Behind these Stories

What you may not know is that young George was an avid fisherman. One day George and some of his buddies decided to go fishing. Young George spied the long slender trunk of the cherry tree in the back yard by the BBQ pit and the axe was laying nearby. Grabbing the axe from the woodpile he soon made quick work of the cherry tree and fashioned what he considered to be a “dandy” fishing pole. Young George and his cronies dug some worms and headed out to the local pond.

In a short time the youngsters had a nice mess of fish and went back to George’s house. Unfortunately for George about the time they got back, George’s dad was checking out the stub of the cherry tree with the axe laying nearby. George’s friends all said they heard their mothers calling and retreated faster than the British at Boston.

With a stern look on his face George’s father asked if he knew anything about the demise of the cherry tree. Young George then stated the now famous words, “I cannot tell a lie, I chopped down the cherry tree.” But being quick of wit, he added I realized that we could not afford to buy a new Shakesphere fishing rig, so I was just trying to save money by making my own fishing pole. I knew you would be proud of me for saving money. I know your friend Mr. Franklin always says “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

Shaking his head and looking young George straight in the eye he said “You know George, every time you get in trouble you come up with some outlandish story to justify it. “The way you put a spin on everything, I somehow have a feeling that someday you will be a politician.” Avoiding punishment once more young George just said “I am going to clean these fish and take them to mom to fix for supper. He turned slowly and with a sly smile said “YES” under his breath and with a slightly detectable swagger headed for the house.

Watch for more stories from little known “facts” of how fishing shaped history. 

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