“Next time you get a bite pull it in yourself, and then you’ll catch a whole fish,” said Uncle Ben. “Look!” And with that Uncle Ben showed the little girl how she should handle the rod when trying to land a fish.
After the excitement of the first catch had quieted down, the boys and girls threw in their baited hooks again, and Ted caught the next fish. It was not quite as large as Lola’s, but it was a good fish, Uncle Ben said. Then Janet caught one, and pulled it in herself.
Soon after that Lola felt a nibble. This time she pulled up quickly, and she had a fish herself—almost as big as the first one she had caught.
“Now I got one all myself!” she cried. “Didn’t I, Uncle Ben?”
“Yes, you landed that one all alone—no more half fish for you!” agreed the old sailor.
The fishing in Silver Lake was very good, and it was not long before every one had made a catch, including Uncle Ben. When there were half a dozen or more fish in the “cage,” as Ted called the water-filled space made for keeping the catch fresh, Uncle Ben said:
“We have enough now. No use to take more fish than you need. Save some for the next time.”
Then they had a nice ride around Silver Lake and got back to Sunnyside in time for supper. Daddy Martin was there, waiting for them, and he laughed when Tom and Ted told him how Tom and he each thought they had a big fish, when, really, they had only caught each other’s lines.
But they all had had a good time, and they said they were going fishing again with Uncle Ben. Many were the happy days at Silver Lake and at the Sunnyside Bungalow.
One morning when the Curlytops and Tom and Lola came in to breakfast at the call of Nora Mrs. Martin said: