NOV. 12, 1898.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
38 ' 
his old slouch hat and kisses lovingly the waiting wife, it 
is evident there is perfect understanding arid trust. 
"Just in time, Jack, dear," says the little woman; 
"table's set and the little ones are hungry. Did you have 
a pleasant day?" 
The couple joined the others, and the children run to 
kiss and be kissed, and with merry cry and laugh the 
fish are carried to the kitchen, and soon the family is 
gathered about the simple fare, everybody happy and 
contented. 
The ? "man with the tackle" sighed. "Good times 
those," he said, "and it was just twelve years ago. I 
have never had the time since. I must have been very 
busy, but — " here a bright look spread over his face, as 
th 0,10 *h a *- 1 T - <ff.n-rt had mixed with his dreams. 
bottle of gin for a Christmas present. Can't you re- 
member as far back as that?" 
"Wus dat Mas' yeah?" 
"Certainly it was. 1 supposed that the ham would 
only last a few days, but the gin was well corked, and if 
only used for medicinal purposes, as I suggested, it 
could not evaporate, and you must have some of it left." 
"Ise gettin' ole, fo' a fac', and can't 'membah good. 
I 'membah de ham, dat las' 'bout fo' days, but dattah gin, 
Doctah^ was fo' 'dicinal puppus, an' Ise gettin' ol\ an' 
wid de 'tism in de laigs an' misery pains in de haid an' 
back, dat gin nebbah got no time to ''vaporate, less de 
oV woman got up in de night an' 'vaporate some, as I 
'spec' she did w'en she got a smell o' de stuff, t*it hones', 
it didn' las' as long as de ham. it didn' fo* a far*." 
sarcastically remarked: "The onions are good; I al- 
ways like a steak smothered in onions, don't you?" 
"Yes, if the steak is eatable, but I believe with 'Frank 
Forester' that the penalty for frying a steak should be 
death, without benefit of clergy." 
"I agree," replied the Doctor, "but on the menus 
in New York and Paris I find an expensive item named 
'chateau briand,' and the waiters tell me that it is a 
beefsteak cooked between two thin slices of beef, which 
are thrown away; all I know is that it is thick, juicy and 
tender, and is a veritable poem in beef; vou can't dispute 
that!" 
"When the financial wind blows from the right quarter 
I agree, but at other times I forget that such things are 
and order fried clams or a 'Hamburg' steak. But why, 
A BUNCH OF ELK IN THE FOOTHILLS. 
From a photograph by T," G. Ingersoll. 
'Sam," he called, and the wrinkled face of the old negro 
porter was thrust inquiringly through the door. 
"Here you, Sam, get all my fishing truck together in 
the morning sure. I am going to take the family into 
the country for a month, Want all my lines and my gun. 
and Sam, get some boy to take your place, do you 
hear, you old rascal? I'm going a-fishing and I want you 
to come along." 
"Jess as I uster, Massa Jack?" 
"Just as you used to, Sam, long ago." 
H. M. Mayo. 
In the Louisiana Lowlands.— VIII. 
BY FRED MATHER, 
[Continued from last week.] 
I Those Southern steamboats are leisurely craft. If 
khey do not reach a certain point to-day there is hope 
ithat they will on the morrow. Therefore one must be 
early and wait. We were at Alexandria about 10 A. M., 
and the boat was expected about noon, but no one knew 
when she might arrive. Strolling clown to the levee we 
found old Sam, who had been my fidns Achates during 
the week's fishing on Catahoula Lake. He had his great 
line out for big catfish, and was fishing with a cane 
about 20ft. long for smaller fish. He had just un- 
hooked a crappie and strung it through the gill covers 
and placed it in the water to keep alive ; when I asked: 
"Well, Sam, how are they running now?" 
"Well, I 'clar' ef heah ain' my Yankee Kunnel an' 
Doctah Gawdon too; it does my ole eyes good to see 
lyo' bofe. Whah you bin all de time, Doctah? I ain' see 
[yo* fo' many years, an' I 'membah yo' w'en yo's a iittle 
boy come heah to visit de ole Kunnel w'at's dead an' 
gone, long befo', an' yo' come wid you muddah fum 
Gawgy." 
