Artfulness and Art 53 



from it, and cautioning us not to show ourselves, while he 

 proceeded to bait the hooks. Seeing that my turn was 

 not likely to come for some time, and being very anxious 

 to begin, I proceeded to put on a worm for myself, and 

 was hurrying down to a spot where there was a tiny 

 waterfall with a pool below, when I was ordered to leave 

 it for one of the elders. 



Gloomily I stepped to the bank of the stream, not 

 knowing where to go. I happened to be standing where 

 the bank was a little raised, with some big stones below, 

 and almost accidentally I dropped the worm into the 

 water, letting it be carried along by the current. Just 

 as it was passing the place where I stood, out dashed a 

 little trout, which grabbed at the bait, missed it, and 

 darted back again to the stone it had come from. I at 

 once forgot my grievances, and with the greatest care, 

 and trembling with anxiety, dropped the worm in again 

 exactly as before. Once more, on reaching the same 

 place, the little trout dashed out, but this time he picked 

 up the worm, and hurried back with it to the stone. The 

 next moment he was flying through the air, and alighted in 

 the very middle of the astonished group, who were still busy 

 putting on the baits. In default of any other reasons, 

 I came in for some scolding— -instead of praise — from 

 the other competitors, for having been in such a hurry 

 to begin, and I was told " that I ought to have waited, 

 as they had, till Webster had finished and could show 

 us where to go." But my trout was safe in my basket, 

 and I felt so triumphant that I was able to take the 

 scolding very philosophically. 



