read in school the other day:

"And by those little rings on the water I know
The fishes are merrily swimming below."

There were no rings on the water, but after a while I saw some fish
darting around, only they didn't seem to be hungry; for they would come
right up and nibble a tiny bit at my worm, but they wouldn't swallow
it. Then one did, so I jerked with all my might, jerked so hard the
fish and worm both flew off, and I had only the hook left. I put on
the other half and tried again. I prayed straight along, but the tears
would come that time, and the prayer was no powerful effort like
Brother Hastings would have made; it was little torn up pieces mostly:
"O Lord, please do make only one fish bite!" At last one did bite
good, so I swung carefully that time, and landed it on the grass, but
it was so little and it hit a stone and was killed. I had no stringer
to put it back in the water to keep cool, and the sun was hot that day,
like times in the fall. Stretched on the roots, with it shining on my
back, and striking the water and coming up from below, I dripped with
heat and excitement.

I threw that one away, put on another worm, and a big turtle took it,
the hook, and broke my line, and almost pulled me in. I wouldn't have
let go if it had, for I just had to have a fish. There was no help
from the Lord in that, so I quit praying, only what I said when I
didn't know it. Father said man was born a praying animal, and no
matter how wicked he was, if he had an accident, or saw he had just got
to die, he cried aloud to the Lord for help and mercy before he knew
what he was doing.

I could hear the roosters in the barnyard, the turkey gobbler, and the
old ganders screamed once in a while, and sometimes a bird sang a
skimpy little fall song; nothing like spring, except the killdeers and
larks; they were always good to hear--and then the dinner bell rang. I
wished I had been where I couldn't have heard that, because I didn't
intend going home until I had a fish that would do for mother if I
stayed until night. If the best one in the family had to starve, we
might as well all go together; but I wouldn't have known how hungry I
was, if the bell hadn't rung and told me the others were eating. So I
bent another pin and tried again. I lost the next worm without knowing
how, and then I turned baby and cried right out loud. I was so
thirsty, the salty tears running down my cheeks tasted good, and doin