58 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



anxious for their capture. I crept away, made a paste 

 of bread, and put the tiniest bit upon the point of my 

 smallest hook and, after much time and several dis- 

 appointments, caused by their dropping off the hook, 

 secured three minnows. 



There was great excitement as the wiie cautiously 

 drew near to drop a fioated line, with a minnow on 

 the hook, at the spot where I had seen the perch. 

 Before the float had answered to the shot it ghded 

 off and down, and the fisher, surprised by this, did not 

 strike and thus lost a chance and her minnow. At 

 the next effort, unnerved by her failure, she thought 

 the float too long in cocking, struck, and lost a second 

 minnow. Still determined, she answered my caution 

 with : — 



'Don't fidget, please ; any one would have been 

 taken in as I was. I am sure to have him this time.' 



I hope the third and last minnow was not hurt 

 more than was necessary through my anxiety to 

 hook it seciurely, for it was pained in vain if pained 

 at all; the lady caught her hook in a flowering weed 

 that grew from the wall down near the water and 

 in freeing it, lost the lure. I was quick to be first 

 to speak, but only just in time, for my wife's lips were 

 parting as I commenced : — 



'Hurrah ! the hook is safe; you cleared it cleverly. 

 We can easily get more minnows, but the hook is just 

 the size to hold big perch, as you will find when you 

 have one on.' 



The opening hps closed as I commenced, and became 

 so firmly set as I proceeded that a stranger seeing 

 them might have thought it a challenge to me to try 

 a burglar's jemmy to open them — that is, if he had 

 not seen the dimples on the chin and the suspicion of 

 a sparkle in the comer of her eyes, which said to me : 

 'My turn will come.' It came in the tone of 'Salt, 

 please,' to a waiter : 'Minnows, please, Phil.' 



Shall I ever understand this httle bag of mysteries? 



