The Tale of the Gilded Fork. 
' The hot sun poured down on Richmondville 
I t of an almost cloudless sky, while from hill 
d valley the musical click of the mowing 
•chine, together with the perfume of drying 
y, which permeated an occasional little breeze, 
•it explained why merchants and clerks in shirt 
! .'eves loitered in shady store doorways or 
der convenient awnings and trees, and the 
parent desertedness of the town. 
Dn the verandah of the Ryder House were 
ited several old men with chairs tilted back 
d feet braced against its iron supporting pillars 
iguidiv discussing the prospective hop crop 
d emphasizing their remarks with an occas- 
I ial stream of tobacco juice, which by common 
lsent seemed to be aimed at a small piece of 
1 brick half buried in the dusty road beyond, 
aning against the doorway stood “Danny,” 
: ■ proprietor, industriously puffing on a short- 
•mrned briar pipe while he listened to “Doc” 
unions, who was reading aloud from a well- 
imbed book, evidently submitting parts of its 
/) itents as the decisive evidence of a previously 
ited argument. 
\cross the street the proprietor of the Far¬ 
r’s House dozed complacently in a big, in- 
ing porch rocker. Scattered about his chair 
S re several late magazines devoted to outdoor 
% for in spite of his avoirdupois, which had 
lg since earned for him the soubriquet of “Fat 
t,” he keenly enjoyed and participated in all 
i it pertained to outdoor life, and as a hunter 
f’i fisherman was frankly acknowledged the 
!>st skillful in that locality. At his feet lay 
/heat,” Sheldon’s half-hound, half-shepherd 
on dog, who, every now and then, snapped 
iously at annoying flies that persisted in dis- 
j bing his slumbers. 
I \s I elevated my feet to the Herald’s one- and 
I y editorial desk and re-lit my pipe, my eyes 
chance again rested on the sleeping figure of 
t Art and I noticed his hands give a spas- 
■dic little jerk as a satisfied expression stole 
• ix his face. 
‘Dreaming again of that big one in the Carl- 
'! e,” I softly exclaimed, for on many occas- 
ij s Art had told of a mammoth trout which he 
1 seen at different times in the waters of that 
; ar little mountain stream, but as I had fished 
'j tgain and again without discovering the slight- 
indication of the fish’s existence, judgment 
< npelled me to classify this tale as ancient 
| tend. 
; vTy reveries fanned a perennial fishing spark 
1 an unquenchable flame, and there came 
■j ?r me a longing to feel the cool, damp, watery 
jelling air of the stream against my perspiring 
n, and, with all thoughts of business cast to 
' four winds of heaven, fish, or sprawl under 
j inviting shade tree, smoke and dream of past 
j asures with rod and gun. Business was ex- 
1 mely dull. “My income will not be affected 
I 1 iota,” I argued; so, putting the foreman in 
rge, I donned an old coat and hat, hastily 
gged an eight ounce rod and a miscellaneous 
lection of flies from their hiding place, and 
s soon whipping the Carlville. For an hour 
ast the most alluring flies in the most likely 
li "es without the least sign of a strike. 
Dverheated and tired from my exertions, I 
j ipped in the shade of a big beech to enjoy 
■I est and a smoke near the bank of a swim- 
f ig pond constructed of sod, stones and drift- 
j od, with all of the instinctive dexterity of 
i beaver by idle mischievous, fun loving boys. 
e water with a dream-inspiring little gurgle 
i nped over an improvised stone and log spill- 
' { into a narrow, freshly cut channel that ran 
• : a mill race in spite of three sharp curves 
t some three hundred yards, flowing into a 
|( 
i 
large pool of Schoharie Creek that was formed 
by a sharp bend, a group of old gnarled willows 
and centuries of constant wear in shale rock. 
While I lay in the cool shade, lazily pulling 
away at my pipe, a large, burly bumble-bee 
lighted on a short stemmed white clover blos¬ 
som, his pollen-laden legs glistening as though 
adorned with two shining nuggets of virgin gold. 
