98 
CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
With the coming of April in South Georgia all that lan¬ 
guished is suddenly and mysteriously quickened into increased 
activity, while all that withered before winter’s icy breath is 
presently resurrected into a new and more glorious existence. 
Delicately and sweetly scented violets of white and lavender 
commence emerging from the mold of the dead wiregrass. 
The damp night air is scented with the fragrance of wisteria, 
honeysuckle, woodbine, and running roses. 
Now, Uncle Dave is not given to bubbling over, no matter 
how greatly he may rejoice, neither employing highly polished 
English. All these influences so happily combined themselves 
that his resolve was firm and final—he was going fishing. 
In his imagination he could see the red-fin pike leaping clear 
of the water, lunging at every passing dragon-fly. To be sure, 
they are tasty, and too, make a picture fit to adorn the walls of 
nobility’s hunting lodges. The spirited fight they stage when 
hooked constitute a challenge to the sporting blood of any 
lover of the great outdoors. The Suwanoochee Creek was his 
favorite fishing ground, and it was a sight to awaken the in¬ 
terest of the most indifferent to stand upon the banks of this 
little stream and watch them splashing and rippling the still, 
inky waters of its lagoons on spring afternoons. 
His fishing tackle having been quickly assembled, he was on 
his way. As he approached the stream he turned from the 
main road to avail himself of a short cut by following an old 
Indian trail. For some distance he walked beneath the low- 
hanging, spreading branches of the liveoak trees, beautifully 
adorned with vari-shaped tufts of Spanish moss. Lifting his 
eyes for the purpose of checking on a swiftly sinking sun, he 
beheld a beautiful spectacle—Spanish moss as far as his eyes 
could see, filtering the radiant beams of the sun, every single 
strand of moss glistening in the sunlight as though dipped in 
transparent wax. 
He had trolled all afternon and the net result of his efforts 
and patience was “nary-a-bite.” Before setting out on such an 
important mission he had not forgotten to check the signs of 
the Zodiac and the phase of the moon. * According to his philos¬ 
ophy everything was right. He reasoned that inasmuch as they 
