| | 164 | Author: | Lang, Andrew | Add | | | Title: | Angling Sketches  | | | | Published: | 2001 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Text collection | UVA-LIB-Text | | | | Description: | These papers do not boast of great sport. They are truthful, not like the tales
some fishers tell. They should appeal to many sympathies. There is no false
modesty in the confidence with which I esteem myself a duffer, at fishing. Some
men are born duffers; others, unlike persons of genius, become so by an infinite
capacity for not taking pains. Others,
again, among whom I would rank myself, combine both these elements of
incompetence. Nature, that made me enthusiastically fond of fishing, gave me
thumbs for fingers, short-sighted eyes, indolence, carelessness, and a temper
which (usually sweet and angelic) is goaded to madness by the laws of matter and
of gravitation. For example: when another man is caught up in a branch he
disengages his fly; I jerk at it till something breaks. As for carelessness, in
boyhood I fished, by preference, with doubtful gut and knots ill-tied; it made
the risk greater, and increased the excitement if one did hook a trout. I can't
keep a fly-book. I stuff the flies into my pockets at random, or stick them into
the leaves of a novel, or bestow them in the lining of my hat or the case of my
rods. Never, till 1890, in all my days did I possess a landing-net. If I can
drag a fish up a bank, or over the gravel, well; if not, he goes on his way
rejoicing. On the Test I thought it seemly to carry a landing- net. It had a
hinge, and doubled up. I put the handle through a button- hole of my coat: I saw
a big fish rising, I put a dry fly over
him; the idiot took it. Up stream he ran, then down stream, then he yielded to
the rod and came near me. I tried to unship my landing-net from my button-hole.
Vain labour! I twisted and turned the handle, it would not budge. Finally, I
stooped, and attempted to ladle the trout out with the short net; but he broke
the gut, and went off. A landing-net is a tedious thing to carry, so is a creel,
and a creel is, to me, a superfluity. There is never anything to put in it. If I
do catch a trout, I lay him under a big stone, cover him with leaves, and never
find him again. I often break my top joint; so, as I never carry string, I
splice it with a bit of the line, which I bite off, for I really cannot be
troubled with scissors and I always lose my knife. When a phantom minnow sticks
in my clothes, I snap the gut off, and put on another, so that when I reach home
I look as if a shoal of fierce minnows had attacked me and hung on like leeches.
When a boy, I was--once or twice--a bait-fisher, but I never carried worms in
box or bag. I found them under big stones, or in the fields, wherever I had the luck. I
never tie nor otherwise fasten the joints of my rod; they often slip out of the
sockets and splash into the water. Mr. Hardy, however, has invented a
joint-fastening which never slips. On the other hand, by letting the joint rust,
you may find it difficult to take down your rod. When I see a trout rising, I
always cast so as to get hung up, and I frighten him as I disengage my hook. I
invariably fall in and get half-drowned when I wade, there being an
insufficiency of nails in the soles of my brogues. My waders let in water, too,
and when I go out to fish I usually leave either my reel, or my flies, or my
rod, at home. Perhaps no other man's average of lost flies in proportion to
taken trout was ever so great as mine. I lose plenty, by striking furiously,
after a series of short rises, and breaking the gut, with which the fish swims
away. As to dressing a fly, one would sooner think of dressing a dinner. The
result of the fly-dressing would resemble a small blacking-brush, perhaps, but
nothing entomological. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
| 169 | Author: | Smith, F. Hopkinson | Add | | | Title: | Tom Grogan | | | | Published: | 2001 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Text collection | UVA-LIB-Text | | | | Description: | SOMETHING worried Babcock. One could see that from the impatient gesture with
which he turned away from the ferry window on learning he had half an hour to
wait. He paced the slip with hands deep in his pockets, his head on his chest.
