RECREA TION. 



255 



bottom of the pool, " Sulking, are you ? 

 Well, I'll send you a telegram." She 

 snapped the line between her thumb and 

 forefinger, and the fish made off at a 

 great rate. The reel fairly sang as he 

 cut through the water. 



" Look out !" I shouted, "he's going 

 to break water." 



But Kate was ready, and, as he dart- 

 ed up from the surface, she dropped 

 the tip of her rod. I saw him shake his 

 wide-open mouth in a vain endeavor to 

 dislodge the hook. This was his last 

 flurry, however, and she soon reeled him 

 into shore, when with a quick dip of 

 the net, I laid him at her feet. 



u Bravo! Kate, the first fish is to your 

 credit, and a beauty at that." 



''Oh ! how tired my arms are. That 

 chap nearly pulled them from their sock- 

 ets. I hope you will get the next big one." 



" I hope so, too, with all my heart, but 

 I am afraid I shall never have the luck 

 to hook a four pounder like that one 

 you have just landed." But I did on 

 the next cast of my line. We had ex- 

 cellent sport for about four hours, when 

 the fish quit biting. Kate had caught 

 five black bass, three rock bass, two 

 grinnells and a blue cat, and I had 

 caught eight big-mouths, five rock bass, 

 four grinnells and two blue cats. 



" Well, little woman, we had best 

 pull up stakes. We will not catch any 

 more fish to-day, unless we go farther 

 down stream, and fish for calico perch. 

 I know a hole just below here where 

 they fairly swarm." 



"Jog along Josie, I'm your huckle- 

 berry." 



We went down the river about 

 a quarter of a mile, baited our hooks, 

 and in a short time had caught 15 

 bachelor, or calico, perch. I then hook- 

 ed a fish, but when I attemped to reel 

 him in, the hook caught in a sunken log 

 or some other substance, and I could 

 not budge it. My line was a fine one 

 and I hated to lose it, but I had come to 

 the conclusion that I had best cut it, 

 when Kate said : " Hold on, uncle, I'll 

 dive down and loosen it. I have 

 a change of clothing up at camp and 

 water will not hurt this rig." She 

 plunged in and in a second I felt the 

 line was free. 



About five o'clock that afternoon we 

 packed up and started for home. We 

 got out of the Highlands before dark, 

 and traveled the rest of the way home 

 through the beautiful country scenes, 

 illuminated by the bright rays of a full 

 harvest moon. 



IN THE FIELD. 



FRANK H. SWEET, 



Whoa, haw, gee about ! 

 Don't ye see the furrer's out? 

 Haw, Buck, turn aroun', 

 We must finish this 'ere groun' 

 'Fore the boss gits back from mill, 

 Er he'll say it's settin' still 

 Makes us lazy an' no good — 

 Only fit fer choppin' wood. 



Whoa, haw, there ye go ! 

 Jes too everlastin' slow ! 

 Step lively ! we must git 

 'Roun' this fiel' 'fore we quit ; 

 An' if 't aint so smooth an' clean 

 As enny the boss 'as seen, 

 He 'ill say we aint no good — 

 Best go back ter choppin' wood. 



Whoa, haw, that's the talk ! 

 Make 'er straight as ary chalk ; 

 No trouble now ter git 

 'Roun' the fiel' 'fore we quit, 

 An' the boss '11 see we can 

 Do it jes as well 's a man, 

 An' he'll say we are too good 

 Fer boy's work, like choppin' wood. 



