DAYS ON THE NEPIGON. 



to its hackled whiskers, yet after its manner, 

 "The glass of fashion and the mold of form." 



It was a product of artistic appreciation 

 and creative genius, a symphony in tatters, 

 and the limit. It had seen better days, having 

 been originally a Silver Doctor. Later fre- 

 quent scrapping and love of the drink had 

 incapacitated it for further successful prac- 

 tice, and now, with patching and original re- 

 newing, it triumphantly fulfilled its later mis- 

 sion. 



It seemed preposterous to expect that any- 

 thing partaking of the tramp temperament 

 could accomplish good results, especially when 

 clean water was an all-important factor. But 

 our confidence was justified, for the trout, 

 acknowledged authority on those matters, so 

 pronounced. Recognizing and rewarding its 

 audacity and persuasive powers, they ap- 

 proached that representative Hobo with in- 

 sulting familiarity and hungry ferocity, and 

 straightway paid the penalty. Its strangeness 

 aroused a fatal curiosity, for the whole pro* 

 89 