Every now and then he stopped, snapped open his watch and shut it again quickly,
as if to hurry the lagging minutes. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
| 176 | Author: | Case, Adelaide E. | Add | | | Title: | Letter from Adelaide E. Case to Charles N. Tenney, 1861, June 23. | | | | Published: | 2001 | | | | Subjects: | The Corinne Carr Nettleton Civil War Collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Nettletoncivilwarletters | | | | Description: | After receiving your very welcome letter last evening, I seal myself to comply with your request to
write you. Your letter gave some very pleasant
feelings and again it
some feelings amounting almost to pain. because I thought there
was a little considerable,, of flattery min- gled with it. Perhaps if you had been in
the room when I read your letter, you might have seen me indulge a very little in that feminine weakness of
blushing for indeed I was surprised. There is always some thing so
disgusting to flattery in any form and especially when it
from those that I wish to call by
the endering name of friend that for the moment it creates within my
heart a strange sensation that is hard to conquer I do not say this as
a reproof. but that I may be understood. you may not have meant it for
flattery but I took it as such, so if you value my friendship please
do avoid flattery in every form towards me. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
| 178 | Author: | Case, Adelaide E. | Add | | | Title: | Letter from Adelaide E. Case to Charles N. Tenney, 26 September 1861 | | | | Published: | 2001 | | | | Subjects: | The Corinne Carr Nettleton Civil War Collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Nettletoncivilwarletters | | | | Description: | After waiting long and
anxiously I at last recieved your kind letter dated Sept. 16 Indeed I
was
surprised when I recieved it for I had almost dispaired the hope
of hearing from you again. and having heard since you left Camp Dennison I thing
that you must have felt somewhat relieved when you found yourself down
the. You must have felt freed to some extent. I think that
I should enjoy a ride on that , with it guarded by
some of the gallant seventh. You spoke of your feelings during the fight of
as being indescribable Perhaps they were similar to mine when I first heard of the
fight Not knowing who were safe and who were not
and also hearing that that idolized brother had
passed into the cold hands of death you will not wonder that my feelings were sad
and voluntarily turned to Charlie wondering if he too had entered that narrow void.
It was then I again felt that strange sensation mingled with
pity that I wrote you of when I first became acquainted with you I was then I really longed
to hear from you but did not have the pleasure till last eve You wrote of sending a
letter after recieving mine which I did not recieve Perhaps I will yet but do not
think so Charlie I wish I could collect my scattered thoughts enough to write
something worthy your perusal. but that seems impossible I wrote a letter to Hallie
a few days ago including a few lines to you do you know whether he recieved it or
not
I sincerely hope you did. I read of the fight in
which Col. Lowe fell. Noble man he died a cruel yet noble death It seems, when I
realize the privations of. war, cruel for our (for our) brave youths to fall on the
battle field with no kind friend to sooth and comfort them. But I would not sadden
your thoughts. If you were here would we not have a nice ring? We miss
Hal very much when we round the old
while away the hours in music. He would never give us any peace till we would play and sing with him. Charlie I have a
sweet little friend here in Mecca If it were not for her I would be very lonesome
indeed. We are almost constantly together her name is
Dora Leslie I wish you were acquainted with her. She is gentle and kind and still
she is as perfect a piece
of female vanity as I ever became acquainted
with. [W or Sh]e attends the same school the same lesson and occupy the
same seat. In fact some have intimated that our friendship was more for the sake of
her brother and Hal than for each other (Ridicalous)
If Hal knew who told me so he would laugh some. I saw Edwin Williams about
two weeks ago. he said when I wrote to Hal to send word to Will. Braden that he was
well and would like to see him. He wish very much to go to war again but
does not
health will permit him to do so. Charlie what a quiet day this
is This morning it was warm and the sun was shining so beautifully
but
now hardly
clouds have gathered together and completely
obscured the sun. a slow drizzling rain is falling as if nature was
shedding a few silent tears that the summer is ended and the cold winter is fast
approaching. When the rain is falling in torrents I always turn my thoughts to the
soldiers wondering when and how they are I do you if you will be obliged
to camp out this winter Charlie you know not how many silent petitions have been
sent to that high throne for your safety and darling Hallie's I sometimes wonder
why life is so strange and why I am to this dull routine of
life You may think that I have strange feelings indeed I have at times I know not
for what I live. Do I do any good in the world? I fear
not But what am I writing My thoughts have been
way down south in Ole Virginny with Hal to day more than usual, and I scarcely know
what I write Charlie are you fasting to day Dora
to ask you she says tell him Addie and I are on green apples But I
guess you will be tired when you have finished this nonsense give my love to Hallie
and Please write soon and oblige me | | | Similar Items: | Find |
| 179 | Author: | Case, Adelaide E. | Add | | | Title: | Letter from Adelaide E. Case to Charles N. Tenney, December 19th, 1861 | | | | Published: | 2001 | | | | Subjects: | The Corinne Carr Nettleton Civil War Collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Nettletoncivilwarletters | | | | Description: | I have returned from school but how should I answer your kind letter:
If I should answer it as Irecievedit; it would
be with bitter oh, such bitter tears. Should
I tell you why I wept? No, dear Charlie I cannot now perhaps I never can, but be assured my reasons are resistless. Dear
Charlie my spirit has striven to watch over
and guard thee, and hourly & fervant prayers has risen to the
throne of Grace for your safety. But that prayer was only as a
true and loving sister would pray for a brother. I have striven aquired any other feeling save a
sisterly love and Dear CharlieI
if I have caused any other feeling
to rise in your heart save the feeling of friendship I entreat of you to forgive me for I did it unintentionly. And
if you cherish such feelings toward me Dear Charlie for my sake
and for the sake of your future happiness quench them. Promise me
that you will. Only remember me as a
sister or a friend. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
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