THE JOYS OF ANGLING 19 



incentive to a ramble, and not the sole object of the 

 fisherman, unless, alas! he belongs to that too com- 

 mon variety, the man whose sole object is his catch. 

 Such a man fishes always with a worm, hides finger- 

 lings in the depth of his basket, and photographs his 

 catch as a witness to his crimes. He is not a fisher- 

 man but a butcher. A yellow primrose on the river's 

 brim is to him a primrose and nothing more. The 

 true fisherman loves to catch fish, to match his wits 

 against the wary trout, but as he wanders from pool 

 to pool the songs of the birds greet him restfully; 

 every turn in the stream reveals a nook in which 

 strange wild flowers nestle. The gentle excitement 

 of the sport prevents the scene from becoming 

 monotonous. The element of chance, the uncer- 

 tainty of the catch, adds the drop of tabasco sauce 

 which gives zest to the day. And the noontide meal 

 by the brink of the stream! When did a meal have 

 a more delightful flavor? Delmonico never served 

 a trout like unto those we have eaten by the banks 

 of a mountain brook with the clear blue sky above, 

 the waving forest round about and the murmuring 

 stream at our feet. The hour of contemplation 

 comes afterward with the pipe of peace in our hand 

 instead of the relinquished rod. How far off the 

 city seems ! Are there such things as corporations, 

 trusts, stocks, bonds; electric lights that amaze the 

 sight, harsh warnings of trolley gongs, the rumble 

 and grind of the wheels and the brakes on the ele- 



