National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-04-04
THE FLEA AND THE PROFESSOR.

There was once an aeronaut with
whom things went badly the balloon
burst, tumb ed the man out, and broke
into bits. His boy he had two minutes
before sent down with parachute, -
that was the boys luck he was unhurt
and went about with knowledge enough
to make him an aeronaut too, but he
had no balloon and no means Of acquir-
ing one.
But live he must, and so ho applied
himself to the art of legerdemain and
to talking i'll his stomach ; in fact he
became a ventriloquist, as they say. He
wa. young, ood-ooking, and when he
got moustache and had his best clothes
on, he could be taken for nObleman's
son. The ladies seemed to think well
of him; one young lady even was so
taken with his charms and his great
dexterity that she went off with him to
foreign ports. There he called himself
Professor-he could scarcely do less.
His constant thought was how to get
himself a balloon and go up into the
air with his little wife, but as yet they
had no means.
They'll come yet said he.
"lf only they would" said she.
We are young folks, said he, "and
now am Professor" She helped him
faithfully, sat at the door and sold tick
cts to the exhibition, and it was chilly
sort Of pleasure in winter time. She
also helped him in the line of his art.
He put his wife in n table drawer,
large tabledrawer then she crawled
into the back part of the drawer, and so
was not in the front part, quite an
optical illusion to the audience. But
one evening when he drew the drawer
out, she was also out of sight to him:
she was not in the front drawer, not in
the back one either, not in the house
ltself-nowhere to be seen or heard
that was her feat of legerdemain, her
entertainment. She never came back
again she was tired of it all, and he
grew tired of it, lost his good humor,
could not laugh or make jokes and
SO the people stopped coming, his earn
lngs became scanty, his clothes gave
out; and finally he only owned great
flea, which his wife had left him, and
so he thought highly of it. And he
dressed the flea and taught it to per-
form, to present arms and to fire a can
non oh-but 1t was little cannon.
The Professor was proud of the flea,
and the flea was proud of himself he
had learned something, and had human
blood, and had been besides to the
largest cities, had been seen by princes
and Processes, had received their high
praise, and it was printed in the news
papers and on placards. Plainly it was
very famous flea and could support
Professor and his entire family.
1
yet when he and the Professor travelled
they took fourth-class carriages on the
railway they went just as quickly as
the hrst-class. They were betrothed to
each other; 1t was a private engagement
tlat would never come out they never
would marry, the flea would remain
bachelor and the Professor widower.
Ihat made 1t balance.
Where one has the best luck, " said
,he Professor, there one ought to go
twice. He was a good Judge of char
acter, and that is also a science of itself.
AT last he had travelled over all countries
except the wild ones, and he wanted to
20 'here. They eat Cnristian men there,
40 be sure, the Professor knew, but
.leh he was not properly Christian and
tIe H hea was not properly a man, so he
.uought he might venture to travel
'nsre I, and have good success.
:Irhey travelled by steamship and by
.saili,ng vessel the flea performed his
.,i'hs' and so they got free passage
ou the way and arrived at the wild
SS1luhtry. Here reigned little Princess. |
,1ne was only eight years old, but she
was reigning. She had taken away the |
Po~ef from her father and mother, for |
sue mad will, and then she was extra
0'q'hary beautiful-and rude.
Just as soon as the flea had presented |
"inis and fred off the cannon, she was
so s2,. ,e.nraptured with him that she said,
II ii5m or nobody p She became quite
WI VIA with love and was already wild in
other ways
l. sweet, little, sensible child y said |
e er own father. eff one could only |
NisI make aman of him p
Il Leave that to me, old man" said
G.,' GIu' and that was not well said by a
''!e tL frlncess when talking with her fa-
az put she was wild. She set the
"ea 40 on .iel white hand.
now you are man, reigning with
t out You shall do what l want you
e., or else I'll kill you and eat the Pro-
e'Sor. ,e The Professor had great hall
W i've In. The walls were made of
bsar-cane, and he could lick them, but
bWas he was not sweet tooth. He Lad
u1ock roa to sleep in. 1t was as if he
.l ere lying in balloon, such as he had
Always wished for himself-tbat was his
constant fba,ulsA 49,