ame through
the barn, and up the walk. He was fresh, and in fine spirits, and where
ever he had been, it was a sure thing that it was nowhere near Casey's.

"Where have you been?" asked Mary wonderingly.

"Robbin' graves," answered Jimmy promptly. "I needed a few stiffs in me
business so I just went out to Five Mile and got them."

"What are ye going to do with them, Jimmy?" chuckled Dannie.

"Use thim for Bass bait! Now rattle, old snake!" replied Jimmy.

After supper Dannie went to the barn for the shovel to dig worms for
bait, and noticed that Jimmy's rubber waders hanging on the wall were
covered almost to the top with fresh mud and water stains, and Dannie's
wonder grew.

Early the next morning they started for the river. As usual Jimmy led
the way. He proudly carried his new rod. Dannie followed with a basket
of lunch Mary had insisted on packing, his big cane pole, a can of
worms, and a shovel, in case they ran out of bait.

Dannie had recovered his temper, and was just great-hearted, big Dannie
again. He talked about the south wind, and shivered with the frost, and
listened for the splash of the Bass. Jimmy had little to say. He seemed
to be thinking deeply. No doubt he felt in his soul that they should
settle the question of who landed the Bass with the same rods they had
used when the contest was proposed, and that was not all.

When they came to the temporary bridge, Jimmy started across it, and
Dannie called to him to wait, he was forgetting his worms.

"I don't want any worms," answered Jimmy briefly. He walked on. Dannie
stood staring after him, for he did not understand that. Then he went
slowly to his side of the river, and deposited his load under a tree
where it would be out of the way.

He lay down his pole, took a rude wooden spool of heavy fish cord from
his pocket, and passed the line through the loop next the handle and so
on the length of the rod to the point. Then he wired on a sharp bass
hook, and wound the wire far up the doubled line. As he worked, he kept
an eye on Jimmy. He was doing practically the same thing. But just as
Dannie had fastened on a light lead to carry his line, a souse in the
river opposite attracted his attention. Jimmy hauled from the water a
minnow bucket, and opening it, took out a live minnow, and placed it on
his hook. "Riddy," he called, as he resank the bucket, and stood on the
bank, holding his line in his fingers, and watching the minnow play at
his feet