T)ow7i North and Up Along 
the shore, and with little expectation of draw- 
ing forth anything so " said and sung " about 
as a speckled trout, with our unskilled hands, 
we hardened our hearts and strung upon the 
hook a large angleworm, distinguished by a 
magnificent wriggle, condoning the offence by 
the reflection that according to the latest word 
of science upon the nervous system of the 
worm, it does not really suffer when thus mis- 
used. This we seductively dropped into a 
pool, with no real expectation, for there have 
been many books writ upon trout-fishing, and 
we supposed that only an artificial fly of strange 
construction, thrown with secret and consum- 
mate skill, could land one of these famous 
creatures. And we knew ourselves for simple 
folk with no wiles but such as could be offered 
by a plain angleworm, a live one at that, with 
not an artificial hair on its head. 
Still, no sooner had our plebeian worm 
entered the dark pool than there came a thrill- 
ing twitch to the line, and we flung upon the 
bank as pretty a red and gold speckled trout 
as one could ask to see, thereby dispelling for 
ever the almost religious mystery that had here- 
tofore enveloped trout-fishing in our minds. 
244 
