A Worms a Worm 59 



ancient knight, it bore a strange device— I thought it was a 

 corkscrew spiral with dots between. 



The wife was cleanly but plainly dressed in a brown one- 

 piece affair. She was a large, very dark woman whose face in 

 repose expressed the strength and character that might come 

 from a life which had not been too easy. But when I spoke 

 to them and they answered, she smiled with an expression 

 showing that, for her, life still held a lot of enjoyment. Her 

 firm hands grasped a long willow pole from which hung a 

 line and float which, unlike any others I had seen along the 

 canal, was bobbing violently. She set the hook with a quick 

 movement of the wrist and then drew a good-sized perch 

 from the water. The man looked at his own bobber but said 

 nothing. 



"You got yourself a good one," I said. 



"It's my lucky day," she replied. "I came down without 

 aiming to fish. I cut a pole just to pass the time." 



"You enjoy it?" 



"It's just a pastime. My husband's the one who likes to fish. 

 He's an expert." 



My canoe was almost past when she smiled again and 

 said: 



"He got three so far, I got eight." 



Fishermen seldom stopped in the marshy strip between 

 this point and the bay. I was warm and thirsty and was glad 

 to get out in the open where I could take advantage of the 

 light but constantly strengthening breeze. Flatties and star- 

 boats had begun to appear; they were slowly making for the 

 lake and the stronger winds which would come, up a little 

 later. A little puff of wind would send them along for a few 

 yards and then the boats would drift until another puff came. 



I thought that the day's fishing was over, but just be- 

 fore I reached the entrance to Canoehouse Bay I recognized 

 two men who were casting plugs from a very short square- 

 built boat. They were young Japanese, from their clothing 



