George W. Powers and Franke E. McCourt spent 

 their vacations on Long Island and a fishing trip 

 took them to Oyster Bay. They had indifferent luck 

 and little to compensate them for their trouble in the 

 way of incident or sport until young Powers hooked 

 a dogfish. 



Strive as both could, it was beyond their efforts to 

 get the prize into the boat. They exerted every means 

 within reach and tried every expedient in vain and 

 were about to give up the task when their trouble 

 attracted the attention of two men and a woman in 

 a boat. ^ 



They pulled overrule boys and one of the men, 

 encouraging the youths to hold on, coached them and 

 lent a hand, and in a few minutes the big fish was 

 splashing and flundering in the bottom of their boat. 

 With many thanks for the assistance given them the 

 boys rowed ashore. 



Afterwards in talking the incident over, it occurred 

 to young McCourt that the face of the man who had 

 assisted them was familiar. The broad smile that 

 showed the gleaming rows of teeth, the eye-glasses 

 and commanding figure, convinced the boys that their 

 unknown friend must be President Roosevelt. Once 

 suggested, they determined to make conviction sure 

 and wrote a joint letter to Oyster Bay asking Mr. 

 Roosevelt if their surmise was correct. In answer to 

 the message this letter came back. 



WHITE HOUSE, Oyster Bay, 



July, 1904. 

 Dear Young Friends: 



I am glad to hear from you, and congratulate you 

 upon the fish you caught the other day. I was pleased 



66 



