Burt, however,
heard only Amy's girlish soprano, and saw but the pearl of her teeth
through her parted lips, the rose in her cheeks, and the snow of her
neck.
Final words were spoken and all were soon at home. Maggie took the
household helm with a fresh and vigorous grasp. What a supper she
improvised! The maids never dawdled when she directed, and by the time
the hungry fishermen were ready, the shad that two hours before had been
swimming deep in the Hudson lay browned to a turn on the ample platter.
"It is this quick transition that gives to game fish their most exquisite
flavor," Burt remarked.
"Are shad put down among the game fish?" his father asked.
"Yes; they were included not very long ago, and most justly, too, as I
can testify to-night. I never tasted anything more delicious, except
trout. If a shad were not so bony it would be almost perfection when
eaten under the right conditions. Not many on the Hudson are aware of the
fact, perhaps, but angling for them is fine sport in some rivers. They
will take a fly in the Connecticut and Housatonic; but angle-worms and
other bait are employed in the Delaware and Southern rivers. The best
time to catch them is early in the morning, and from six to eight in the
evening. At dusk one may cast for them in still water, as for trout. The
Hudson is too big, I suppose, and the water too deep, although I see no
reason why the young fry should not be caught in our river as well as in
the Delaware.
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