Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-12-26
CELERY BUG BILL.
Peculiarly superstItlous Lie Of New
England Farmer.

Peculiarly superstltlous Lie OF NEW
England Farmer.
william T. Hopkins, known to all the
country round as celery Bug Bill"
died Mt his home near Franklin, Mass,
recently. His death ended peculiarly
superstitious life. Hopkins lived and
died firm in the belief that tho change
able gold and black stripes of that
beautifully tinted species of the cater
pillar known us the celery bug forctoid
his fortunes and misfortunes. A corre-
spon6ent saw the old man few weeks
before his death. lie was standing in
the door of his home looking anxiously
at the heavy clouds that were forming
black banks in the skies
"It's gong to storm hard" he said
abruptly to the writer, 1.-The bug says
So"
"How did the bug predict the Storm
"Come in and I'll show you," said the
old man, turning into the sitting-room
of his home. In n close wire screen
cage on n small table was one OF the
destructive and poisonous bugs, cling
ing with his eight clamp-lile feeders to
a small twig in the bottom OF the cage.
In the light the soft, seal-brown stripes
that crossed and recrossed on the velvet
gold of the insects back changed and
twisted about like so many pieces OF
brown and gold gloss in kaleidoscope.
See" said the old man, as he lifted
the little cage IN order to secure bet
ter view Of the stripings, ''see that first
line; it twists itself into the letter 5.
Now, this next line resembles the letter
4 as near as such lines can be drawn,
and here, plain as daylight, is 'Orm
What palmer prediction of q storm do
ye want?"
As Mr.. Hopkins traced the letters on
the insects back the word storm" was
plainly to be seen. An hour later a
storm of great fury broke over the little
valley, and the prediction of the celery
bug was verified.
"Yaas, and that amt ALL" drawled
the old man, after he had traced the
word storm. Round on this yere side
yell read Sick if yell notice" The
old man traced plainly the letters OF
the word sick" in the many curves and
crosses. 1.-THE first time ever noticed
that we're animil giving out signs wuz
the day bought this farm o mine, jis
forty years ago." drawled the old man.
Il wuz goin' down to Bellingham,
where third or fourth cousin OF mine
lived. The day wuz warm and dusty,
and lay myself down by the roadside
kind o. tired, when seed the little yal-
Ter bug come crawlin' up weed beside
me. watched the pretty little thing
for long, long time, and all Of sud-
den read as plain as day on its little
back the words, Cousin dead That
ez es true as I'm sittiu' here. When l
got to Bellingham found my cousin
he'd died the night before. Gurus.
want itP The mex mornin' ] saw an
other bug, and it read, Buy land /
followed that bugs advice, and from
that day never knew the want OF
dollar. The fust night met my wife
the bug read, Marry and b'gosh, / did,
and" with chuckle, Il never knew q
days happiness since"
After the old mans death his wife
said: ''Bill knew he was going to die
The morning that he took sick with
pains in his back he asked me to bring
him the bug. When he read it he turned
to me and said: Alice, it reads death. '
Then he turned his face to the wall
with groan. The day he died he asked
to see the bug again. And it read, To
day. And he knew he was going &c
die that day, and die he did. But ]
won't be long behind him." said the
old lady. with sob, for yesterday the
bug read, Prepare and to-day it read,
Soon and I'll thank God for to take
me to Bill as soon As he will Loni'
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