THE CHINA MAIL THURSDAY SUPPLEMENT, APRIL 22, 1987
MR. EXPERT
"I'll rig up for you if you'd like to have me." My, my! That's as fine a pole as ever I see. Ain't had it very long, have you, Mr: Cutter ?"
"No-o. No. In fact well, was a present from Mrs. Cutter. It cost," his voice dropped re- verently, "it cost fifty-four lars and thirty-five cents." "Whew! Fifty-four-for
it
dol-
just
this one?"
"Yes.
It's the best made." It should be at that price, Cap'n Ziba reflected. He did not say so, however. "Now, if you'll give me the reel," he suggested.
Mr. Cutter shifted in the chair, reached toward his hip pocket and produced a leather key case
the attached to a chain;
other end of the chain was, apparently, attached to his person somewhere. Holding the case as close to his eyeglasses as the chain would per- mit he selected a key and with it unlocked the glistening tackle box.
was a
"Safe bind, safe find," he chirp-. ed cheerfully. "That business motto of mine for many years, Captain-er-"
"Ryder. Let's see, what is your business, Mr. Cutter?"
"I am-well, I gave up active work a year ago. Before that I was in the banking business. En- tered it as a boy and grew up with it, so to speak."
Ziba.
“Bankin', eh?" repeated "Pretty
responsible job bankîn'
must be."
L
Mrs.
for
two
One
at-half past twelve. The lunch packages were brought ashore, also the vacuum bottles. Rockford had put up a lunch
had Cap'n Ziba, and he vacuum bottles with him. contained coffee, the other Gus him that morning had handed when he dropped in for a fare-- well chat,
"It's going to be doggone hot out on that river to-day," said Gus. "I've had the old lady fix. up a little something cool to keep the sun out. May help you to forget how bad the fishing is."
Ziba had paid little attention
He was to this remark.
in a hurry and he accepted the vacuum bottle and the lunch with a brief nod of thanks. Now, as he watch-
Cutter ed Mr.
filling a paper cup from the hotel vacuum bottle and gazing with disgust at the steam rising from the contents, he remembered.
"Pretty hot day for. bilin'-hot coffee, that's a fact," he observ- ed.
Mr. Cutter agreed. "Dear me!" he complained. "I particularly told that headwaiter that I want- ed the coffee iced."
"Sho!" Ziba said. "My coffee's hot, too, but I don't mind; like it that way.
Why, say, though- here! There's somethin' cold in this other jigger;
anyhow the fellow that fixed it for me said there was. Try that, Mr. Cutter. Lemonade or orange juice, bably.".
pro-
Mr. Cutter was very grateful. "Sure you don't mind, Captain?" he protested.
He set the drag on the big reel, following Rockford's instruc- tions as to its resistance. He let out line-about a hundred feet, that was what Gus had told him.ed, smelled, and tasted. Then he handed the rod to his passenger. "The socket's in the front of the chair you're settin' in
No, no; down there, I Now That's right.
He filled a fresh cup from the Rockford vacuum bottle. He look- "Oh,
mean
we'll see what happens."
The
But nothing happened: Good Day slowed down to troll- ing speed, traversed the winding for channels of Palmetto River miles. The forenoon passed, and still the red-headed plug danced and darted unmolested at the end of the line.
Well, Ziba had expected just this sort of luck. He was sorry, but he was not greatly disappoint- ed. Mr. Cutter, however, was "ob- During viously growing uneasy. the first hour and a half he had not moved. At first Cap'n Ziba but had attempted conversation, his passenger's replies were curt and absently given, so he, too, lapsed into silence. Once he ventured a suggestion: "I would- not take aholt of that line with "If a big my fingers," he said. fish should grab, you might get 'em pinched.”
of
"Eh? Oh!" The position the fingers was changed with celerity. "Do you usually wait as long as this before getting a-a bite ?"
"Well, that's accordin'. There
that is good," he declared. "Very good. You were right, Captain, it's some sort of fruit juice."
He drained the cup and poured another. Cap'n Ziba, to whom hot coffee in any temperature was always welcome, drank a cup of the steaming beverage and took a bite of a sandwich. They ate in silence for a few moments and then Mr. Cutter, who very little on his own during the forenoon, talk and continued to talk.
had said initiative began to
on
He began by commenting the Florida climate. People, he said, called it the finest winter world. Pooh!! climate in the
be Nonsense! A man shouldn't afraid of a little cold, should he? For thirty-four years of his fifty- one he had gone back and forth to his place of business and never -except in rare cases of illness -missed being on hand.
" 'Old Faithful, that's what they called me at the Third Na- tional Bank of my city. The Third National is a very fine bank.. I was proud of my bank, Captain -er--"
"Ryder-Ziba G. Ryder. 'Twas your bank then? You owned it?” Cutter hadn't No-o-no; Mr. owned it exactly, but-ahem!
He paused to eat a boiled egg
"Ryder; but never mind.”
“Yeser
very responsible.
Many of the finest and wealthiest people in the city came there al- most every day.' Then he add- ed solemnly, "I met there, Captain."
my wife
was
Ziba said he wanted to know. Mr. Cutter nodded. “Yes, sir,” he repeated. "I met her there for the first time. She valuable customer of the bank. Her husband-her former hus- band-was in the leather busin- ess. You've seen. my wife."
"Yes, indeed."
"Fine figure of a woman. Mag- a widow magnifèhent. She was and I was a bachelor. She is ahem-a few years older than I am I so Dear me,
why thirsty?" He paused and sipped more of the fruit juice. He said it was very cooling, but his face was decidedly flushed..
am.
was
(Continued from Page
Cap'n Ziba tried to think of a
word.
comforting w
"Well," he suggested, "maybe we will catch one.
what you told her?
caught a lot of fish?"
