i goo. 



XXXII. ABOUT WIDOWS ALSO ABOUT TRENT NETTING 

 AND LOCAL ANGLING. 



JWl cNAB is fond of a cup of tea, and Mr. Hopper must 

 / V a l so plead guilty to being very partial to the cup 

 which cheers but does not inebriate. Now McNab 

 and Mr. Hopper have been to Trent-side to lure the wily 

 barbel and skull-drag some ponderous bream from the depths 

 of Dunham Dubbs. But now a word to show how the tea 

 comes in. 



These two anglers were most fortunate in finding themselves 

 located in most pleasant lodgings, a short distance from the 

 river, and the good landlady was assisted in her household 

 duties by a very devoted daughter whom, to conceal her 

 identity, we will call Frances. Now Frances was decidedly 

 pretty that is why McNab secured the lodgings and she 

 had also a lot of nice little attentive ways, which were not lost 

 upon McNab. McNab does not like walking, so if he had a 

 particularly lazy mood upon him Frances or her good mother 

 would bring tea down to the river, and a small picnic would be 

 held on the bank. 



On one occasion Frances' mother brought tea down to the 

 river-side, and she was accompanied by one of the charming 

 widows resident in that part of Trent-side. Nearly every other 

 female is a widow there why, Mr. Hopper cannot tell, as the 

 men seem all right and of too good a sort to be polished off. 

 The tea, as usual, was delicious, so was the wid beg pardon, 

 the bread and butter. Now this particular widow was venture- 

 some. McNab, good boatman as he is, had drawn the boat to 

 the river side and secured it, leaving only a little slack rope 

 between it and the stake it was moored to. It was a glorious 

 afternoon, and everything in the by the riverside was lovely. 

 The water was translucent that is a particularly good word, 

 Mr. Editor. 



