A DAY ON THE DELAWARE. 



ZANE GREY, M. I). 



Our summer outing slipped by swiftly, 

 as only such days can, and the last one 

 arrived. As we started out in the early 

 morning the fog was rising from the river, 

 and hung like a great grey curtain along 

 the mountain tops; while here and there, 

 through rifts, the bright sun shone, mak- 

 ing the dew sparkle on the leaves. Far 

 up the mountain side could be heard the 

 loud caw of a crow, and the shrill screech 

 of a blue jay. A grey squirrel barked 

 from his safe perch in a tree by the road- 

 side. A ruffed grouse got up from the 

 bushes along the road, and with a great 



"I am afraid not, unless I catch him 

 today," I said. " We would have had him 

 if it had not been for your childish and 

 idiotic failure to land the big- fellow 

 you hooked the other day." 



"I wish you would stop reminding me 

 of that, and give me a chance to forget it," 

 he answered. "I suppose you never 

 make any mistakes." 



"But it was so careless," I insisted, "to 

 have a 4 pounder in your hands and then 

 lose him." 



"Yes, I know; but let's forget it. I 

 hope you will hook one twice as big and 



AMATEUR PHOTO BY R. C. GREY 



AT THE OTHER END A MONSTER. 



whirr, disappeared among the trees. The 

 air was keen, with a suspicion of frost in it, 

 and fragrant with pine and hemlock. 

 This was to be our last day. We were 

 going to improve every moment of it, and, 

 perhaps, add more glorious achievements 

 to memory's store, to be lived over many 

 times in the dark, cold days of winter. I 

 looked at Reddy and marvelled at the 

 change a month could bring. He was the 

 color of bronze and the spring of the deer- 

 stalker was in his rapid step. 



"Well, Doc, looks as if you were not 

 going to get that big one to mount for our 

 collection," he said. 



that he will break your tackle and give me 

 a chance to get a picture of you for future 

 reference," he replied. 



At the lower end of the big eddy below 

 Westcolang falls, the Delaware narrows, 

 and there commences a 2 mile stretch of 

 eddies, rifts, falls and pools that would 

 gladden the heart of any angler. 



"Now, my boy," I said, "we will toss 

 for choice as to who takes the other side 

 going down." 



"I don't know if I would not just as 

 willingly take this side," said Reddy, not- 

 ing the swift water between him and the 

 other shore. 



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