THE ANGLER'S GUIDE. 135 



ther. And among other things, they had sold 

 to Mr. Bigings an old copy of Isaac Walton's 

 book on angling, the old man telling him that 

 it was one of the most interesting books he 

 had ever read, and that he had many times in 

 his younger and better days enjoyed the plea- 

 sures of that most delightful sport, which was 

 so much loved by the writer, who must have 

 been, in his opinion, one of the best and hap- 

 piest men that ever lived ; and if he had his 

 life to come over again, he should often trudge 

 to the side of some gently flowing stream, to 

 enjoy an hour of that pleasure which no one 

 but an angler could experience. And while 

 the old man uttered the words, the big tears 

 rolled down his pale and furrowed cheeks, 

 plainly indicating the sincerity of his heart. 

 Bigings was not much of an enthusiast, and 

 though between fifty and sixty years had 

 rolled over him, had never enjoyed one mo- 

 ment of any such pleasure as the old angler 

 seemed to describe to him ; his pleasure had 

 only been in eating and drinking, smoking 

 or sleeping ; still, as he thought the old man 

 was sincere, and that he himself should like 

 to taste the pleasures, the loss of which he so 

 much regretted, he began to read the book. 



