The Sandman: More Farm Stories  by Willliam J. Hopkins

The Fishing Story

NCE upon a time there was a farm-house, and it was painted white and had green blinds; and it stood not far from the road. In the fence was a wide gate to let the wagons through to the barn. And the wagons, going through, had made a little track that led up past the kitchen door and past the shed and past the barn and past the orchard to the wheat-field.

One day in the winter, when it was cold, Uncle Solomon said to Uncle John, "Well, John, I guess we might get some pickerel to-night." And Uncle John said, "Yes, father, I guess we might."

So Uncle John went out to the shed, and he got little John's sled. On the sled he put Uncle Solomon's axe and all the wood the sled would hold. Then he went to the barn and got the two fish-lines that were on a little shelf in the corner, and he unwound the lines from the sticks they were on, to see that there weren't any knots or kinks in them, and that they were strong enough. Then he put a little piece of red flannel on each hook for bait. The pickerel were so greedy and so hungry in the winter that they would bite at the red flannel without stopping to see whether it was good to eat or not. Then Uncle John put the fish-lines with the axe and the wood on the sled, and he went into the house.

All the people in that farm-house had supper early in the winter, because it got dark so soon, and there wasn't much to do. When they had eaten their supper, Uncle Solomon and Uncle John and little Charles and little John all put on their thick coats, and around their necks they wound long scarfs that they called comforters. They wound these comforters around their necks once, and then over their ears and the tops of their heads, and tied them under their chins, and the ends hung down, with tassels on them. Aunt Deborah and Aunt Phyllis had knit the comforters of wool, and they kept Uncle Solomon and Uncle John and the little boys very warm. Then they all put on their caps and their thick mittens and started.

Uncle Solomon walked ahead, carrying the lantern. Then came the two little boys, dragging the sled with the wood on it, and Uncle John walked behind, with the fish-lines in his pocket. They went down the little track, out the wide gate, into the road, and along the road until they came to the place where the road went near the pond. Then they turned down there, and went out on the ice that was thick all over the pond. Uncle Solomon walked along until he came to a place that he thought was a good place for fishing, and there he stopped and put the lantern down on the ice.

When Uncle Solomon stopped, they all stopped, and Uncle John took the wood and began to build a fire. Uncle Solomon took his axe and began to cut a hole in the ice. He cut a round hole, and it took some time to cut it, because the ice was so thick. When he had cut all the way around, he pushed with the handle of his axe on the round piece of ice that was left in the middle, and he pushed it down into the water, under the other ice. So there was a round hole with no ice over it.

By the time Uncle Solomon had got the hole cut and the ice pushed down, Uncle John had built the fire and lighted it from the lantern, and it blazed up and made a great light. Then Uncle Solomon and Uncle John took the two fish-lines and let the hooks with the pieces of red flannel on them down into the water, through the hole. They didn't have any bites for a long time; but after awhile the fish had seen the light of the fire and had come swimming over to see what it was, and they began to bite. So, pretty soon, Uncle Solomon felt a great bite, and he pulled up his line quickly, and there was a big pickerel on the hook, and it was as long as little John's sled. Uncle Solomon took the pickerel off the hook very carefully, because pickerel are very cross fish and they have sharp teeth and bite very hard. Then he let little Charles take that fish-line and fish with it.

Pretty soon after Uncle Solomon had caught that pickerel, Uncle John felt a great bite, and he pulled up his line quickly, and there was another big pickerel, but it wasn't quite so big as Uncle Solomon's. And Uncle John took that pickerel off the hook very carefully, and then he let little John take his fish-line and fish with it.

He let little Charles take that fish-line.

So the two little boys fished through the hole in the ice, and the fire was burning and making a light all around, and keeping them warm.

After they had been fishing for awhile, little Charles felt a bite and tried to pull his line in quickly, but the pickerel pulled so hard that he couldn't. So Uncle Solomon took hold and helped little Charles, and they pulled in a pickerel that was bigger than Uncle John's, and almost as big as Uncle Solomon's. And in a little while, little John felt a bite, and he caught a pickerel, too. And little John's pickerel was just big enough for him to pull it in all alone.

By the time little John had caught his pickerel, the fire had almost burned out, and it was time to go home again. So Uncle John fastened all the pickerel on a twig that he had broken off a tree on the bank, and he put them all on the sled, and he put Uncle Solomon's axe on the sled. Then Uncle Solomon took up the lantern and started walking over the ice, and the two little boys walked behind him. Then came Uncle John, dragging the sled, because the little boys were too tired to drag the sled, going home. They walked along to the shore that was the nearest to the road, and they turned into the road and went along the road until they came to the farm-house. And they turned in at the wide gate and walked up the little track to the kitchen door. And the little boys went right in and took off their coats and caps and mittens and the other clothes and went to bed, and Uncle John put the sled away, and the axe, and he gave the pickerel to Aunt Deborah.

The next day, all the people in that farm-house had the biggest pickerel of all for breakfast, and it was very nice. And for dinner, they had the other three pickerel, and they were very nice.

And that's all.