Part 20 (1/2)
”He's in luck, then,” said the boy's coood o into the harbor”
”Sure thing,” said Colin confidently, ”there are probably lots of them this season Do you suppose Father will land hiet away,” was the reply, ”and it takes a good fisheraff Has your father been here before?
Perhaps I may know him”
”He comes nearly every year,” Colin answered ”Dare is his name, Major Dare”
”Oh, you're Dare's son, are you?” was the response, as the older man held out his hand ”I've known your father for years He holds a blue tuna button, doesn't he?”
”I've never heard of it, if he does,” Colin answered ”What's that for?”
”It is the greatest fishi+ng honor that is to be got anywhere Only about seventywoht on rod and line was brought to gaff by a wo over one hundred pounds, on a light rod”
”That must be fearfully hard to do,” the boy said; ”even a twenty-pound fish is a strain to a light rod”
”It is difficult,” was the reply, ”but the club rules require the use of a rod the tip of which shall be not less than five feet long, weighing not over sixteen ounces in weight, and a line not over a 'twenty-four'
or smaller than the usual trout-line With this equip over one hundred pounds is an angling achievehest rank, and for this the blue tuna button is given by the club”
”And Father never toldthe contest with the fish as well as he could considering his distance froh sportsht it would look like boasting What's happening there in the boat?”
”It looks as though they had started out to sea,” Colin answered, handing back the glass
”That's what's thethrough the water!”
The tatched the boat until a turn of the cliff hid it fro round, saw that the steauish histo attract his attention He signaled enthusiastically in reply, and in a few reeting waswith news, and there had been a good deal of anxiety felt by his parents on his behalf while he had been wandering in the Behring Sea But their talk was broken in upon by an enthusiastic angler friend, who begged Mrs Dare to come to the extre tuna
”Oh, Mother,” eagerly said the boy, ”do you o out and watch Father better? I'm sure he wouldn't object”
”I think I would like to have you with entle s
But you are just the sa i, so you can desert us if you like”
”I don't e of self-reproach
”No, I know But you can tell us all the rest of your adventures when you get back Lucy quite thinks that you have becoave his little sister--of who, and then fairly sped down to the end of the pier and called a boatman to take him off The boat connected with angling was an old story, laughed at the boy's excitement
”Goin' to catch a tuna with your hands, sir?” he asked, seeing that the boy was not carrying any fishi+ng-tackle
”No,” the boy answered, ”but I just came in on the steamer and, as we passed the point, saw Father's boat, and he seeo out and see the fun”