Here was a clue to the solution of my problem of 
Dr. Gordon's nativity, he was born a Georgian, and I 
stored that fact away. 
I "Sam, you are getting old," the Doctor remarked. 
M'l was here last year, and brought you a ham and a 
"Sam," I said, "the Doctor and I do not drink gin; 
in Yankeeland there is a saying that only women and 
darkies like it. Now take this and go up and treat 
yourself and I will fish for you." 
"T'anks, Kunnel, I'm proud to have yo' 'quaintance, 
an' I 'member de good times awn Catahoula." With hat 
in hand, after the manner of the old-time darky, he left 
us in possession of his entire fishing outfit, without ask- 
ing for security. Confidence was not a creature of slow 
growth with Sam. I have recorded how he left me in 
full charge of his fishing outfit, and went to the hotel 
at my expense and gave me that high compliment: "I 
know'd vo' was .1 gemman w'en I seed yo' get off de 
boat." / 
I took in quite a number of the small fishes which 
make their homes in Red River, without giving thought 
to other things, when the Doctor yelled: "There's a 
bite on the big line!" 
I dropped the cane and rushed to help the Doctor. 
It was lug and tug, hand under hand, for more minutes 
than we kept a record of, and we landed a giant catfish. 
Just then Sam returned and killed the fish with the poll 
of an axe that he had for that purpose, and after a 
critical survey gave his opinion: "He's a big cat, Jo 1 
a fac', but I don' 'spec' he's so big as de one dat de 
Yankee Kunnel an' I got jess fo' we went to Catahoula 
Lake. How much did dattah fish weigh, Kunnel?" 
"Just sixty-three and a half pounds." 
"I doan jess 'membah de poun's, but I 'membah de 
two dollahs an' a half wot I got fo' him." 
We went to dinner, which I afterward regretted. There 
we found a first course of fried crappies, which was 
good, one to each plate; then came an alleged "beef- 
steak," which might have grown on' the neck or on the 
shin bone, and was fried with Onions! If I were in- 
trusted with the government of alt the inhabitants of 
this world, I would select some quarter of the globe 
where good steak was rare (pun intended), and there 
colonize all people who fry a beefsteak. If there is any 
crime against the giver of good things, it is the frying 
of a succulent, juicy steak. 
As we chewed away on the tough meat the Doctor 
in this place, and with such an apology for a steak be- 
fore us, do you mention a chateau briand? 'No more 
of that, Hal, an' thou lovest me.'" 
"All right; in future we will order our meals while in 
country places and stick to ham, eggs and such things 
they have and know how to cook. We may be here all 
night for all I know, there's no telling when the boat 
will arrive." The landlord had removed the steak and 
we had finished the ham and eggs, the rice pudding and 
the cafe noir when the Doctor exclaimed: "Hark! that 
was a steamer's whistle. One is expected from down 
the river also. Say 'up' or 'down' for the cigars; not to 
be bought here, but when we reach a place where we 
can get a decent weed; we have plenty for present use." 
A Little Gambling. 
"Down!" and I won. We had our luggage taken to 
the levee, where old Sam was dickering with a man 
about the big fish. He had taken it up to the scales, and 
it weighed 54lbs. The man offered "a dollah an' fo' bits," 
but Sam held out for two dollars until the boat rounded 
to and the steward and Sam went to look at the fish, and 
it was brought on board to be served for the roustabouts 
who formed part of the crew. .No wood was taken here 
and we were soon off. At some landing a lot of 
gamblers got on; the Doctor said they had left the up- 
going boat, and that they worked the river nightly in 
that way. After supper the cabin was lighted and the 
games were opened. They were of the kind that follow 
circuses and fairs, at which the yokel has a better chance 
of being struck by lightning than of winning from the 
experts. There was the old "sweatboard," three-card 
monte, and a game that was new to me, called "chuck 
luck." It was a gorgeous lay out of watches, jewelry, and 
one prize of $100 in gold. Ten dice were thrown, and 60 
would win the gold, while 10 would win a fine gold 
chronometer. It was a dollar a throw. I watched the 
game' for an hour; the highest throw was 42 and the 
lowest was 30, and the prizes were trashy pins, rings and 
silver mugs, yet the real players did not seem to mis- 
trust that some of the dice were loaded. After the hour 
