The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1871-06-17

About Flies.
BY W. HY. BURDETT.

scrl be its personal appearance, for the ben
eft Of those who don't know house hy
when they see one. In size, it is sometimes
smaller, and sometimes good deal larger;-
statement of magnitude obvious 10 the
reflective mind. A single fly, unaided, is
sometimes more than q match for man of
great weight aud muscle; while, at times,
two or three, outstanding their CON bined
efforts, will fall an easy prey IN the open
mouth OF oomAtose infant Of few pounds
weight. Its color is made up of kind of
grey, sort Of dark brown, and a
species of light brown, spotted and
streAked with a bad shade of black. 1t has
two wings. The femsledeposits its eggs iu
the victusls it most affects, wherein the
young ones grub till ready for their active
business of torment. When not engaged in
irritating men and other live animals to the
verge of distraction, it's great delight is to
disdgure anything bright or clean, with
blOtches and Fluctuations. But we know,
and will relate, an instance in which a single
fly was very eticscious III serving-well,
Gus, '-B-bem
One lovely evening in ly time, we called,
as we often did, at the house Of our esteemed
friend, Smith Brown, Esq our object be-
ing, as we very we'll knew, to pay our atten.
lions TO his daughter Augehesnarinella,
CANCEL for short who is really-but of
course we don't expect you to see her with
our eyes or dOu't want you to, anyhow
ShoAt Chester was there, too, from Chicago,
Aals gall nf
second uncle, nephew, or something; and
plays on the piano, accompanYlng-for his
best friend can call it nothing better that
instrument with his voice, in lsckadaisical
ballads, chiefly in flats. Now, Chester is
little, pug.nosed fellow, who-but why de-
scribe man we hate SO And then, he's
meaner than house fly On the strength
Of recent trip to the cold sod" he affects
the manner Of speaking peculiar to the
lsrdy.dardy English "swell." Nearly ell his
Rs seem to be VS.. When we entered the
room, he remained seated by Augelicanari-
nells, and dropped our extended hand
Imply, from his own soft, fsE one; causing
our warm grasp TO shu. up on itself, an
answered our "time O. dav" greet
ing with q lsnguid re assurance that it aoas
"Wsther wRwn.n And the Thermometer
$50 in the shade !-"Hot is the word, sir :;
hot !" we retorted, with some little ssperity.
-'Doosed hot; yaas y said he, pulling
out pockethsndkerohief scented with some
internal preparation of musk. He then
continued his previous task Of showing ste
reoscopic photographs, which he had brought
with him from England, to ABgelioguari-
nella, with explanatory comments, such as :
docks ct Livawpooi, where emigwsuts set
OF for Amewica; seswch offweedom, poosw
dsyvIls view of Lawd Essex's Pa~k
Gstes. Sir Titus Salts Fsotowy from tn g
newth ssaide. Fwont view of Basis Bwew.
envy Whereon his fair auditor euduired 4:
-"Bass's, irhat do you say, Shoat ?"-
BASS gweat Bwewewy, where they bwew
be-aw."
When, at length, the pictures were ex
hausied, he volunteered-with many inter
Jechonal excuses on account of severe sore
throat, bad headache, impending felon on his
hnger IT he did 80, etc to play and sing
IS sweet little thing for US. We both ex-
claimed, "Oh do, plesse!" II was called
Re said, The Stwesm and the Bwoken
d SAT-! Now, nobody in the whole wide
world, but ourself, knew what had made that
iusuHerabie composition of conceis and
affection relinquish his seat on the sofa
beside Angehcsnarinella when rival was
so close at hand. Il WAS a fY! Chester
hal wsKed and fixed his moustsche with
come abOmlnHble cosmetic which seemed
to please a certain stout, able bodied hy
end caused it to seek to derive pleasure or
profit perhaps both-therefrom Scsrce,
WAS Chester seated at the piano, and through
the prelude, before we we're By her side en-
the sofa, engaged in whispered converse
"sweet aud low" The fly still lowered about
the spot where the object of its attraction
had lately been but, after time, it sought
temporary repose on the white and gold
wall paper. Chester began to sing
The stweam lows down the blue blue sea,
Where the bwiny watAa's lave:
And the bWoken h'aa't, till eternity
Lies buWied in the gwave!
and so went on, through that song and half
a dozen others as well. But when he was
in the third line Of she second verse of the
fourth song, manly arm crept around her
waist, and a hand was clasped IL one
of hers with masculine ardor. Somewhere
IN the fifth song-never mind the verse and
lIne-a warm avowAl of love was poured
into her ear, snd she was asked if she could
and would keep it and yet return it; and
oh, ecstasy a timid and heststing, yet firm
little "yes' was family audible. Chester
was exactly three semitones below the upper
Z, on which he thought he was exoelIing
the great Tamberlik, when, snAtchlng q
hurried kiss, no sir, or miss, not a. al
''pr0 pudor N') we sped noiselessly from the
room, sought Brown, and threw ourselves
and case upon his clemenoy.
ANGELS good girl" said he. take
her; and take care of her, my boy have
been expecting this for some time" We
thanked him with eloquent speechessness,
for IRE had not expected to be able to sum
mon courage enoug for "this' for some time
longer, and should not have done it then
had it not been for Chester and the fly.
We sped back TO Augeloanarinellss side
"like a mice" and whispered our glsd til
dings. "Desr Pa | knew he would consent
it you ever asked him |" she murmured.
Chester was close TO the end Of the eventh
song; that little thing, y'knoU, about Good
bye, Sweetheart, Goodbye when, all at
once, the fly awoke, and made at him with
fell purpose, alightiDg on the end Of his
nose, and reaching out two of its limb
tow ards the object of its regard. In vain
Shost twisted his head about; wrinkled his
face; or tried to blow upwsrds,-the thickly
pastered moustache prevented that being
of any use to his short nose;-his hands
must touch the keys, and his torsurer was
immovable, Being in the last verse, how,
ever, he sang on, stoicAlly, until the fly got
up one nostri -
81 could not leave thee though ssd
Goodbye, sweetheart; good bye!
could not leave thee though ] said"
A-tissh-oo A -tissh 90 IA .tissh -oo!-Drr
rat the fly !" exclaimed he, springiug up in
passion of sneezing, and pronounoiug the
letter r as distinctly as one could wish.
Then he noticed our provoking smile, and
our arm around her waist, and, turning his
anger upon us, exclaimed, with whitening
scowl "I'll tell Brownl"
And he did. He went straight into
Browns room and told him-But, TO resume
our subject. There is no end to the cussed.
ness of flies