FISHERMAN'S LUCK

AND SOME OTHER UNCERTAIN THINGS

BY

HENRY VAN DYKE

"Now I conclude that not only in Physicke, but likewise in
sundry more certaine arts, fortune hath great share in them."
                             M. DE MONTAIGNE: Divers Events,

ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1913

Copyright, 1899, 1905, by Charles Scribner's Sons

Published, October, 1899. Reprinted, November,
December, 1899; January, February, September,
1900; September, 1901; November, 1902; August,
October, 1903; September, 1904.

______

Walton Edition, limited to 150 copies, November, 1899.
______

New Edition from New Plates, October, 1905;
August, 1908; May, 1909; June, 1910; August,
September, 1911; July, 1913.
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Leather Edition, September, 1911.

DEDICATION

TO MY LADY
GRAYGOWN

HERE
is the basket;
I bring it home to you.
There are no great fish in it.
But    perhaps   there   may   be  one  or  two  little
ones  which  will  be  to  your  haste.     And  there
are  a  few  shining   pebbles  from  the bed  of  the
brook,   and  ferns  from   the cool,   green  woods,
and wild  flowers from the places that you  remem-
ber.   I  would   fain  console  you,  if   I could,  for
the  hardship of  having  married an angler: a  man
who   relapses  into  his  mania with  the  return of
every  spring,  and never  sees  a little  river  with-
out  wishing  to  fish in it.   But after  all,  we  have
had good times together as we  have followed the
stream  of  life  towards the sea.       And  we  have
passed  through   the  dark  days  without  losing
heart, because  we were  comrades.        So let
this book tell you one thing that is certain.
In all the life of your fisherman
the best piece of luck
is just
YOU.

CONTENTS

I.  Fisherman's Luck

II.  The Thrilling Moment

III.  Talkability

IV  A Wild Strawberry

V.  Lovers and Landscape

VI.  A Fatal Success

VII.  Fishing in Books

VIII.  A Norwegian Honeymoon

IX.  Who Owns the Mountains?

X.  A Lazy, Idle Brook

XI.  The Open Fire

XII.  A Slumber Song

INDEX

Behind them is an old habitant raising a mighty column of smoke

ILLUSTRATIONS

From Drawings by F. Walter Taylor

Behind them is an old habitant raising a mighty column of smoke

The same irresistible charm

It was my final opportunity

Nature gave me her silent answer

Occupied at the sunset hour by only two

He was following her along the Beaverkill

Up and up we went, curving in and out through the forest

It was the benediction hour