418 Book of the Black Bass. 



Alice use' to eum heah a-fishin' wid me, an' Liza Jane wud 

 brung de baby. But Mis' Alice nebber cud lain to fish; 

 she jis' kep' me a-tellin' how yo' paw use' to fish when he 

 was a lil' boy, an' wat he wud say, an' wat he wud do; an' 

 she'd des go an' sot on dat ole sycamo' root — whar you 

 settin' now — whar he use' to fish; an' de big tear-drops 

 wud roll down her pink cheeks ebery time I ketch a fish, 

 an' she wud run an' grab de baby — dat was you — an' 

 hug you up, an' kiss you, and den want me to begin all 

 ober agin. You see, honey, she was so chicken-hearted she 

 cudn't bar to see de red-ej-es an' new-lites a-floppin' on de 

 hook. An' no matter how offen I 'splained to her how 

 Mars' Dick use' to ketch 'em, an' how I ketch 'em, she des 

 was too tender-minded to larn. 



" Den yo' paw cum home aftah de wah, an' brung a lot 

 o' highfalutin noshuns wid him. An' de nex' summah a 

 Yankee kumel fum 'way up norf cum a-visitin' an' he 

 showed Mars' Dick how to fish wid shiney switch poles an' 

 fedder-flies. 



"An' now Mars' Dick drags Mis' Alice wid hiin, an' she 

 goes trapesin' 'long de sho' wid de baskit — an' she'll ketch 

 her deff o' dampness sum day, you hear me — an' she 

 watches him sling dem fedder-flies, an' claps her ban's an' 

 laffs, an' sez : ' Good boy ; well dun, Dick ! ' 



"An wen de bass is tucker'd out Mars' Dick shuv a little 

 roun' net under him, an' raps him on de haid, an' totes him. 

 a-sho'; an' den him an' Mis' Alice sot dar an' look at it, 

 an' yo' paw smoke his pipe, an' he tell Mis' Alice 'bout de 

 fish jis' lak I use' to talk to him when he was a lil' lam' 

 like to' ownself ; an' dey dun spoon jis' as foolish as 'fo' dey 

 was marri'd. 



"An' Mis' Alice she meks de fedder flies fer Mars' Dick, 

 now — she nebber did cotton to wums, an' crawfish, an' 



