a fish story.[A]
[A] Note.—This allegory was first published in Good Company, of 1880.
"Once upon a time the fishes and salt-water animals down in the bay decided to organize a Home for Sea-urchins.
"The circumstances of the remarkable agitation which suddenly spread among the peaceful denizens of the deep became known to me by my inadvertently getting a spray of sea-fern in one of my bathing-sandals. I suddenly discovered that I could understand the voices of the little creatures that I had so often watched from Tib's father's dory, or sported among when I took my sea-bath. I lay in the dory one afternoon, looking down into the clear depth of the water, watching the tricks and manners of a sea-anemone, and thinking how similar her behavior was to that of a reigning belle at a popular watering-place, when it dawned upon me that she was the belle of the cove, surrounded by a circle of obsequious masculine admirers, prominent among whom were the hermit-crab, the octopus, the jelly-fish, the lobster, the conger-eel, the king-iyo, and the stickleback—"
"Now, Winnie," I objected, "you never saw an octopus or a king-iyo in our cove, and you can't make me believe it!"
"My dear Tib," Winnie replied, "didn't I tell you this was a fish story? Pray do not interrupt again. The animals that I have mentioned were all aspirants to the hand of the Sea-Anemone, and the first remarks which I overheard and comprehended were her confidences to her friend the Gold-Fish, in which she intimated that she considered the Jelly-Fish the most amiable, the Lobster the richest, the King-iyo (a titled foreigner from Japan) the most distingué, and the Conger-Eel the most polite; but, after all, the Hermit-Crab was really the best, and she liked him more than any of the others, with the exception of the Octopus, who was so fascinatingly wicked.
"The next time that I looked into the cove was during a meeting of the managers of the Sea-Urchins' Home.
"The Sea-Anemone had just been unanimously elected to the presidency on account of her popularity.
"The Cuttle-Fish had been created secretary in recognition of his remarkable facility in throwing ink, while all official documents were stamped by the Seal.
"The Electric-Eel was made visiting physician; and the Shark, surgeon and lecturer on vivisection.