1938-04-29 — Page 11

THE CHENA MAIL FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT APRIL 29, 1938

A FISH FOR INNOCENCE

(Continued from Page 1)›

broadly, the conger still in the sack:

"Looks like the kid's got some- thing on his own account. A tidy packet, too

The driver stared unbelieving- ly, then bolted gratefully away, white coat tails flying.

Sure enough, there was Sam, stuck into something, very cool and determined. In the begin- ning he had felt, miraculously, a most curious twitching and bumping on his line, like a clumsy pickpocketing. Very exactly he had counted ten before bracing himself against a stanchion and pulling hard. At once there was considerable movement below, a large shifting and snatching and bubbling like a crate of fireworks warming up. Proudly and ef- ficiently Sam hauled, the line giving sluggishly. For a moment he felt sick and lonely, it had gone, it was only some old rub- bish after all,

Then, as he drew in the line hope leapt again, for a sullen kind of head-shaking answered the move. There was something! He wished Victor was at hand to help with the hauling for it was heavy, but instead there was the coach driver at his elbow, sen- sibly approving. Sam begged him to find Victor couldn't let Vic. miss this lot. The driver whistled piercingly, beckoning, fingering the line inquiringly:

"Feels like a Channel swimmer gone wrong somehow. Give her a good pull now, one. It's a bit of all right or I'm a door-knob! It must have been that bit of pork

Apathetically the surrounding. anglers watched. Then, when it was evident that something weighty was indeed attached, they pottered close with many suggestions which the driver wared impatiently away:

"Give the boy a chance He knows what he's at, don't you, son?"

Sam nodded, tight-lipped and shining-eyed, imagining a beau- tiful torpedo-shaped fish, splendid to look at and to eat. Steadily he pulled in, the driver helping thoughtfully:

"Fanny sort of action it's got, like an elephant trying on a pair of- boots," he commented. "Thought I knew 'em all, but this is new for sure.”

Оде of the elderly pipe- smokers, peering overside for a glimpse of the fish, gaped sudden- ly, his pipe falling and drowning.

Sam and the driver gazed to- the gether, holding tight to quivering line. Sam shivered and guessed he'd hooked a deep- water scarecrow.

No beauty there, only a pop-eyed, bloated. spiny monstrosity which none but a cat would care to eat. Still, it was a fish, and big, and seem- ed to be getting bigger every minute. It would make Ma laugh. The driver hauled 'strongly and tried to think of a name for it:

"Looks middling like a Chinese Lantern, son!"

A last heave, and the great. bloated fish was lifted over the rail It was big as a full-blown bagpipes and as ugly. Cold. blank eyes stared from the bottle sockets: its dew-lapped cheeks bristled with worny tendrils: rainbow colours flickered over its tough. mottled skin like. queer. escading memories. The needle- pointed fins and fall flanded with a clicking, old-umbrella sound. and the gasping suck of air through the livid gills was like a

feverish. funeral stitching against time.

Victor

.was delighted. He touched the tight, oily skin, then jumped and bawled, wringing his hand, stung by many minute, breathing thors.

Sam looked worried and want- ed to know how ever they were going to get it home. The driver scratched his head and didn't re- member having seen anything quite like it before, although hế’d caught some queer stuff, too.

"It's a puzzle, son a rare good start for a museum, but a bit of a joke on you and me.”

Then, unexpectedly, a prim voice from the edge of the crowd identi-, fied it: "It is what is called a carpincho, the spiny water hog

quite unusual. I will give you five shillings for it, my boy." But Sam was hartily listening. He was trying to think how they could pack it in the coach with out all those kids falling on it Lumme, what a stir it would make back home, the sort of thing they'd never take your word for. **Ten shillings. I would like it to stuff.

The driver winked at Sam, but Sam wasn't interested, anyway. Then another voice, coarse and hearty, cut across the hum.

I'll make it a quid. It'll look real good in my shop window." The speaker, a fat, self-made fishmonger, sniffed openly across at the finicky taxidermist.

Very annoyed, the taxidermist added five shillings, then another five, offering thirty shillings in notes to Sam. Whereupon the fishmonger, cunningly aware that coin has more

the charm for young mind, rattled much silver in his palm

“Come on, boy, forty bob!””

But Sain shook his head. "I got to take it home to show Ma She don't know there's things like that about.”

Then it was that Victor, re- covered, from his stings, whisper- ed foxily:

"Have

Just a heart, Sam! think what we could do with two quid! 'Sides, if your Ma's eyes are bad she won't be able to see it. Cripes alive! you can't even touch it! "Taint no good to eat neither. Why, with the money you could buy your Ma thing real good and still have a packet left."

some-

Sam hesitated and the price rose again. He

hadn't thought of it that way.

Why, with all that money you could daznned nearly buy new eyes! He appeal- ed to the driver, explaining all sides. :

It's "Close at four quid, son. a winner." Sam tumed to the fishmonger but instantly the taxi- be dermist, detērmined not to Dublicly defeated, rapped out a bigger offer. The fishmonger searched his pockets hastily, then sighed, for he had money with him.

"Tell you what, though, if you come up to my shop I'll made it à fiver..

no

more

"Can't stop," Sam answered him, and the taxidermist, waxen- faced and pompous, promptly handed over ninety shillings: "My fish. I think,” he said nastily, and elbowed the fishmonger and the crowd back from "the still heaving fish. The driver looked at his watch.

"The sack for me if we don't. hurry." he exclaimed.

Sam held the money tightly in his pocket, running after him. calling to Victor to follow. But Victor thought it a pity to lose such a lucky hook and line. The

Chinese irregular units on the march near Taierchwang, on he south

(CM.P. photo). Shantung front.

taxidermist, in his triumph, nod-. ded to him to take it, and Victor pulled hard. There was a startl ing, corky pop, and Sam's pork appeared intact, the fish subsid- ing to quarter size with a great VS immediately sighing that drowned in laughter.

"Pop! Like that, and down `it went like a busted balloon. Talk about laugh! Thought you might - want to give the bloke his money back if I told you right away.

1

But Sam only laughed and didn't care. He could only think **You can have it, mate," the of the happy wonder that would fishmonger bawled.

Victor ducked and was gone. and they were well on the way home before he explained to Sam:

"I can tell

bé in his mother's face when he gave her so much money, enough to repair her eyes and keep them in fish for a month.

White Horse

blindfold!"

Breathe that subtle aroma

Take a sip, roll it did you ever know anything richer! slowly over your tongue: did you ever encounter such smoothness! Can you doubt for a moment the name of this Whisky? White Horse, of course!

EQUAL TO A FINE ŢIQUEUR

Sole agents for S. China: JARDINE MATHESON

&

CO., LTD.