n the dark to have been guilty of such weakness.

In the gray dawn little Baptiste suddenly awoke, with the sensation of
having slept on his post. How heavy his heart was! Why? He sat dazed
with indefinite sorrow. Ah, now he remembered! Conolly threatening to
turn them out! and his father back penniless! No breakfast! Well, we
must see about that.

Very quietly he rose, put on his patched clothes, and went out. Heavy
mist covered the face of the river, and somehow the rapid seemed
stilled to a deep, pervasive murmur. As he pushed his boat off, the
morning fog was chillier than frost about him; but his heart got
lighter as he rowed toward his night-line, and he became even eager
for the pleasure of handling his fish. He made up his mind not to be
much disappointed if there were no sturgeon, but could not quite
believe there would be none; surely it was reasonable to expect _one_,
perhaps two--why not three?--among the catfish and _dore_.

How very taut and heavy the rope felt as he raised it over his
gunwales, and letting the bow swing up stream, began pulling in the
line hand over hand! He had heard of cases where every hook had its
fish; such a thing might happen again surely! Yard after yard of rope
he passed slowly over the boat, and down into the water it sank on his
track.

Now a knot on the line told him he was nearing the first hook; he
watched for the quiver and struggle of the fish,--probably a big one,
for there he had put a tremendous bait on and spat on it for luck,
moreover. What? the short line hung down from the rope, and the baited
hook rose clear of the water!

Baptiste instantly made up his mind that that hook had been placed a
little too far in-shore; he remembered thinking so before; the next
hook was in about the right place!

Hand over hand, ah! the second hook, too! Still baited, the big worm
very livid! It must be thus because that worm was pushed up the shank
of the hook in such a queer way: he had been rather pleased when he
gave the bait that particular twist, and now was surprised at himself;
why, any one could see it was a thing to scare fish!

Hand over hand to the third,--the hook was naked of bait! Well, that
was more satisfactory; it showed they had been biting, and, after all,
this was just about the beginning of the right place.

Hand over hand; _now_ the splashing will begin, thought little
Baptiste, and out came the fourth hook with its livid worm! He held
the rope in his h