"Twas
90
You
have
"Course
Mr. Cutter gazed at him through his eyeglasses. I've caught fish," he "When I was a twenty-eight fish in one
noon.
snapped.
boy I caught after- Perch is a fish, isn't it? Didn't lie, did I? Yes," with a sudden burst of defiance, "and tarpon's a fish, too. All right; I'll catch tarpon. I'll show her!"
He rose, rather uncertainly, to his feet. "Come on!" he order- ed loudly. "Come on and go fish- ing. I'll show her!"
Ziba saw him safely planted in the chair in the cockpit. Then he returned to collect the rem- nants of the lunch and the vacuum bottle. A little, a very little, of the “fruit juice" remain- ed in the Rockford bottle. He tast- ed it. His worst fears were rea- lised. This was Gus's little joke. For, although perhaps two thirds of the compound in the Rockford
A sudden and horrifying thought. flashed to Ziba Ryder's mind. He reached for the vacu- um bottle containing what left of the "fruit juice." Mr. Cut ter's hand was holding it firmly, however, and Mr. Cutter continu-vacuum bottle was orange juice, ed to talk.
He was speaking of his wife, She, the fine figure of a woman. it seemed, was accustomed to visit the safe, deposit vaults of Mr. the Third National Bank. Cutter waited
of upon her, course. They became very friend- ly.
"In short," concluded Mr. Cut- ter, after making it very long indeed, "she married me I mean I married her. Now," clinching the statement rather unnecessari- ly, "we are both married--to each other."
Cap'n Ziba observed that that Mr. Cutter might' was very nice.
to concur have been expected with this sentiment; but, sur- prisingly, it appeared to irritate him.
"Who said so?" he demanded belligerently. "Who said 'twas
nice?"
I
"Why why, I understood- "Look here! You look here, Cap'n er What's-name, I'm Man going tell you something. says it's rice is a fool. When was bachelor I did what I want- ed to. Lived where I wanted, did- n't I? Now what? Got to liye to in Florida in winter. Got have better place than those Hen- drickses. Did I want bigger house'n they have? Not a bit I didn't. Just cause they've got a big stuffed tarpon we've got to
the other third was, unmistak-
And ably, corn whisky.
Mr. Henry Cutter had imbibed most a pint.
al-
Ziba groaned as the realisation came to him. Mrs. Henry Cut- ter had particularly wished to be assured that there was no liquor. aboard the Good
he, Day and Ziba, had, in his ignorance, given her that assurance. At five o'clock sharp he must deliver his passen- ger at the pier, where she would be awaiting him. It was one. o'clock now.
Well, conditions might be bet- ter at five o'clock at all events they could not be worse. Ziba the emptied the remainder of "fruit juice" into the river and started the engine.
Mr. Cutter, in his chair at the stern, for some minutes main- tained a dignified silence. Then he issued a command. "Where's rod?" he demanded. “Give my rod. pon."
me
I'm going to catch tar-
Ziba gave him the rod. Then he placed the butt carefully in his passenger's hands.
"Better be sure she's tight in that socket," he cautioned.
This well-intended advice was disdainfully received. "Who's do ing this fishing?" demanded Mr- Cutter.
Up the river, up until the chan- nels they
have bigger one. Is she goinging unfam aversed were becom-
catch it? No,” violently, “I got to catch it. She says to me, 'Henry, if you was a real man, like George Hendricks, you'd catch me a big tarpon." you like to have that said to you, Captainer-So-and-so?"
How'd
Ziba diplomatically agreed that he wouldn't like it at all.
"Bet your life you wouldn't! Neither did I. I stood up in my
ought to be tarpon here this time, and to drink another cupful boots. I turned right on her,
of year, plenty of Dem. Maybe they'll come along by and by."
Why, they must.
"Oh, dear! You must see that I get at least one large tarpon before we go home. That is what I my wife, I mean-engaged you for."
He was agitated. Apparently the catching of that tarpon was a matter, if not of life and death, at least of tremendous import-
ance.
They went ashore for luncheon
the Rockford fruit juice. Either the egg or the fruit juice seemed to make him even more loqua- cious. Ziba realised that he was hearing the story of his passen- Mr. ger's life. It seemed that Cutter had entered the employ of the Third National as an errand boy and had risen until he was in charge of the safe deposit "de partment in the bank's basement. "A very, very responsible posi- tion, Captain-Walker."*
that's what I did, and I said, Huh! I've caught more fish in my life than George Hendricks ever saw. And she says, “Oh, really! Why didn't you tell me before, Henry? That's splendid!' Went and told. the Hendricks wo- man that I was an expert fisher- man and about the big tarpon I was going to catch right away, Sent up to New York and bought that rod 'n' that reel and-and everything. And,” almost tear- fully, now look at me!”
to Ziba and he dared go no farther. Then down. again, in and out among the is- lands. Cap'n Ziba glanced xiously at his watch. After three o'clock; less than two hours more.
an-
Mr. Cutter was now very quiet. He was sitting there, the line trailing astern, the rod resting in his lap, his hands clasped lightly about the butt. Ziba, lean- ing forward, noticed that he had, apparently reeled in all but about Afty feet of the line. He w about to mention this fact when a gentle snore broke the silence. Mr. Cutter was asleep.
The Good Day moved out into the lower river. Ziba lapsed in- to gloomy meditation.
Whirrr! Whiz-z!
"Eh? What!"
Not more than forty feet as tern of the Good Day the waters of the Palmetto River were trouk bled; they swirled, seethed, boil- (Continued on Page 8)
१