194 THE Aroostook Woops. 
moving, the trout can be seen. Perhaps at the first a slight 
movement, showing nose and head, then their wriggling out 
leaving a roily swirl behind them as they dart to seize the bait. 
Away back in our early sporting days, when the trout were 
so plenty that they could be caught in every shady pool, and 
were to be seen at morning and evening in the mellow sun- 
light, leaping from the waters in quick succession, and for 
mere sport often, as well as for the flies in the air just above 
and those fluttering upon the surface; when this animating 
sight was quite the usual thing to see all up and down the 
quiet streams, upon the lakes, at the inlets, and in the grassy 
coves, we often went wizter fishing and caught them through 
the ice. 
We remember a month of March as proving an unusually 
mild one, when old boreas ceased his unwelcome visits for 
near the whole month and the icy storms came not upon us. 
When only one half to an inch of snow fell occasionally, and 
this at night; and after the cool nights, the early mornings 
were mild and hazy until the sun breaking out making all 
clear as a bell, relieving the enameled trees and their ice 
encircled branches and twigs, and drinking the diamond drops 
hanging from the buds. With many sunny days for boisterous 
March, with warm southerly winds which were most favora- 
ble for winter fishing. 
And early in this pleasant month looking out over the fields 
one morning, where the winter snows were piled up level with 
the fence tops, watching the small boys coasting down to the 
river, then on it and away over the smooth, white ice and out 
of sight, soon toiling back to repeat their jolly slide, the crust 
bearing them well up, only the light track of their moccasined 
feet and sled runners showing in the light snow upon the 
