A NEW DAY. 



69 



go headlong into the drink, like a big 

 bull-frog. The look on his face, as he 

 came sputtering to the surface, warned 

 me to keep out of his way. I did my 

 fishing on the other side of the river on 

 the way home. 



Arthur G. was a good fellow, a 

 natural woodsman, and a successful 

 sportsman. We were almost constant 

 companions until I married and located 

 in another town. The first years of our 

 married life I did business in a city 

 down in the Mississippi valley ; back 

 about 20 miles from the Father of-waters. 

 Many a pleasant day's sport have I had 

 with gun and dog after pigeons, squir- 

 rels and ruffed grouse, among those 

 grand old bluffs ; or, following along 

 the South Fork, with rod and line, coax- 

 ing the bronze-backed beauties out of 

 their hiding places, under the great 

 shelving rocks that overhung the stream. 



When I would come home at night tired 

 but happy, with a nice string of game 



or fish, Mrs. S. would say, ° I do 



not see what you can find so fascinat- 

 ing about climbing over those rocks 

 all day, for a few fish." 



One lucky evening, I induced my. 

 better-half to go with me, casting for 

 black bass. Getting no response to my 

 casts for the first half hour, she said, 

 " I fail to see any pleasure in that," and 

 strolled along down the shore picking 

 up stones and shells. Making a cast in 

 a deep pool at the foot of a rapid, I en- 

 ticed a big five pound bass from his 

 shady retreat under a shelving rock. 

 He made a dash at the spoon, and 

 jumped his entire length out of the 

 water. Pointing to the place where he 



broke, Mrs. S. exclaimed : " Oh, 



what a big fellow ! do catch him, right 

 over there is where he went down." I 



followed her advice, and at the next 

 cast hooked the old beauty. At the 

 same time I caught a hunting and fishing 

 companion. That evening after supper, 

 I got down my tackle catalogue and se- 

 lected two fine rods, with full equip- 

 ments for all kinds of fishing. 



The ordering of those outfits was the 

 beginning of a new era of happiness for 

 both of us ; and many an enjoyable day's 

 sport have we had on lake and stream 

 with the rods we chose that evening. 



About three years ago I induced her 

 to take up rifle shooting. Her first ef- 

 forts were discouraging, as she could 

 hardly keep her shots on a 3x4 foot 

 target ; but she continued to practice 

 daily during the summer, and by fall 

 had scores of 87 out of a possible 100 

 to her credit ; and now, the squirrel 

 that would wink down at her from his 

 perch in a tall oak would be likely to 

 regret his rashness. 



Time was — and not many years back 

 either — when a lady would not dare ac- 

 company her husband on a shooting or 

 fishing trip. It would be thought very 

 unladylike by her friends ; but the 

 public mind has changed, and now thou- 

 sands of the best women in the land re- 

 sort to the fields, the forests, and the 

 waters every summer. 



Only a few years ago a man who spent 

 a good deal of his time shooting or 

 fishing would be classed with the com- 

 mon tramp, and if a stranger inquired 

 about his standing, some well meaning 

 hard working neighbor would say : 

 " Oh, he's a purty good feller, but don't 

 'mount to much ; spends most of his 

 time huntin' and fishin'." 



Those days have past and gone, and 

 are among the by-gones that we sports- 

 men do not look back to with any regret 



A NEW DAY. 



Frank H. Sweet. 



A pearly, soft, and opalescent sky, 



That gently falls and circles round the sea, 



Low flying gulls, and billows rolling high 

 And free. 



Expectant hush ; till from the east a glow 



Proclaims the morn, 

 And then the bright, majestic sun — and lo, 



A day is born ! 



