Imperial Valley press., 1936-11-01
"REMINISCENCES
X OF A ROVER
"WORMS FOR BAIT"
BY Whit Wellman

peared.
The old mans lean gnarled figure was ia
miliar sight on the lazy Little Bear, Where no
caught speekled trout for our hotel Lem was as
much a part of the landscape as the summer
cabins and the willows along the creek. He lived
frugaly mile up stream, In nut surroufoeo
by violets, yellow pansies, and tulips grown tor
the Santa Cruz market. He was mid anu
friendly man, given to endless fisherman taies,
He vanished the evening of the day that Billy
Wells and I fished down stream toward town.
Lem crouched over Willow Hole, across the
creek from Professor Swans cottage and we
stopped for chat. In his worn creel lay seven
speclled beauties wrapped in ferns and TIN
of huge worms.
"prof's been eussin' me again. Lem COM
planned He argues every summer at me- says
Willow Hole by rights belongs to him, seein ne
lives here says sportsman won't use bait!
Lem snickered. HUH I'm nothin but bait
fisherman, but guess the Prof. doesn't eaten
many with his fancy iies" LENS line drifted
into the current.
but Swan owns only half the hole, Lem,"
Billy said There's a water-rights law about 1t.
Don't let him bluff you!"
He don't worry me, none," Lem cackled
Hes just sore cause my worms get more fish
than he does. HUH Sold him some fine tulips last
month, but 1 notice he amt paid me yet, See
'em?" Lem waved to the tulip beds fronting the
Swan cottage.
PROFESSOR Swan came to his porch and
scowled at us; then he went in and slammed
the door. In the dusk his house squatted like
gray mushroom fifty yards from the stream;
the path that led to 1t encrcled three beds of
LENS tulips spots of rich color against the
drab cottage. The professor had been coming for
five years, writing books on the psychology OF
crime. cursing Lem at intervals, and lashing the
Little Bear with expensive flies Perhaps he was
too impatient. He had name for mean ways,
and on occasion displayed suen temper OF
course he blamed the poor fishing on Lem.
In the morning the Santa Cruz florist tele
phoned our hotel Where was Lem anyway? Mo-
body knew. When Lem did not come In by noon,
the cook substituted canned salmon for Little
Bear trout. Then for three days the sleepy re-
sort expected Lem to appear and the florist
ordered violets from Watsonville
The fourth day it rained, and Billy Wells and
volunteered to find Lem. We'd begun to miss
his cacking laugh and his amusing yarns. Up
the stream we plodded to LENS cabin, and in
through the open door. An army cot was made
up, and it felt damp. A pair of garden shears a
hoe and rake stood in dark corner A blue
serge suit hung behind the stove LENS Sunday
outfit We searched the cabin but discovered
neither basket rod Outside, Billy in
spected tin filled with black earth and gigantic
fat worms.
"He must have raised 'em for pets" Billy
said. They're enormous"
Those that dug the hotel were
dwarfs by comparison skinny, starved little
worms with extremely low vitality. LENS giants
squirmed like angry eels
nILLY kicked around in the loose earth by the
p violets, and found LENS wormery. For
several yards giant worms came to the surface:
long, black, ugly ones crawling into the rain.
"But no Lem" said Billy
Tired and stcky-wet, started for town and
the hotel log fire. AS we passed the Professors
cottage the sky suddenly opened and rain beat
down like hail. Seeking shelter on Swans porch,
we watched the downpour Billy felt that Swan
might offer us coffee, or something stronger, and
raped sharply the door. But we got nc
answer The rain pelted on the roof, and the
wind moaned
When the cloud-burst became gentle shower,
we hurried down the path. The storm hadn't
done the tulips any good; they dropped tiredly,
stricken and ruined.
Billy jerl<ed my arm, pointing to the largest
bed. He stared at the crushed tulips, plainly
puzzled. He walked around the two smaller beds,
caught his breath suddenly
See anything queer?" he asked.
They looked like sorry lot of tulips, and
said SO.
Get me the spade by the tree" he said You
watch the house.
Are we stealing his tulips"
Billy turned a shoveful in each of the two
small beds.
"t1ave you gone crazy?"
Like a man hypnotized, Billy stared at the
large bed; then the door of the cottage squeaked,
and the Professor growled
IF you want some, why not ask me?"
Billy dug furiousy The earth was wet and
soft; his spade sank and rose-spashed tulips
to the path. Professor Swan didn't say any more,
just froWned thoughtfully. Then Billy struck
something solid. He fell to his knees, his face
tense
In the door, the Professors lips were a pale
drawn across a mask. His eyes grew fas-
cinated, frightened.
Let me have five minutes he said.
Billy uncovered the thin brown hand of an
old man-Lem Peterson's hand. And empty
bait can
How'd you know" said
Lem had a of monsters by the Hole.
Billy muttered. "Out of three beds of tulips only
one showed these" He pointed to the crawling
worms. "They don't grow big anywhere but
up at Lem's." He picked up wrggling creature.