Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1936-06-12
"Chirps" ~
from the
Democrats Pen

Well, Sir, the fishermen are ABROAD
in the land, once again already yet
some more. was just thinking what
that word "fish" or Fishing" means.
looked into the work of fiction edit
cd bv nv old friend Noah Webster
and he said "fish" meant Ito eaten
fish,. He didn't say whether the
catching was imaginary or real u
didn't mean any pun by that last word'
honest l didn't.)
Now, some people just want 10 90
fishin' and they go-the gong IS tle
most important part, preceded Oy
Measurable anticipations and prepara-
tions. They get up lunch, pile into
their autos, roll over to seaside, bay
side. ocean side, as the case may be;
hire a boat, buy bait, pay man to
guide them to fishing grounds get
sick. sunburned, and sorry-but they
went fishing, all the same.
All right. Now ask some OF them
how many fish they hooked.
"Oh! WE'LL" will come the answer,
"the finny tribe wasn't running very
well today. Tide running strong ebo
or flood; wind coming strong out OF
the Nor-east by West; and water aw-
fully rough. We didn't catch more
than a Dozen"
That is, it was dozen when the
fish story of the catch is told. won't
saw how many it reached before they
went to bed that night. And then
comes the old, old fable about the big
one that got away. Some people came
down here for last weekend from New
York-New York, mind you; got up
early Sunday morning, motored over
to Chincoteague to fish. Wish you'd
heard that story about the man-eating
shark they had all ready to pull over
the side of the boat, when-he got
away.
told them if that fellow was as big
as he seemed, they ought to be glad
he got away, because if they had sue
ceeded in hauling him in, he might
have made them sorry they went fish
in on Sunday. Besides going fishing,
they might have gone bathing as well.
A shark is a mean animal-worse than
a calf on land. / don't want nothin'
to do with 'em. But, you can just see
to what extent some people will go,
so they tell their friends they went
fishin'. l believe some of 'em rath-
er have the sunburn than the fish.
Tan is becoming to some peoples
"figgers." l wouldn't go down to the
Pocomoke River Wharf if there was
a school of big trout inquiring for me,
at that point.
What's that you said? Suppose it
was a game of base ball? Would /
hike up to Philadelphia to the GAPS"
and OBS" play? Would object
to it's being an imaginary or real
game? Would / care whether the
right fielder caught or missed that
one? Would 1 notice closely whethe-
any hot ones got by the hot corner?
Would note that the finger had an
off day? Would l care whether the
sun shone, the wind blew, or my team
won or lost?
Well, don't ask SO many questions
at one time. Baseball is different.
That's the great national game No
mans a good American, if he doesn't
like to hear the crack of the bat a.
gainst the horsehide, pigskin, calf
skin, or lligator-anyhow, some sort
of covering. And, you know, man
looking at game has, at least, seat
he knows will be there for some time.
He's not on the briny where there are
no permanent waves. Anyhow, what
he's after is where you can see it,
and not where you don't see it. And
you do get a bite once in while to
produce thrill; or maybe you get bit
ten, don't know, / never bet.
So, / can't see the comparison be-
tween going from Pocomoke to New
York on ball trip; and from New
York to Pocomoke on fishing trip.
They are not in the same boat-class,
/ mean, if that's better word. How
somever, I'm liberal; you can go fish
in; I'll go balm. If you don't catch
any fish, maybe I'll see something
that only resembles game. AS fish
get away, so the old pill often seems
CREASED and plays hide and seek with
fielder's legs. The big opportunity to
win often missed, just as the big fish
swims out into the deep, and, maybe,
the fisherman and the ball fan are not
far apart after all.