"Me either," said Dannie. "'Tis past human nature to ask it. I'll tell
ye what we'll do. We'll go to work and rig up a sort of a bridge where
it's so narrow and shallow, juist above Kingfisher shoals, and then
we'll toss up fra sides. Then each will keep to his side. With a decent
pole either of us can throw across the pool, and both of us can fish as
we please. Then each fellow can pick his bait, and cast or fish deep as
he thinks best. What d'ye say to that?"
"I don't see how anything could be fairer than that," said Jimmy. "I
don't want to fish for anything but the Bass. I'm goin' back and get
our rubber boots, and you be rollin' logs, and we'll build that
crossing right now."
"All richt," said Dannie.
So they laid aside their poles and tackle, and Dannie rolled logs and
gathered material for the bridge, while Jimmy went back after their
boots. Then both of them entered the water and began clearing away
drift and laying the foundations. As the first log of the crossing
lifted above the water Dannie paused.
"How about the Kingfisher?" he asked. "Winna this scare him away?"
"Not if he ain't a domn fool," said Jimmy; "and if he is, let him go!"
"Seems like the river would no be juist richt without him," said
Dannie, breaking off a spice limb and nibbling the fragrant buds.
"Let's only use what we bare need to get across. And where will we fix
fra Mary?"
"Oh, git out!" said Jimmy. "I ain't goin' to fool with that."
"Well, we best fix a place. Then we can tell her we fixed it, and it's
all ready."
"Sure!" cried Jimmy. "You are catchin' it from your neighbor. Till her
a place is all fixed and watin', and you couldn't drag her here with a
team of oxen. Till her you are GOING to fix it soon, and she'll come to
see if you've done it, if she has to be carried on a stritcher."
So they selected a spot that they thought would be all right for Mary,
and not close enough to disturb the Bass and the Kingfisher, rolled two
logs, and fished a board that had been carried by a freshet from the
water and laid it across them, and decided that would have to serve
until they could do better.
Then they sat astride the board, Dannie drew out a coin, and they
tossed it to see which was heads and tails. Dannie won heads. Then they
tossed to see which bank was heads or tails, and the right, which was
on Rainbow side, came heads. So Jimmy was to use the bridge. Then they
went home, and began the night work. The first thing Jimmy espied was
the barrel containing the milk pail. He fished out the pail, and while
Dannie fed the stock, shoveled manure, and milked, Jimmy pounded out
the dents, closed the bullet holes, emptied the bait into it, half
filled it with mellow earth, and went to Mary for some corn meal to
sprinkle on the top to feed the worms.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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