Not Even a Smoke 



Here is a humorous Maine coast story written 

 from the Golden West by Mr. Wolcott Tuckerman, 

 Carpinteria, California. Those of us who are will- 

 ing slaves to Lady Nicotine will understand the 

 tragedy of being without the solace of tobacco after 

 losing a big fish. 



" Oh me! look you, master, a fish! a fish! 

 Oh, alas, master, I have lost her." Walton. 



With these doleful, but to my notion quite inade- 

 quate, words does the great Walton's pupil express his 

 Tragic Moment. That he was a novice may be suffi- 

 cient excuse for using the feeble and altogether paltry 

 word " alas " at such a time. Any good fisherman I 

 know can spot Mr. Venator four " alases " and a cou- 

 ple of " tuts " and tell the story better with one well- 

 aspirated Hell, to say nothing of sitting down and 

 writing the gall out of his system for a Tragic Mo- 

 ment story. 



Most of the tragic anglers who grab me by the waist- 

 coat button to tell me about a grievous occasion make 

 me laugh before they get through. Probably I have 

 lost a good deal of popularity just that way. But they 

 always seem to have some consolation. Generally 



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