strips and divided among your colleagues." The 

 penalty, happily for the distinguished guest, was not 

 enforced. 



It was Mr. Cleveland's pleasure and that of his ac- 

 companying friends to fish for small-mouthed black 

 bass in the Potomac River. Mr. Cleveland made 

 several trips for such sport upon that stream during 

 the years he was President. On one of them he 

 encountered rainy, inclement weather, yet, true to his 

 character, he stood up in a boat, covered with a 

 rain coat, and cast, with rod and reel ,until satisfied 

 that he could catch no fish. Mr. Cleveland no doubt 

 encountered that disappointment which follows to 

 any devotee of the rod who fails of success after a 

 hard trial and, appreciating what must have been his 

 feelings while on a trip to the Monocacy the day 

 following, I told my son that we would have to catch 

 the President a big bass because of his ill luck the 

 day before. 



The river was clear, the wind calm, the water just 

 right as to temperature and depth, and anticipating 

 everything pleasant my boy and I were boated up 

 that stream, which of all others gets muddy the 

 quickest and clears the slowest. The day had long 

 been spent and our spirits drooped like the limbs of 

 the willows along the shore. I had told Boatman 

 Walters to take us home. As we trolled along indif- 

 ferently, with nearly every foot of line out, there was 

 a splash and a great commotion, which brought us to 

 realize that I had struck a large fish. Such it proved 

 to be, after ten minutes struggle in bringing it into 

 the boat, being without a landing net. My boy was 

 proud; so was I, and the boatman began to feel that 

 he had earned his hire. 



63 



