C54 
FOREST 'A ND S T R E A ]\! 
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1 
DECETkfBER, 3919 
BOBBING FOR EELS AND SELLING FROGS 
THE SIXTH INSTALLMENT OF A SERIES OF STORIES DEPICTING THE 
SIMPLE JOY OF PISHING AS EXEMPLIFIED THROUGH THE EYES OP YOUTH 
Bt LEONARD HULIT, Associate Ediitor of FOREST AND STREAM. 
M r. WOODHULL was thoroughly 
alarmed when he saw Matt take 
his involuntary plunge in the 
creek as it was at the spot where they had 
fished during the afternoon and he knew 
the water was deep, besides he had no 
knowlelge as to whether the lad could 
swim or not. There was also the danger 
that he might strike a snag or other ob- 
struction in the water. He kept the jack- 
light thrown on the water as he crossed on 
the tree trunk and was delighted to see 
the lad come to the surface and strike out 
vigorously for the bank, apparently unin- 
jured. He gave him a helping hand as he 
scrambled tip the bank v.'here he stood a 
minute, a picture of righteous wrath and 
disgust. “I do’ know,” he began, as soon 
as he had cleared his throat of mud and 
water, “who done it. I just set the bag 
o’ suckers down by the tree, when, quick’s 
a flash he grabbed me by the neck an’ 
one leg an’ when I yelped he ducked me 
in. Gosh, I didn’t know’s anybody was 
so mean, ’sides Aunt Mary’l meb’e stop 
my fishin.’ ” The night air was cold and 
as the boy soon gave evidence of being 
chilled, they hurried their departure, walk- 
ing as rapidly as the traps which they had 
to carry would permit and reached the 
cottage before Aunt Mary had retired. 
That personage W'as horrified and. as usual 
somewhat critical. “It comes along of 
your’re gettin’ into a fight,” she said ex- 
citedly. “Good lands, you’re wet as a 
rat. I'll make a cup o’ tea and you go 
change your clothes while I do it.” While 
Matt was upstairs Mr. Woodhull gave a 
full .statement of the affair, assuring the 
aunt that there had been no dispute, and 
that neither had been given opportunity 
to see who the assailant was. ‘T know 
well’s I want to who done it,” she replied, 
“so does Matt, but he wont say so till he 
knows for sure. Ned Southard’s mean as 
pizen, pickin’ on smaller boys. The’l be 
another ruction sure next time they 
meet.” The boy came down stairs with 
dry clothes on while his aunt was still 
busy around the stove fixin’ a warm bite 
as she termed it, and he looked but little 
the worse for his experience. Aunt Mary 
had formed a great liking for T\Ir. Wood- 
hull whose pleasant manners appealed to 
her, besides she had a sort of paternal 
feeling toward the man His marked im- 
provement in health as a result of the out 
of door life he was leadin.g iu company 
with Matt was doing him good. But one 
thing she could not tmdcrsland: why a 
man of refinement and education should 
take such a fancy to her chimsv, unlettered 
boy. Aunt Mary had never gone “fishin’ ” 
ner Lad been initiated into its soulful 
mveterie«. The answer to her would 
ferve for manv, miany thousands of 
others w'ho do not understand the strange 
triendshius which snrina: ud and crow 
k 
between what seems like strong opposites 
in the many walks of life. “What’ll you 
ever do with all them suckers?” she asked 
as Matt and his companion regaled them- 
selves with the luncheon. “The’s more’n 
half a bushel.” “The’s never been a time 
when any was wasted,” said Matt. “Some- 
body alius wants ’em at some price. I 
aint worryin’ none ’bout that. What beats 
me is who soused me in the creek.” “As 
if you didn’t know well’s as you need to,” 
said the aunt. “The's only one who 
would do it and he’s forever picking on 
you for no reason s I knovy of.” “The’s 
a lot o’ difference ’tween thinkin’ an’ 
knowin’,” returned ]\Iatt. “I know who 
kicked the eggs, ’cause I seen him. I 
don’t know who soused me ’cause I on'y 
felt him, but,” he continued, “the’s vrays 
o’ finding out things' thout makin’ any 
noise. Let’s go bobbin for eels to-morrow 
night,” he said, as his friend was prepar- 
ing to leave, “I’m goin’ to dress the gar- 
den over an’ get plenty of worms. You 
don’t have to wash or moss ’em to make 
bobs” “Good land,” broke in Aunt Mary, 
“I should think you’d got bobbin ’plenty 
for once, while maybe Mr. Woodhull had 
best not be out nights nor around the 
water so much — but,” she added in a 
lighter vein, “somethin’ seems to bo 
agreein’ with you.” 
