Angling for Rats. 



Many years ago, while on a trip through the south on 



business matter called me to the little inland town of D , 



in the back-woods country. 



As I alighted from the rickety stage, after a twenty-mile 

 ride over a rough timber road, I glanced up the single street 

 of country stores and noticed several men sitting on boxes, 

 each holding one end of a string in his fingers, the other end 

 dropping down through a hole in the "grub plank" sidewalk. 

 This looked like fishing to me and I had to investigate before 

 eating or resting. 



Upon inquiring of one of the natives what he was fishing 

 for, he replied, "rats." 



I did not know just how to take his reply, but decided to 

 await developments. 



In a few minutes he gave his string a quick jerk, and sure 

 enough, I heard the squealing protest of a rat on the other 

 end of the string. 



The man pulled his capture up to the hole in the plank, 

 turned over the plank and killed him with a stick. 



I then saw that the native had told me the truth, nothing 

 but the truth and the whole truth, and in his one-word reply. 



At certain times of the year^the town was overrun with 

 rats and when this was the case, angling for them was the 

 leading local amusement. 



The sidewalks were made of two-inch pine planks, laid on 

 blocked-up stringers, one to two feet from the ground. The 

 angler would loosen one of these planks (with one or two holes 

 in it) and his angling preserve was ready. 



The outfit consisted of a short stout line, and a small 

 stiff hook baited with a piece of cheese. 



The oft-quoted saying, "I go a-fishing," had henceforth 

 for me a new possibility of meaning. 



[181] 



