The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-11-02

cODWeb, the hend-llke owner of which
was glaring at her from a retired corner
and gently hauling her in while spin
ming new tolls to envelope her.
viii you walk into my parlor? said
the spider to the fly"
o, dear! where had she heard that?
and what made her think of it at such
an awful moment? Summoning up all
her strength she broke the web and
flew off again; this time down and
down, round and round, till at last, at
tracted by a savory smell, she rested
on the ceiling Of a room where there
was good deal of clatter going on and
noise which sounded like the humming
of thousand flies.
When she had time to collect herself
little she recognized in huge figure
sitting at the table her mother, who
was busy making salad dressing.
Though Mary James mind was not now
capable of understanding what salad
dressing was, she knew her dear
mother, and forgetting everything else
in the joy of seeing her again, she flew
down and alighted on her face to kiss
ker; but she had hardly put her little
when her mother exclaimed:
''These dreadful flies-they give one
no peacen' and brushed Mary Jane a
yard away with her hand. This was
unhappiness indeed, but her fly nature
did not let her be quiet long, and she
was soon travelling over the table, as
the odor of things about made her feel
hungry. She soon came to some grains
OF sugar spilled on the CLOTH they tast-
ed delightful, and she was beginning
to be happy again, and forgetting that
she was ever anything but a fly, when
she realized that she was very thirsty;
so she flew and crawled about in search
of something to drink, but could find
nothing.
AT last she saw yellow mound ris-
ing before her on top of something hard
and glittering. "Ah," she thought,
perhaps | can get a drink nowr' and
she alighted on the mound. But she
found herself in a sad plight the ice
man hadn't come that day, and the
butter was soft in consequence, and
poor Mary Jane sank in knee-deep, if L
may use that expression of fly. The
more she tried to get out the more the
yellow stuff clogged up her legs and
even her wings, and she was Just be-
coming insensible when she was reused
by the voice of her sister.
Here's a disgusting fly in the but
terri
kill itr' cried the voice of her be-
loved brotherr'
"No, no." answered her sister,. and
Mary Jane never forgot to be grateful
to her for that. "rll put it on the
where it can get dry
So Mary Jane was scraped out of her
situation with knife, and placed care
fully on the sill, where the sun soon re-
vived her, and by diligent polishing
and cleansing she made herself present.
able again. But the thirst still re-
at wont do me much good
taking me out of the butter if | am to
die for the want of drink she
thought, and she flew feebly about the
room to continue her search. O, now
she had certainly found what she
needed! She had alighted on a pitcher
full of white liquid; she had an idea
that she had tasted it before, but she
couldn't remember exactly how or
where. She crawled to the edge of
the little white pond and dipped her
trunk in it. 1t was delicious, and she
began to drink eagerly, forgetting the
slippery surface on which she stood,
till almost without any warning she
felt herself going, and before she knew
it she had plunged headlong into the
flood.
Poor Mary Jane! She struggled a
little, but she was so weakened by her
recent accidents that she could not hold
out long, and had just lost conscious
ness when great noise aroused her,
and she came to life again to find her.
self standing in the middle of her room
as large as life, arrayed in her own
brown dress and white apron, and a fly
no longer. Her brother was knocking
at the door:
"Come to dinner, Mary Jane" he
shouted.
Mary Jane followed him down stairs,
and it was noticed that she was very
quiet during the meal. At dessert she
watched very closely when the tea serv-
ice was put on the table.
Dear me-" exclaimed her mother,
" here is another fly in the milk
pitcher. This one seems to be
drowned" and she took it out with q
spoon.
And Mary Jane never felt quite sure
it was herself or not.