DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 67 



exhausted, she laid down the rod and asked : 

 "Why has the pool so altered? It does not seem 

 the same." It did not, for when we left it, a short 

 half-hour since, the fish were feeding in all direc- 

 tions and the surface of the water was covered 

 with overlapping rings that were frequently broken 

 through by shadows of flitting birds. Now over 

 everything there seemed to have fallen the hush 

 of sleep. I suggested lunch, but curiosity not 

 mine insisted on my peeping to see if there were 

 any perch near the hook. I did as I was bid, with 

 my stronger eye focussed through bent fingers, 

 but I could see only one fish, a perch, and that so 

 diseased that in its apparently blind wanderings 

 it had great difficulty in keeping from toppling over 

 to the wrong way up. 



" What do you see that interests you so ? " 



"A poor old humpbacked perch attacked by 

 fungus," was my reply. 



" Let me see," and so it came about that another 

 pair of arms came next to mine upon the wall to 

 rest a chin on. The cruel parasite showed white 

 upon the gills and fins of its victim and readily 

 attracted notice. 



" Oh, Phil, how fearful is old age and decrepitude 

 forsaken ; they have all left him. Ugh ! What an 

 end! I'd sooner death came here and now while 

 I'm young and cared for, wouldn't you?" 



1 'What's that, Nell? How can we die young 

 when we have been married folk these thirteen 

 years ? And how about the bairns, little woman ? " 



" Oh yes, what a selfish thought ! I will not 

 think like that again." 



There was silence for a time ; then, quite sud- 



