"Isaac told me," said Jimmy, interrupting himself, "that that thing happened every time with him, and every time but once with Joe."
"He probably said that as an excuse for coming home with no fish," said Ned.
"Oh, no,—Ike wouldn't lie about it," said Jimmy. "He's one of the most truthful boys I ever knew."
"Everybody lies about fishing," said Ned. "It's considered the proper thing to do. That's what they mean by a fish-story."
"But I saw the lines myself," said Jimmy. And then he hurried on with the reading.
| "The dog lay by the dinners, And was told to guard them well— To let no stranger, man or beast, Come near, touch, taste, or smell. "But Fido—of course I mean Prince—fell asleep, and kicked The baskets in a dream; The contents tumbled o'er the bank, And floated down the stream. "And once a bass robbed Isaac's hook, Just as he tried to haul; Which made him nervous, and in haste He let the bait-box fall." |
"How could he know what kind of fish it was that robbed his hook?" said I.
"I didn't think to ask," said Jimmy. "But, at any rate, he said it was a bass, and Isaac is generally pretty correct.
| "It fell between two rugged rocks, Where out of reach it lay; And when with sticks they fished it up, The worms had crawled away. "Now when the golden setting sun Was shining down the glen, They sadly turned their steps toward home, These luckless fishermen. "And when they came upon the road, All tired in foot and side, They said, 'Let's hide our poles away, And try to catch a ride.' "They caught upon an omnibus— They did not stir or talk; But some one cried out, 'Whip behind!' And so they had to walk." |
"That must have been a Dublin boy," said Ned. "Nobody on our side of the river is mean enough to holler 'whip behind!'"