The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-07-02
THOUGHTS OF
A FISHERMAN
By IKE WALTON

Isaac" said Sallic one day
when she took time to talk to
me-" why don't YOU take paper
and pencil to the river with you
and write a book while you wait
for the fish to bite?'
~ studied q lot about that
Sallie, but, look here. You've got
to get your book published or
your time is wasted. Now | can
tell what sort of book those fell
lows up in New York will pub
ish and then YOU say if you want
ne to write that kind"
"First, q book about near
dressed or undressed women, and
their humpty-dumpty doings." -
"No. sir, Isaac" she said" I'd
be ashamed to see your name on
any such rot"
"Well. one about what queer
folks the southern people are
about poor whites and abused
colored folks, and those interest
ing mountain cove characters,
and sand-hillers, and clay-eaters,
and"-
"Now you lust hush. Isaac
said Sailie, her eyes FLASHING"
YOU know you wouldn't write
any such foolishness. NY folks
are as good as any of those fool
Yankee WRITER'S
"WelI, then, Sallie, how about
one about Kentucky colonies. and
Carolina bootleggcrs, and funda-
mcntalist' backwoods preachers,
and .
"Oh pshaw, Isaac, I'm tired of
all that eternal put-on stuff
"All right. Sallie, suppose |
write about the completes and
neuroses and idisyncrasies of the
run-to-seed aristocEacy'--
Isaac Walton if YOU ever get
! to throwing off on your own
people. Tll-I'll-weil | won't
Quit you, thath .1vouid give you a
chance, but l won't let you go
fishing any more
"Oh we'll. you are getting hard
to please. That makes four types
thew might publish. Maybe. l
could induce them to print one
about a Methodist preacher who
got drunk, or Presbyterian who
ran away with the choir-lead2r,
or a baptist who stole hog, or
m Episcopal bishop who got re
ligin and went to shouting
Nov there you are again,
Isaac. You know well enough |
wouldn't stand for poking fun at
the church" p
COX" I seid, "then how about
showing up the rascality of south
ern politicians
"They're no worse than Tam
many nor those in Boston and
! Philadelphia"
"Then drop that. How about
the nlill-owners who work chill
dren to DEATH" "
"They don't do any such thing.
/ If it hadn't been for our mills
lots Of them would have starved
to death on their Old-run-down
farms"
"When YOU write the book,
Sallie, and put your own name
on it, maybe one of the publish
ers might think you are a good
looking and good squeezing
southern grass-widow and that
he might make an interesting &C
quaintance- if he took you up"
Isaac Walton, get your pole
and go on to the river. l guess
you'd better stick to fishing
and farming. You can't think up
anything except nastiness-" 3
mo such thing, Saliie. l can
paint the lily: | can make a sun
rise blush like a morning star; l
can make 'hickory-nut weep
like an onion: 1 can tell fish
story that nobody but a sucker
would believe: / can make a wat
erfall sing like an angel; but
such literature as that would
come back TO me COD, while if
I roixed pn hussies and hold-ups,
and missionaries and murders
and all such stuff as that they'd
print it and nut it in the movies,
and give it big reviews and ad-
vertise it and send samples ito
LADIES' literary clubs and make
more money out of it in a month
than an honest man can out of a
corn-crop in 10 years. But dog
rome their filthy insides. Sanie.
Lthev can keep on printing that
stuff for some lousy pen-pushels,
but your Uncle Ike can still make
a living some other way" = .