In a spirit of boyishness I knocked him to the 
ground with my hat and quickly grasped him 
just back of the head, keenly enjoying his frantic 
efforts to defend himself. Inserting a small 
hook in his body and fastening it securely to the 
line I cast in the pond. With a rush it was 
swept over the spillway and a tremendous tug 
sent a delightful thrill from fingers to toes. 
Straight down the narrow channel, aided by 
the current, he rushed, making my reel sing like 
a spinning jack. Frantically endeavoring to 
check his speed, trying with all my ingenuity to 
regain a little of the lost line, I plunged down 
the narrow bank, preparing to fight a worthy 
battle in the quiet water of the pool below. 
Suddenly from behind a clump of hazel bushes 
a girlish figure in blue stepped directly in my 
path, but at my somewhat angry shout jumped 
aside, with a frightened exclamation, just in 
time to avoid entangling the line. Entering the 
pool, the fish made direct for the roots of the 
old willows. I applied my thumb to the reel, 
diverting his course. Back and forth the length 
of the pool he raced, gaining or losing a little 
with each rush, I fought to keep him from reach¬ 
ing the roots. At last he reluctantly suffered 
himself to be led to the shallower side of. the 
pool. 
,“Ah, for a gaff or landing net,” I cried to 
the fair stranger, whose eager eyes were watch¬ 
ing every move with keen delight. 
No sooner did he feel the bed under him than 
he backed and was off again at full speed, his 
mottled sides glistening as he rushed this way 
and that, in his frantic efforts to rid himself of 
the hook. Then he stopped in the center of the 
stream and sulked. For a moment my aching 
hands slackened their hold. With a jump and 
a plunge he endeavored to shake himself free. 
Then making another effort to reach the willows 
my skill was taxed to the utmost to head him 
in a less dangerous direction. Back and forth 
he rushed, then as he suffered himself to be 
guided to the gravelly side of the steep bank, 
just beyond- reach, the girl in blue came run¬ 
ning breathlessly to the rescue with a long- 
handled, two-tined hay fork. She dropped flat 
on the ground and with skillful hands inserted 
one of the tines in the fish’s gills, lifted the re¬ 
alization of Fat Art’s dream, a twenty-three inch 
trout, flopping on the bank. He had been hooked 
firmly in the upper jaw. 
Late that night I dined with the girl in blue, 
who turned out to be a daughter of Judge 
Brown, whose summer home was near- our little 
village. 
Ah, well, that was two years ago, and for 
a year now I have been explaining the presence 
of the gilded hay fork that hangs over our 
dining room door. Carl S. Shafer. 
National Casting Rules. 
The rules adopted by tlie National Associa¬ 
tion of Scientific Angling Clubs, and which will 
govern the international tournament to be held 
in Racine, Wis,, Aug. 15-17 next, have just been 
issued. They are given below in full: 
Target.—Target shall consist of six concentric rings, 
placed twelve inches apart, measurement being taken 
from “center to center” of bars or strips constituting the 
rings. The inner ring shall be thirty inches in diameter 
and shall irave in its center a bullseye not over six inches 
in diameter which shall project above water line not 
over six inches. As far as possible the target shall be 
so constructed that all of it except the six-inch bulls¬ 
eye shall float just below surface of water and rings shall 
be as narrow as possible across their tops. 
Rule I.—Any club giving a tournament under the 
auspices of the National Association of Scientific Angling 
Clubs shall conform to the following general rules and 
regulations governing the several events. 
Rule II.—Any club giving a tournament under the 
auspices of the N. A. S. A. C. shall provide for at least 
three amateur fly events and three amateur bait events 
selected from among the events listed and recognized 
by the N. A. S. A. C., and the trophy in each of these 
events shall be known as the “Amateur Championship 
Trophy.” 
