42 SPRING ANGLING. 



man's finest (see Fig. 22), and the hooks are as 

 vivid as Jacob's coat of many colors." — "Bosh," 

 said he, "this is good enough for me;" and he 

 called attention to a blurred and battered and 

 rusted old tin spoon, to which some colorless 

 threads of feathers hung in scarecrow fashion ; 

 " and what is more, it will catch twice as many 

 as your brand new tackling, I'll wager." — " Ha, 

 ha!" I roared, "hang it up in the apple-tree for 

 the birds to laugh at, but don't disgrace me with 

 such a spoon-bait." But fish with it he would and 

 did. We rowed back and forth on the lake all 

 that morning, and caught thirty-seven pickerel ; 

 and how many do you suppose fell to the share 

 of my splendid spoon-bait .'' Just fottr. I tried 

 everything to change the luck. I even fished 

 right in my friend's water, with my bait revolving 

 only a few inches away from his ragged old bait ; 

 and even then the fish preferred his lure to mine. 

 Oh, how he did tease about it ! I never met him 

 but he reminded me of this, the only occasion 

 when I was badly beaten by him. I made it up 

 next day. Now, I grieve to say, he is dead — 

 gone to that " undiscovered country from whose 

 bourn no traveller returns." (Rest in peace !) 



