I seed one of these fellers once with
a fish on his hook, that he was runnin' up an' down the stream like a
chased chicken. 'Why don't you pull him in?' says I. 'And break my rod
an' line?' says he. 'Why don't you have a stronger line and pole?' says
I. 'There wouldn't be no science in that,' says he. 'If it's your
science you want to show off,' says I, 'you ought to fish for mud eels.
There's more game in 'em than there is in any other fish round here, and
as they're mighty lively out of water you might play one of 'em fur half
an hour after you got him on shore, and it would take all your science
to keep him from reelin' up his end of the line faster than you could
yourn.'"
When we reached the farm the old man went into the barn, and I took the
fish into the house. I found the two pretty daughters in the large room,
where the eating and some of the cooking was done. I opened my basket,
and with great pride showed them the big trout I had caught. They
evidently thought it was a large fish, but they looked at each other,
and smiled in a way that I did not understand. I had expected from them,
at least, as much admiration for my prize and my skill as their father
had shown.
"You don't seem to think much of this fine trout that I took such
trouble to catch," I remarked.
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