Tales Of Fishes (1928) (30 page)

Alone, all alone on a wide, wide sea.

The long, heaving swells, the windy lanes, the flight of the sheerwater and the uplifted flukes of the whale, the white wall of tuna on the horizon, the leap of the dolphin, the sweet, soft scent that breathes from off the sea, the beauty and mystery and color and movement of the deep--these are Lone Angler's alone, and he is as rich as if he had found the sands of the Pacific to be pearls, the waters nectar, and the rocks pure gold.

Happily, neither war nor business nor fish-hogs can ruin the wonderful climate of Catalina Island. Nature does not cater to evil conditions.

The sun and the fog, the great, calm Pacific, the warm Japanese current, the pleasant winds--these all have their tasks, and they perform them faithfully, to the happiness of those who linger at Catalina.

Avalon, the beautiful! Somehow even the fire that destroyed half of Avalon did not greatly mar its beauty. At a distance the bay and the grove of eucalyptus-trees, the green-and-gold slopes, look as they always looked. Avalon has a singular charm outside of its sport of fishing. It is the most delightful and comfortable place I ever visited.

The nights are cool. You sleep under blankets even when over in Los Angeles people are suffocating with the heat. At dawn the hills are obscured in fog and sometimes this fog is chilly. But early or late in the morning it breaks up and rolls away. The sun shines. It is the kind of sunshine that dazzles the eye, elevates the spirit, and warms the back. And out there rolls the vast blue Pacific--calm, slowly heaving, beautiful, and mysterious.

During the summer months Avalon is gay, colorful, happy, and mirthful with its crowds of tourists and summer visitors. The one broad street runs along the beach and I venture to say no other street in America can compare with it for lazy, idle, comfortable, pleasant, and picturesque effects. It is difficult to determine just where the beach begins and the street ends, because of the strollers in bathing-suits. Many a time, after a long fishing-day on the water, as I was walking up the middle of the street, I have been stunned to a gasp by the startling apparition of Venus or Hebe or Little Egypt or Annette Kellermann parading nonchalantly to and fro. It seems reasonable and fair to give notice that broadbill swordfish are not the only dangers to encounter at Avalon. I wish they had a policeman there.

But the spirit of Avalon, like the climate, is something to love. It is free, careless, mirthful, wholesome, restful, and serene. The resort is democratic and indifferent and aloof. Yet there is always mirth, music, and laughter. Many and many a night have I awakened, anywhere from ten to one, to listen to the low lap of the waves on the beach, the soft tones of an Hawaiian ukulele, the weird cry of a nocturnal sea-gull, the bark of a sea-lion, or the faint, haunting laugh of some happy girl, going by late, perhaps with her lover.

Avalon is so clean and sweet. It is the only place I have been, except Long Key, where the omnipresent, hateful, and stinking automobile does not obtrude upon real content. Think of air not reeking with gasolene and a street safe to cross at any time! Safe, I mean, of course, from being run down by some joy-rider. You are liable to encounter one of the Loreleis or Aphrodites at any hour from five till sunset. You must risk chance of that.

So, in conclusion, let me repeat that if you are a fisherman of any degree, and if you aspire to some wonderful experiences with the great and vanishing game fish of the Pacific, and if you would love to associate with these adventures some dazzling white hot days, and unforgetable cool nights where your eyelids get glued with sleep, and the fragrant salt breath of the sea, its music and motion and color and mystery and beauty--then go to Avalon before it is too late.

THE END

End of the Project Gutenblood EBook of Tales of Fishes, by Zane Grey *** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBLOOD EBOOK TALES OF FISHES ***

***** This file should be named 29346-8. Txt or 29346-8. Zip *****

This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: http://www. Gutenblood. Org/2/9/3/4/29346/

Produced by Brian Janes, D. Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www. Pgdp. Net Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenblood-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBLOOD-tm concept and trademark. Project Gutenblood is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

*** START: FULL LICENSE ***

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBLOOD LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenblood-tm mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project Gutenblood"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenblood-tm License (available with this file or online at http://gutenblood. Org/license).

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenblood-tm electronic works 1. A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenblood-tm electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenblood-tm electronic works in your possession.

If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenblood-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1. E.8.

1. B. "Project Gutenblood" is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenblood-tm electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1. C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenblood-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenblood-tm electronic works. See paragraph 1. E below.

1. C. The Project Gutenblood Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenblood-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenblood are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenblood-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenblood-tm works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenblood-tm name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenblood-tm License when you share it without charge with others.

1. D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenblood-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United States.

1. E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenblood:

1. E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenblood-tm License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenblood-tm work (any work on which the phrase "Project Gutenblood" appears, or with which the phrase "Project Gutenblood" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenblood License included with this eBook or online at www. Gutenblood. Org 1. E.2. If an individual Project Gutenblood-tm electronic work is derived from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project Gutenblood" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1. E. Through 1. E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenblood-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1. E.8 or 1. E.9.

1. E.3. If an individual Project Gutenblood-tm electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1. E.1 through 1. E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenblood-tm License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1. E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenblood-tm License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenblood-tm.

The appearance of Justine was calm. She was dressed in mourning, and her countenance, always engaging, was rendered, by the solemnity of her feelings, exquisitely beautiful. Yet she appeared confident in innocence and did not tremble, although gazed on and execrated by thousands, for all the kindness which her beauty might otherwise have excited was obliterated in the minds of the spectators by the imagination of the enormity she was supposed to have committed. She was tranquil, yet her tranquillity was evidently constrained; and as her confusion had before been adduced as a proof of her guilt, she worked up her mind to an appearance of courage. When she entered the court she threw her eyes round it and quickly discovered where we were seated. A tear seemed to dim her eye when she saw us, but she quickly recovered herself, and a look of sorrowful affection seemed to attest her utter guiltlessness.

1. E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenblood-tm work in a format other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenblood-tm web site (www. Gutenblood. Org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenblood-tm License as specified in paragraph 1. E.1.

1. E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenblood-tm works unless you comply with paragraph 1. E.8 or 1. E.9.

1. E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenblood-tm electronic works provided that - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenblood-tm works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenblood-tm trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenblood Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenblood Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenblood Literary Archive Foundation."

- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenblood-tm License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenblood-tm works.

- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1. F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.