Marco Paul's Travels and Adventures in the Pursuit of Knowledge - City of New York — Jacob Abbott

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1845 Excerpt: ...tell his cousin of what he now began to consider as a fault. After the novelty and excitement of the first use of his fishing-rod was over, he was in a much better state of mind to judge correctly of the nature of the transaction. He had a sort of undefined and half-formed feeling, at the time that he bought the fishing-rod, that Forester would not think it was right; but now he had a distinct and clear conviction of it, and he soon came to the conclusion, that he must choose some other mode of making known the circumstances to Forester, than by going in abruptly, just at dinner-time too, with his fishes in his hand. But what to do with his fishes was the question. He wished he had given them to the boys at the end of the wharf. He was almost inclined to go back and do this, but he was afraid it would make him late for dinner. He looked about to see if there was any steeple in sight, which had a clock on it to tell him the time, but he could not see any. After looking about in all directions to find some other boys to whom he could give his fishes, without finding any, and feeling that he must get rid of them in some way or other, he concluded to throw them into the water; and he accordingly walked across the pavement to the edge of the wharf opposite to him. The tide was low, and as he was now near the upper end of the wharf, where the water is not deep, he could see the muddy bottom, covered with sticks and rubbish of all kinds, which had been thrown in. Schooners and sloops and other small vessels, which had been brought up to this part of the wharf, were lying aground. Marco stood here a moment, reluctant to throw his fishes away; but the longer he kept them the more uneasy he felt. At length he threw them in. They fell into the water at some distance f...