Rule III.—In the events comprising any tournament 
given, under the auspices of the N. A. S. A. C. pro¬ 
fessionals will not be permitted to east, except in such 
events as may be provided for them. 
A professional is defined as follows: One who is or 
has been a teacher of casting for pay; one who is or 
has been a market fisherman; one who is or has been 
a paid guide; one who for pay casts or has cast with 
any rod, reel, line, or device in the interest of the 
maker or seller thereof; one who does or has done ex¬ 
hibition casting for pay, either directly or indirectly; one 
who for pay conducts or has conducted any exhibition of 
casting; one who is or has been engaged in the manu¬ 
facture or sale of fishing tackle. This definition does 
not include the amateur rod builder of fly tyer, or the 
amateur maker of some angling device for his use. 
Rule IV.—All tournaments shall be governed by the 
club tournament committee. The president and secre¬ 
tary of the N.‘A. S. A. C. shall be ex-officio members 
of this committee. 
Rule V.—The members of the executive committee of 
the N. A. S. A. C. present at any tournament shall con¬ 
stitute an appeals committee. This committee shall ap¬ 
prove the judges and referees selected by the club tour¬ 
nament committee and decide finally on any question in 
reference to interpretation of the rules and regulations 
submitted to it by the club tournament committee. 
Rule VI.—The club captain shall be the executive 
officer of the day and shall examine and approve all 
tackle used. He shall act as timekeeper, shall signal the 
judges, and shall call time and tally of casts to the con¬ 
testants. 
Rule VII.—The events shall be governed by two judges, 
a referee and a clerk appointed by the club tournament 
committee and approved by the appeals committee. In 
case of disagreement the referee shall decide and his 
decision shall be final, except as to an interpretation of 
the rules. In such case contestant shall have the right 
of appeal to the club tournament committee and through 
this committee to the appeals committee, provided that 
notice of such appeal is given to the club captain before 
the close of the event. 
The clerk shall see that each contestant is properly 
registered. He shall keep the score of each contestant, 
as announced by the referee, on properly prepared score 
sheets and deliver same to the club secretary immediately 
after the event closes. 
In delicacy and accuracy fly there shall be three 
judges, two of whom shall separately keep an account of 
“delicacy” and the average of their findings shall con¬ 
trol in determining the “delicacy percentage.” 
Rule VIII.—The club secretary shall receive all entry 
fees, keep a register of all contestants, and issue cards 
to all contestants designating their number in the order 
of competition Contestants shall cast in the order in 
which they make their entries, and places cannot be 
changed without consent of the club captain. Entries 
to each event shall close thirty minutes before same 
commences. 
Rule IX.—Each contestant shall pay an entrance fee, 
the amount of which shall be determined by the club 
giving the tournament and announced by said club at 
least thirty days prior to the tournament. 
Rule X.—All ties shall be cast off immediately after 
the event. The loser shall be entitled to the prize next 
in order. 
Rule XI.-—No one except active contestants and cap¬ 
tain shall be allowed nearer the judges or casting point 
than twenty-five feet, and any contestant distracting the 
attention of the judges, clerk, captain or active con-. 
testant in any manner whatever, shall forfeit all rights 
and claims and be barred from further participation in 
the tournament. A suitable inclosure or railing shall be 
erected at the proper place, and no one except con¬ 
testants and officers shall be admitted within same. 
Rule XII.—Bait target and fly rings shall be located 
down wind from casting point. If wind shifts during 
progress of an event their position may be changed at 
option of the captain. Fly rings shall always be placed 
in line with each other. 
Rule XIII.—If lack of time or other conditions de¬ 
mand, accuracy bait events may be limited to ten casts 
for each contestant, or two or more targets may be used, 
but squad casting will not be permitted. 
Rule XIV.—Any one found guilty of selling a trophy 
or of any other conduct unbecoming a gentleman and a 
sportsman, shall not be permitted to participate in any 
tournament. 
h 
