and spurned 1t out
Of the way. But the task ahead proved
harder than the light remark Of his
old friend had Indicated 1t was only
after he had three times dived to the
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 1t in, the preacher. who had
come up the bar, 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
had not come to harm
The woodsman was putting his wad-
Ing clothes on again when a slight
thud, as of some heavy object striking
the bottom of the boat. caught his
luick ear. Without turning his bead
he happened to be just then squeezing
the water out Of his hair before put
ling his shirt on-he was able to catch
, glimpse of the ivory butt of six
yun protruding from q pocket of the
,la~t rock coat as II was being tucked !
,ack in the pile with the tall hat and
shiny boots.
Nor was that all-with a deftness
hat would hardly have been expected 4
n one of his profession. the slim fin I
.ers were feeling over the other two 4
,tacks of clothes as II making sure /
hat the six-gun he had just tucked !
WAY was the only one In the crowd.
Still. probably such an intention was
arthest from his thought. Six-gun and
Ill. II was likely merely another of the
many eccentricities of man who had 4
he double drawback of being a profess
or as well as tenderfoot-in the
YES of the woodsman. a combination
hout as bad as could he made.
Uncle Nick and Counterman had
ust finished hauling In the seine when
ack Warhope. followed by the preach
r. came down the bar and reioined
hem. But the old mans prediction
bout losing the fish proved correct.
he haul produced not a thing except
very surprised. highly indignant
mapping turtle. Countsrman kicked
ne turtle back into the water and
Jared ruefully at the empty seine.
Them fish has L be made up"-he
anced up the river-"an' thar's jist
ne shore place { do it
Mud haul Cnrle Nick finished.
"Egzac'ly Hits SIGH a nasty place
fish that IL amt hardly ever fished
II they're thar"
The preacher had turned quick I
ok up the river: an expression OF po-
-e displeasure clouded his facial
.presSion which the others. busy
it'll the seine. failed to notice. AS
after of fact. his part in the morn
g's sport had been next TO negligible. {
fter the mild and 1nomentary excite '
ent over the first haul. his interes. {
ID obviously waned {