The first trial resulted in Belle resigning as oarsman. She had
lost a gold-rimmed side-comb overboard, besides getting very wet
when the boat turned suddenly and "took a wave."
"I can row alone," insisted Laurel. "Cora and Hazel must manage the
net."
This time they did bring up some fish--a whole drove of wiggling,
frightened little minnies.
"How do we get them out?" asked Bess, more frightened than the fish.
"Pick them out and put them in the bait box," Cora explained, while
Bess made a negative face.
"It seems a shame to use them for bait," Laurel said, as on the pier
they opened the net carefully and saw the pretty silvery things slip
around. "Couldn't we put them some place to grow up?"
"The fish-orphans' home," suggested Cora. "But I must have a few.
You know, girls, fish have no brains. That's the reason I suppose
they go into the brain business when they get a chance at humans."
The very next afternoon the girl's fishing party rowed out from
Center Landing. Walter went along to take the fish off the hooks of
Belle and Bess who declared they would never be able to do that.
The other boy's composed a rival party.
Ben was at the landing, and he wished them all sorts of luck besides
telling them the secret spots where fish dwelt. They went deep into
the cove, as Ben said the pickerel loved to lay in the grasses
there.
Bess and Belle insisted upon following the directions on the box of
a patent "plug" they had purchased and cast near a lily pond,
reeling in so slowly that Hazel and Cora had both had "strikes"
before the twins saw their white make believe fish come to the
surface.
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