Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-12-20


The spider was q black, ugly fellow.
Not large spider, but he had great
many legs. He was brave and honest
enough in his way. His way was to
catch and eat all the flies he could, and
he had just spun strong, new web for
that purpose on the outside of the win.
dow, and made no secret of his inten-
tions. Like Others of his kind he h I'd
met with reverses. Many q good web
had been blown down or swept away as
soon as it was finished; but spiders must
not allow themselves to be discouraged,
so now he bad made another. The wasp
was three times larger than the spider,
and handsome fellow, neatly finished oil
in rings of black and yellow. He had q
slender waist, but he looked like vii
lian, and had an unpleasant way of turn
ing his head from side to side, and OF
rubbing first one ear and then the other,
if they are ears, and of gnashing those
nippers--if that is what he calls them
on the side of his head.
No doubt the spider was the better OF
the two.
Tie wasp could sting very fercely,
and would at any time it had mind to.
On this particular day the spider had
perhaps, eaten light breakfast-a small
moth or the like-and was hungry, as
one might imagine he would be, and had
just stationed himself in his den to wait
for his dinner.
What the wasp wanted there it was
difficult to tell. Perhaps he did not be.
lieve in spiders webs, or was not afraid
of them, but he came tumbling and
laundering along, and the next minute
he was caught in the web by one leg.
The spider rushed out and wound a
thread around the leg, but the wasp
struggled so hard and shook the web Sc
violently that the spider was obliged to
go aloft and look to his fastenings. lie
seemed to do this cody and deliberate.
ly, as though he had nothing else to
think of. When he was satisfied, he re.
| turned to the combat as if sure to win.
eanwhile the wasp continued to
struggle and gnash his nippers, evident
ly in rage that he should have been
so stupid or so unlucky. The spider
prudently kept out of the reach of the
angry nippers, and watched his opportu.
nifty to wind fresh thread around a LEG
whenever it was possible to do so safe
ly. But the wasp, also, had many legs,
and as soon as one was made fast anoth.
er seemed to kick itself loose, and the
fastenings of the web had to be attend
ed to every other moment, so that the
spider had his hands full, and it was diff
| ficult to imagine how it would end.
One of tho snocf fotc xuaa ~, bo 80;
der's side. She said she was afraid of
wasps, and hoped this one would not get
away, and she admired the GOODNESS and
skill of the spider. Another said her
sympathies were entirely with the wasp,
and it made her blood run cold to see
the spiders deliberate proceedings. But
all agreed not to interfere on either side.
The spider had another difficulty to
contend with. While these active legs
are being fastened at one moment and
freeing themselves at another, the wasps
four wings were whirling like the wings
OF a wind-mill-so fast that all that
could be seen was sort of cloud or
mist where the wings should be. After
failing many times the spider presently
succeeded,in lashing two of these wings
together, and gradually winding them
tight, until they looked more like a
small dry twig than pair of wings
Then he took q secure position upon
these disabled wings, and from these
contrived to throw line around the
other wings, which were still whirling
madly, and soon he had them firmly
bound to one of the legs, so that they
could not move. This appeared to dis
hcarten the wasp, as well it might His
efforts grew feebler and feebler, till
finally, the spider cautiously approach
ed him and seemed to whisper IN his ear,
or he may have stung him, but the wasp
became Instantly motionless. His strug-
giles were over. Now it was too late,
the SPIDERS admirer relented, and said
she was sorry for the wasp, and wished
she had helped him.
Then the spider fastened ON one side
of the wasp's head, and stayed there till
the spectators were tired of watching
him. When they looked at him again,
some time after, he had changed his po.
sition to the other side of the head. The
wasp looked shriveled and dry, more
like amummy than the stout, burly fell
low chat he had been.
The next time an observation was
taken, an hour or so later, the wasp had
disappeared entirely. The spider was
reposing in his den, the web apparently
T. o.