The guardian., 1941-01-25
By CLARISSA MACKIE
Mcclure Syndicate-WNU service.)

What every youth must go
through If he aspires to the hand of
Nancy Derringer. Old Man does a
round of golf with the daring lov-
erS-"
"Yes-we had the round of golf"
admitted Phil.
How did you come out?"
Licked him good and plenty-I
holed out in 83, and he was fuming
along with ninety-something. l
thought he would be pleased with a
chap who could play a good game"
"And wasn't he?"
Acted peeved. Then asked me
to 60 fishing-say, l must be off,
Ronny. I'll bring you a good lot
OF snappefs.'
Good luck" and as an after
thought, "can you fish?"
Not much-used to when was
a boy" and Phil hurried away in his
car, anxious to keep his appoint
ment with Nancy's father.
Perhaps sweet Nancy guessed the
weighty significance of the fishing
trlp-her fathers oddities had grad
ually impressed themselves upon her
understanding as various suitors had
been taken up by her stern parent,
had tished, golfed, and hunted with
hlm-and had then gone sadly away.
Nancy liked all these boys, but Philip
Donaldson was the only one she had
ever loved, and as his attentions
became very serious indeed, she
saw with a frightened f1uttering in
her heart that her father was ION
the job" and was putting Phil
through the mysterious test.
That was why she had tucked a
tiny white silk glove in his pocket
as he left her.
Their glances told each other what
their lips had no time to say, for
Asa Derringer was impatiently in
the car, where he had already taken
his seat.
Out there in the sunshine, with
the Derringer motor boat anchored
IN the channel that led into the
Sound, Phil clumsily fixed the bait
on the hook. He had forgotten the
delights of fishing, even lost the deft
fingers of his boyhood, and he felt
that Mr.. Derringer was watching
him with grim humor; nevertheless,
1t was Phil who caught the first fish
in a manner of speaking, for while
the snapper was really impaIed on
Mr.. Derringer's hook, Phil's line
had fouled it, and he had brought
the two up together with violent
heave that nearly overturned the
boat-as if he could not do enough
to damage old Asa's feelings the
shining snapper was tapped back
into the older mans face.
"Bahl" beloved Nancy's parent,
as he disentangled the lines. "My
fish," he said curtly, and his eyes
cleaned
I'm sorry-Tm out of practice"
murmured Phil Time and again
the swiftly running fish snapped at
his bait and carried it off, while Mr..
Derringer pulled in one silver prize
after another.
I'm dub" remarked Phil once,
when with many apologies he had
extricated his hook for the third
time from the neck of his compan-
ions sweater. Derringer made no
reply, but funny crinkle appeared
around his eyes. Phil did not see it,
and continued to gloom, all the while
fishing doggedly, patiently, in utter
silence, never catching another fish
all day. They ate in silence, and
continued until the older man pulled
in his line with the remark that
they had better "call it a days
work" "
"You won't ask me to go fishing
again, I'm afraid" said Phil as he
started the engine-he could do all
sorts of things with boat or car.
"On the contrary, l hope we will
go out lots of times, Phil" said Der
ringer with great cordiality. 81 like
you-admire your patience, your
stick-to-itiveness-your modesty, and
I'm going to show you how to fish.
How about it?"
OF course Phil said the right thing,
and he had glimmering that if he
had caught all the fish, Derringer
would not have been so agreeable.
cts the showjng-off of these
young chaps that disgusts me-" went
on Mr.. Derringer, as they rode
toward home, "they want to know it,
and be it all, and never admit they
can't do thing. Give me every
time the fellow who is willing to
take back seat once in a while,
or admit that he isn't the king-pin
of every undertaking, even if it's
only catching a mess of snappersl
You'll stay for an informal dinner,
eh?" His eyes had a "bless you
my child" gleam
The next day Phil bought a set
of new fishing tackle for Ronald
Payne, but the old hooks and lines
he carefully treasures in a little
leather box together with a crum
Pied silk glove Sometimes fisher
mems bad luck is good luck in dis
guise," reads the label on the box.