Mr. Woodhull agreed to be over the fol- 
lowing afternoon prepared for the trip 
and expressed a great desire to see eels 
taken in the manner described by the boy. 
M att was around early the follow- 
ing morning, had the chores done 
and was' washing his fish when his 
aunt came down. She paused a moment, 
looking over his catch and remarked: 
“They run big, don’t they?” “They’re 
mos’ all spawnin’ ones,” was his answer. 
“The's plenly for us, I guess,” he said, as 
he threw two large ones to one side. At 
breakfast he told his aunt he intended 
building a frog pen down by the well 
drain some day. “What do you want o’ 
frogs?” broke in the aunt, and as was her 
custom, dropping her knife and fork and 
looking at him curiously. “Well,” said 
Matt, “the’s no more plantin’ ’mong the 
farmers: it’s all done an’ it’s too early 
for berrin’, ’sides Mr. Woodhull says he’ll 
sell all the big fro.gs I can catch at a good 
price. The’s lots of ’em along the brooks 
an’ places I know.” “Well.” said the aunt, 
“when folks want frogs to eat they can 
have ’em for all- o’ me.” 
Matt divided his catch of fish, taking 
one-half in a lar.ge basket and put a wet 
towel over them to keep them fresh, then 
started out. In less than half an hour 
his aunt -was surprised to see him come in 
the yard swinging his emitty basket. “T 
had good luck right off,” he said. “I met 
klr. Baker down the road. He’s got some 
mas makin’ fence an’ cleanuu; ud. said tlia 
fish’d come handy — but he held me down 
in price — gave me half a dollar, that’s 
all,” and be handed the money to his aunt 
who took it without comment. The bal- 
ance of the fish was then put in the basket 
and he again started out. While in one 
of the houses that he stopped at, a boy 
of about his own age said: “Got ducked 
las’ night, didn’t ye, Matt?” “Who said 
so?” asked the latter quietly. “Ned 
Southard tol’ me an’ he tol’ others too, 
said he heard it first thing this mornin’ 
how you slipped off’n the bank clean over 
your head.” Here was evidence of sub- 
stantiating quality. Matt had told no one 
hut his aunt and from Mr. W’oodhull no 
word could have reached that point so 
early in the day, besides he would not 
have given out that Matt had slipped in 
through accident. 
He had sold to the wheelwriight the last 
of his fish and was seated on a bench 
talking when who should drive up but 
Southard himself with some repair work 
to be done for his father. Giving a signal 
to his friend to keep mum klatt dodged 
behind a stairway when Southard en- 
tered the shop and seated himself w'here 
Matt had sat a moment before. “Did you 
hear how Matt Buckley got ducked las’ 
night?” he asked the first thing. “No,” 
said the wheelwright and he paused in his 
work to get t'ne story. “Well, ’twas like 
this, him an’ that sick dude what’s fishin’ 
with him all the time went out spearin’ 
suckers an’ Matt gettin’ too close up, slip- 
ped an’ went in clean over his head. 
Didn’t hurt him none though I guess. 
Washed some of the freckles off meb’e.” 
Matt could stand no more. “You’re tellin’ 
a plum lie,” he excairned, as he Tvalkcd 
from behind the stairway boldly, well 
knowing his friend the wheelwright 
would protect him. “You grabbed me by 
the neck an’ one leg an’ heaved me in, not 
carin’ if I drowned or not; nen you 
scooted like a skunk.” Southard jumped 
to his feet on hearing his voice and the 
two stood glaring at each other savagely 
for a moment when the older of the two 
seated himself on the light saw-bench 
with his back to Matt and a look of con- 
tempt on his face. I\Iatt stood leaning 
against the work bench at the side of the 
shop when his quick eye took in the fact 
that the wheelwright had thrown some 
shavings and blocks of wood into the old 
stove to warm the glue in the pot on the 
toj). Like a flash he grabbed a le.g of the 
light bench on which Southard was seated 
and with a savage yank dropped him 
heavily to the floor, at the same instant ho 
grabbed with the other hand the brush 
which was in the Warm ghie and burled 
it deeply in the curly hair of his enemy, 
leaving a fiooci of the sticky substance 
■wiiere it wouici ao the most good, or dam- 
age, ami before uie esasperatea Souiti» 
