Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-04-05
THE FLEA AND THE PROFESSOR.

THERE was once an aeronaut with
whom things went badly; the balloon
burst, tumbled the man out. and broke
into bits. His boy he had two minutes
before sent down with parachute-h
was the boys luck he was unhurt and
went about with knowledge enough to
make him an aeronaue too, but he had no
balloon and no means OF acquiring one.
But live he must, and so he applied
himself to the art Of legerdemain and TO
talking in his stomach; in fact he be
came a ventriloquist, a: they say. He
was young, g0od-looking, and when
he got a mOustache and had his
best clothes on, he could be taken for no.
bleman's son. The ladies seemed to think
well of him; one young lady even was so
taken with his charms and his great dex-
terity that she went off with him to for
eign parts. There he called himself Pro-
fessor-he could scarcely do less.
His constant thought was how TO get
himself balloon and 60 Hp into the air
with his little wife, but as yet they had
no means.
"They'l come yet," said he.
"IfonIy they would" said she.
"We are young folks, said he, and now
lam Professor" She helped him faithfully,
sat at the door and sold tickets to the ex-
hibtion, and it was chilly sort OF pleas
ure In winter time. She also helped him
in the line of his art. He put his wife In
a table-drawer, large table drawer; then
She crawled into the back part Of the
drawer, and 80 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, nor in the
back one either, nor in the house Itself
nowhere to be seen or heard-that was
her feat of legerdenL ain her entertainment.
She never came back again she was tired
of 1t all, and he grew tired of 1t, lost his
good-humor, could not laugh Or make
Jokes ;-and so the people stopped COM
ing, his earnings 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 1t to
perform. to present arms and to fire
cannon off,-but 1t was little cannon.
The Professor was proud of the flea
and the flea was proud Of himself; he haC
learned something, and had human
blood, and had been besides to the larg
est cities, had been seen by p fnce'
and princesses, had received theil
high praise, and 1t was printed In th'
ucWepdpcIc uuu Ou pioCoAuss ldtuiy l
was very famous flea and could sup
port professor and his entire family.
The flea was proud and famous, and ye
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;
was private engagement that woul'
never come out; they never would marry
the fisa would remain q bachelor and tn
Professor widower. That made 1t bal
ance.
Where one has the best luck," sal
the Professor, ''there one ought to z
twice" He was good Judge of character
andthat Is alsoa science of itself. At la.
ne had travelled over all countries excep
the wild ones, and 80 he wanted to z
there. They eat Christian men Their
10 besure, the Professor knew, but the
ne was netproperly Christian and TIE fle
was not properly q man, so he thou.l
they might venture to travel there an
have good success. -sils -.
They Travelled by steamship and by sal
Ing, vessel !; the flea performed his trick
ana SO they got a free passage {
the way and arrived at the wi
country. Here reigned little Pri