A CONTRIBUTION. 



In the year of Our Lord Nineteen Hundred, a lover 

 of Sir Izaak Walton, joined the Blue Ridge Rod and 

 Gun Club. He had heard so much of one Walter 

 Harban, of his wonderful bass fishing, and of his 

 wonderful catches, and how, when he got out of bait, 

 he would send his dog into the river to catch bass, he 

 determined to become a regular fisherman and pur- 

 chased a complete outfit, engaged a boat and boatman, 

 and started out. Having heard so much about these 

 wonderful, wily fish; how strong and sporty they 

 were he thought it advisable to get a rather strong 

 rod and line. The day was fine, water perfect, bait 

 good, and he had a competent and experienced boat- 

 man, by the name of one Riley, "one of the finest 

 fisherman that ever came down the pike." Mr. Riley 

 could not tell our subject anything about fishing. 

 Phelan put on a "mad-torn", and also a rather "hefty" 

 sinker, (only about four ounces of best lead), and then 

 began to cast. Things didn't run very smoothly at 

 first ; line would "back-lash" ; couldn't get bait out far 

 enough, but by perseverance and after a "good pull" 

 at some of the finest Braddock Spring Water, 

 he got up nerve and started again. The rest 

 of the story as told by Phelan was as follows: 

 I noticed my friend, Mr. Riley, was getting 

 nervous and would duck and dodge every time I made 

 a cast. It looked to me like he would prefer taking a 

 swim, but nothing daunted me, so I got ready and 

 gathered all my strength gave one mighty swing (with 

 both hands) and I want to tell you, that certainly was 

 some cast, for our friend, Mr. Riley, not being a good 

 dodger or prize-fighter, missed dodging that "hefty" 



