Evening star., 1927-05-31
THE EVENING STORY

like 1t was only yesterday"
RAISED trout?" queried Leslie sksr.
tically.
eyes. we were boys then. John was
your great-uncle-died moron so
years ago. Long time, isn't it?'
But how did you raise them.
grandfather" persisted Leslie.
"Oh, just caught 'em in the brook
with nets an put 'em in the spring.
Then we stopped UP the outlet with
wire nettin', so they couldn't get out.
Used to feed 'em with grasshoppers
an bugs an things. Time an time
ag'in I've been to 81 Hopkins. the
butcher, for chunks o. liver an such
meat as he'd give away. My! but
didn't they eat"
How old were you, grandfather"
asked Leslie, the glow OF O sudden
resolution beginning to form In her
brown eyes. "Older'n me?"
"Lemme see. 1 guess I was bout
3 an Johnny 10. Stirrin' chaps we
was then. Didn't have to go round
with two canes"
He laughed regretfuliy and moved
away toward the brook.
Leslie walked soberly by his side.
evidently trying to solve some prob.
lem which his words made complex.
But as they went on her face cleared
and presently she was racing on ahead
In pursuit of an unusually pretty
butterfly.
Every afternoon grandfather took
long nap and then Leslie played
i with the chickens or kittens or Tow.
ser or went down the slope to gather
mowers. But this afternoon she had
/ something more important in view.
She slipped into the woodshed, got the
net he had made for her to catch but
! tefnles and tried to dip out some of
J the tiny fish that were darting about
| IN the water. But the holes I'm the
!, net were too large and as often as sha
! caught them they slipped through. so
! thae at the end of an hour she re.
| turned, empty-handed. The next day.
! When grandfather was asIeep again.
I She tried the net once more, and tha
| next, and the next. Then she hung
| the net on its peg in the shed and
trled to think of some other pIan. She
was not going to give it I'D this wav:
! hot she. She was IL and grandfather
| ana ana Uncle John had been only 9 and
w. HIandtather shouldn't know a
! WORD about 1t until the fish were safe
| IN the spring and the door shut so
they couldn't get out.
! but IN spite of the thoughtful look
on her race and her tightly shut Iins
TWO Whoie days went by and she was
no nearer solving the problem. Thor
iate Spring freshet came tumbiinr
uoWn the valley and helped her.
| IL commenced to rain on Sunday
| ana poured down with scarcoiv q
preaK until Friday and, In addition
~ tnIs' 'here was rumor of n dam
giving way somewhere lp /, tha
country. Anyhow, the water can1s
rushing and roaring down the vel
ley' .higher'n he'd ever seen n
a1ore, grandfather declared. The
| brook became a river; its water rose
| up 10 the very edge of the sprinp
ana the ledge of the rock where thew
had been accustomed to go after
| MOSES and lichens was entirely sub.
merged. 1t took three DAYS for the
| water 10 go down and two more for
the ground to become dry enough
LOT Leslie to visit the spring. Gran6
iather had the rheumatism and 81
ne guessed he wouldn't 60 aLl
he'd look over the almanac urI
| got back.
But he had scarcely got hiy
| tacles on his nose when she
racing up the hill with glo
cheeks and exultant expressioi
her eyes.
"Why-why! What's the matt
| child" grandfather asked.
| But Leslie only pressed her finy
gers against his lips and shook her.
mead. A few minutes later he saw
her hurrying back to the spring with
Wnat appeared to be a piece of wire
| netting and some bits of boards At
first he thought of following her.
then something in the almanac en-
gagged his attention and he forgot
all about it.
| The next day the sun came out
! bright end warm and after break
fast grandfather proposed a walk. 1t
was just the proposal that was
trembling on Leslie's lips, and she
caught up her hat and went racing
down the slope.
| Leslie was standing demurely at
the spring when he caught up with
her and he was about to chide her
Tor running away when his glance
fell upon the water
Small fry-little trout" he ejae-
ulated, wonderingly; "an' hundreds
of 'em! Land sakes, child; where did
| they come from?"
Il 'spOse the freshet brought 'em
down." Leslie answered gleefuliy.
| Anyway / found 'em here and shut
| them in. See, grandfather" point
ing eagerly to a piece of wire net
ting placed clumSily in the outlet of
! the spring.
Eyes, l declare, see it. You're a
keen-one. Mebbe can fix the nettin'
| a bit for We, though. But what ye
! goin to do with 'em, Leslie-raise
| 'em?"
Yes, you and lin partnership,
you know" triumphantly.
so we be, so we be-in partner
| ship" he assented. II guess you an
| l will make a pretty sound firm, eh,
/ TaS1fnC a.
| grasshoppers I'll make up in buyin'
liver and givin' advice. But 'spose
| we fix this wire door first"
| AS the weeks went by, fish-feeding
became one of their regular occupa-
| tions, and II was q question which
| Of them derived the most pleasure
from the task. BY next Spring many
| of the trout were four or five inches
in length, and grandfather began to
get in the habit of shaking his head
as he looked at them.
TOO many of 'en, Leslie" he said
gravely. when hot weather comes
the spring will not be large enough
an lots of 'em would die. Well like.
| ly be obliged TO let half of 'em out:
| but we won't yet. Folks do say as
trout fetch big price nowadays. an,
I'd like to fatten 'em up good, now
were partners"
Before the Summer was over the
story of Leslie's trout began to get
about the neighborhood and there
were many visitors who wished to
see the spring. Not far away was a
Summer resort and one day a gen.
| tleman drove in and asked to see
the trout. 1t was near feeding time
and as he stood by and watched
them he explained that he had q
small pond on his place which he
wished to stock with trout.
Your fish seem to- be strong and
healthy" he said. briskly. as they
liz