Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-08-04
A SPIDERS CRIME.
0isobedience Brings Its Sure Reward to
Little Insect.


0isobedienee Brings Its Sure Reward tos
Little Insect.
By Unexpectedly destroying web a spider
reaches a stage whore his power Of reproducing
web is exhausted. When that stage is reached
the spider attacks another spider, kills him and
takes his ball Of web from him.-Natural His
tory.
Yhere was never a more moral spider
Matched out of an egg than this little
hero of my story. His friends called him
"Speck."
He was born in the northeast corner
of the garnet, and the early portion Of
his life was passed quietly there. He
had very intimate friend by the name
of Scamper. with whom he had great
frolics; whenever he caught an espe-
cially fat fly he always shared it with
Scamper, and he loved him as dearly as
If he were his brother. Scamper was a
larger, longer-legged spider. and of
darh-brown color.
When the two friends were Just
about fully grown, they began to have
restless longings TO travel and see the
world. Speck's old mother objected to
this as she assured them they were bet
ter off in the quiet garnet where
brooms seldom entered. The broom to
a spider is what deadly shell or Cat.
ling gun is to men in the war. As soon
as a spiders eyes are opened, his mother
begins to tell him about brooms, and to
warn him against them.
ssIf you travel out of this attic said
the old lady, you will come to grief.
Here you can live in peace and die a
natural death"
But Speck and Scamper were not to
be kept at home in this way. The more
the old people told them about dangers
in the great world, the more eager they
were to tempt those dangers. Day after
day they made journeys out over the
windowsill, and finally they spun
down to the second story. and
heard voices and saw faces; and
once Speck swung on his slender
swing in front of the front bedroom
window, and watched the housemaid
while she swept the floor and brushed
down cobwebs with that terrible broom
he had heard so much about Then, as
she approached the window, he flew up
his ladder, and hauled it in after him
as he went, and told Scamper all about
what he had seen as they hurried back
to the attic.
You wolld think this was quite
enough to keep them away from the
second story thereafter; but, instead. it
made them all the more eager for ad-
venture. And adventures enough they
had in the next week Speck went
down and deliberately wove his web
across a corner of the very window
from which he had watched the house
maid: and Scamper stood on the out
side of the upper casing invisi-
BILE to eyes within. and watched
proceedings. Before Speck had been
there two hours he had caught
two large flies, and Scamper
and he had dined sumptuously.
Then, Just as they were finishing their
repast, the housemaid approached the
window. and off they ran as fast as
their legs would take them The maid
took a whisk- broom hanging near by
and brushed down the web. But as
soon as she had gone Speck rebuilt it.
ssYou see. she viii not be likely to
return here again very soon" he ex-
planned to Scamper. she thinks her
work all done now. and she will not
bother about this window, so / shall
be unmolested for some days, no doubt.
And am really doing far more good
in life here than could do in the attic.
l destroy flies who are troublesome to
the people who inhabit this room.
Flies in the attic do not matter; but
here I not only make a living but de-
stroy a nuisance
scamper listened to all this. and ac-
cepted the hospitality Speck offered so
generously; but he took pains TO weave