Alabama, 1913. 81 



THEN AND NOW. 



WHEN the dewdrops bright in the dawning gleam, 

 And the dimpling waters in beauty shine, 

 As the breathing of morn with odors teem, 



With my rod and reel and its 'silen line, 

 And a feathered hook of a quaint design, 



Tiptoe on the bank, in the dewy grass, 

 At the foot of a giant Norway pine, 

 I cast the fly for gamy bass. 



When smooth as a mirror are lake and stream, 



And the shady pools hold the quiet kine, 

 And pond lilies float in a noontide dream, 



With my rod and reel and its silken line 

 I hie to the sylvan shades, and dine 



Beneath the groined arches that far surpass 

 The Gothic of man ; then in dreams divine 



I cast the fly for gamy bass. 



When the setting sun, with its crimson beam, 



Transmutes the waters to ruby wine, 

 I return again, in delight supreme, 



With my rod and reel and its silken line ; 

 And there, in the hour of day's decline, 



As the exquisite moments swiftly pass, 

 With a joy that language cannot define, 



I cast the fly for gamy bass. 



Dear fellow : ensconced in this den of mine, 

 With my rod and reel and its silken line, 

 In your "Pipe Smoke Carries" alone, alas ! 

 I cast the fly for the gamy bass. 



— /. S. Z., in the Chicago Tribune. 



6 BB 



