The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-17
He HAD Sc N MOSQUITOES.
They We're "Florida Bugs" and He
Wasn't More Bashful Than They.

From the Ne1o York Tribune
Nobody knew where he came from. He
asked when the next train went to Hor-
nellsville, and then sat down on the hotel
veranda conveniently near the largest GUS
pidor and said nothing. He was an old
man, somewhat the worse for time and to-
bacco juice, and his ample bald spot showed
a good working majority even with his hat
on. Whatever the old mans defects or
qualifications in other respects, he was
dead shot. From state of profound re-
pose he would suddenly arouse to activity,
score a bulls-eye on the cuspidor, and re-
lapse again into quiet.
The conclave on the hotel yeranda was
unusually silent. It would have been
pleasant to discuss the stranger, but his i'm
mediate presence made that impossible. So
no one said anything.
Curious" remarked 81 Blodgett from the
lower step, after protracted silence, they
never lister have muskeeters over to the
Heller, and this summer they're most eat
up. Henry Hawkins was in Pike Village
Yesterday while l was there, and he look
like he had the chioken-pox."
81 heard they was havin' time up at the
Holler," remarked the landlord.
The stranger listened with some interest.
"Dyou say those muskeeters were extra
larger he inquired.
Every large, said the landlord, "'bout
double the useyule size" he added, to keep
up the reputation of :.'the Hollsr.n
Have they got yeller and red backsi'
II don't know about that, mebbe they
have" said the landlord cautiously.
"Hsiry legsr
81 shouldn't wonder"
"Stingers say an inch longln
"Most likely .-shv- .s-s-7rias ss=ss4.s--..
The old man seemed much Interested. He
md In, hs cbu{u
shis throat and scored another bullseye, Then
he said: ''Speakin' of skeeters, gentlemen,
leads me to ask If any of you have ever
been in the state Of Floridag"
Nobody FASTENED TO claiJu that distinction,
and the old man continued: II have no hest
tation in sayin' that there is no state In the
union, includin' Jersey and Texas, that can
show up critter like the FLORIDA 'sksets."
Larger inquired the landlord, encour-
sgingly. ...a
Target Well. up here you don't know
what full-grown muskeeter IL. -Four
years ago this June was up the river from
Palatka and for four days and three nights
| fought and oussed. Them Florida crit
ters is striped like a pertater bug, big as
beetles and they have singers from one to
three inches long"
There was an exclamation of surprise,
though nobody questioned the statement.
"And besides" continued the old man,
"them stinkers Is q different pattern. Up:
here a muskeeter has a sort OF scissors, but
those fellers down in Florida have q regular
augur thread and they can drill through
anything that's made"
The old MAN paused a moment for a prac.
tice shot and then he resumed:
Most intelligent bugs on EARTH gentle
men. Ants Ia nowhere. There was q Teller
up there from Jacksonville at the time, He
was fool enough to wear a beaver hat
Paa ia t. hak<
the muskeets wasn't used TO 'em. They'd
light on ii In squads and bore and bore till
they was all worn out. Well, he was sittin'
on the hotel porch with me about O'Clock,
one day, and particularly large muskeet
flew up and Lit on the top Of that beaver.
.Muskeet on your hat says to the Teller
from Jacksonville
"'All tight, says he, that's the beauty
OF beaver. There amt a muskeeter In
Florida that can draw through beaver
hat
Hes borin' a hole through the top, says
l in o minnir.
Let him burner around up there in the
fuzz,' says he with grin. 1t helps the
ventilation, and don't hurt me-
But that muskeet had more brains than
the Teller from Jacksonville. He didn't
waste minntt. He bored a row of holes
around postage stamp, and actually cut a
piece clean out of the top of that beaver.
What did he do thenT inquired 81
Blodgett.
"DoP' He hew right in and raised a lump
on the bald head of that Teller from Jack
sonville before he had time to choke off his
grin. But then" added the old man,
'speakin' of smart things them skeets do,
that wasn't the worst. l put a net over nv
bed, and the next morning, pom my SOUL
gentlemen, forty-two of them skeeters
crawled in between the sheets and got 'em-
selves made up in the bed, so as to be on the
ground floor the next night. The paartness
OF them Florida bugs is wonderful,
There was silence along the hotel veranda.
Finally 81 Blodgett said: How d. you
know there was just forty-twop'
well, l reckon" answered the old man
sharply. that If you got into bed full of
OF niuskeets as big as reed birds you'd learn
thing or two before long from the bites
and buzzin'."
No further inquiry broke the silence
until the landlord said: You asked me
when the next train went 20 Hornellsville?n
$50 did" said the old man placidly
And | said you had ter wait two hours
and forty minutes. ?n
That's what you said"
well you can take the up train to War
saw aud catch the express there, which
doesn't stop here. That is, you can il you
start for the depot now. Hadn't yer bet
terp'
The most i'm portant literary find" of recent
years is undoubtedly the purchase by Mr.. Davcy
~ Lon ,.Yz1 ~ Ia