204 Recreations of a Sportsman 



ous other things. Bill knew his man and had 

 sized up the situation with all the cleverness 

 of a Machiavelli, all of which goes to show that 

 anglers are sometimes susceptible people, and 

 the most menacing part of it is, I believe they 

 are glad of it. 



While Bill baited my hook, running the point 

 into the eye of the fish, then down through the 

 mouth so that the line formed a loop keeping 

 the mouth closed, he resumed the conversation. 



" As I was saying, it 's a curious thing, Judge, 

 that you enjoy what is the hardest kind of work 

 to me. I 've been trying to figure it out on a 

 Christian Science basis, and the proposition is, 

 that if you only call work sport, you 're having 

 the time of your life. It 's the point of view. 

 If you have to fish for a livin', it is drudgery ; if 

 you fish for the fun of it, why, it 's a pleasure. 

 I can't exactly get it fixed straight in my mind, 

 or what Herbert Spencer would have thought of 

 it, but I came out one day and tried to imagine 

 I was goin' fishin' for the fun of it, and was an 

 angler like old Walton and the rest of 'em; but 

 doggone it ! every salmon I pulled in meant fifty 

 cents at the dock. When you lose a fish you 're 

 glad, because he put up a good fight, but I 

 could n't get that commercial feelin' out of my 

 head it means too much for me. Now Herbert 

 Spen " 



But just then I had a strike, and Bill pushed 



