The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-04-07
THE FLEA AND TIE PROFESSOR.


THE FLEA AND TIE PROFESSOR.
There was once IN aeronaut with
whom things went badly; the balloon
burst, tumbled the man out, and broke
into bits. His boy ho had two minutes
before sent down with n parachute
that was the boys luck he was unhurt
and went about with knowledge enough
to make him IN aeronaut too, but he
had no balloon and no means OF acquir.
ing one.
But live he must, and 80 ho applied
himself to the art Of legerdemain and
to talking in his stomach in fact he
became a ventriloQuist, MS they say. He
was young, good-looking, and when he
got amoustache and had his best clothes
on, he could he taken for n nobleman's
son. The Indies seemed to think well
of him; one young lady even was so
taken with his charms and his great
dexterity that she went of with him to
foreign ports. There he called himself
Profess0r-he could scarcely do less.
His constant thought was how to get
himself balloon and go up into the
mir with his little wife, but MS yet they
had no means.
"They'll come yet" said he.
"If only they would" said she.
eve are young folks, !" said he, "and
now | am Professor" She helped him
faithfully, sat Mt the door md sold tick
cts to the exhibition, and it was chilly
sort Of pleasure in winter time. She
also helped him in tho line of his art.
He put his wife in q table.drawer, a
large table.drawer; then shc crawied
into the back part Of the drawer, and SO
was not in tie front part,-quite an
optical illusion to the audience. But
one evening when he drew tho 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
itself-nowhere to be seen or heard
that was llor feat Of legcrdemain, 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
80 the people stopped coming, his earn
ings became scanty, his clothes gave
out; and finally he only owned n great
flea, which his wife had loft him, and
30 he thought highly OF it. And he
dressed the flea and taught it to per-
form, to present arms and to fire can
non oif-but il 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 Ind been besides to the
largest cities, had been seen by princes
and princesses, had received their high
praise, and it was printed in the news.
papers and on placartls. Plainly 1t was
very famous flea and could support q
Professor and his entire family.
The flea was proud and famous, and
yet when he and the Professor travelled
they took fourth.class carriages on the
railway they went Just as quickly as
the first-class. They were betrothcd 10
each other; twas q private engagement
that would never come out they never
would marry, the flea would remain a
bachelor aud the Professor n widower.
Iuhb nllue ~ Unllnce.
"Where one has the best luck, - said
the Professor, "there one ought to 20
twice." He was q good judge Of char.
acter, aud that is also science OF itself.
AT last he had travelled over all countries
except the wild ones, and he wanted Ia
go there. Theyeat Christian men there,
TO be sure, the Professor knew, but
then lie was not properly Christian and
the flea was not properly q man, 30 lie
thought he might venture to travel
there and have good success.
They travelled by steamship and by
sailing vessel the flea performed his
tricks, and SO they got free passage
on tho way and arrived at tile wild
country. Herereigned q little Princess.
She was only eight years old, but she
was reigning. She had taken away the
power from her father and mother, for
she had q will, and then she was extra
ordinary beautiful-and rude.
Just rs soon rs the flea had presented
arms and fred off the cannon, she was
80 enraptured with him that she said,
Him or nobody |" She became quite
wild with love and was already wild in
other ways.
Sweet, little, sensible child r. said
her own father. "If one could only
first make aman fhim /"
Leave that to me, old man, said
she, and that was not well said by a
little Princess when talking with her Ia.
tlicr, but she was wild. She set the
aea on her white hand.
"Now you are a man, reigning with
me, but you shall do what / want you
to, or else I'll kill you aud eat the Pro.
iossor." The Professor had great hall
TO live in. The walls were made Of
sugar.cane, and he could lick thom, but
llo was not n sweet tooth. He had q
hammock To sleep In. II was MS II ho
were lying ina balloon, such as he had
always wished for himself that was biz