Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1894-08-09
THOSE BoTHERlNo Locusrs

THOSE BoTHERlNG LocUSTS.
How They Should 10 Met Dosod and
Persuaded to Die.
With the intention of observing
the home life of the cicada, a re-
porter for the New York Sun went to
Staten Island one day and walked
along the terrace for mile to an ac-
compartment OF crunching insects.
Staten island is one mass of the in
sects. They are overhead and under
foot and the trees are obscured by
them. A mathematician in Blooming
dale has calculated that If u man
vocal abilities were as great in pro-
portion TO his size as cicada's he
could make himself heard three times
around. the world and have enough
voice left over to tie in double bow
knot at the ends.
What is bothering the Staten
islanders now is to ind some use tor
their visitors. This is particularly
interesting, US it may be that sec
ond instaiment will arrive later in
tho year. The reporter interviewed
number of Staten Island men on
the vital questions What are you
going to do with them?n and here
are some of the answers
'Set the place on fire and burn
'em OUT
Poison EN- with paris green and
use the bodies for fertilizer
Train EN- up to hunt mosquitoes. Z"
"Hire EN- out in gangs to Western
land improvement syndicates to clear
away underbrush."
"Emigrate to Europe and lot them
COLOMBO tho island"
"Dumfino.
Most of those interviewed CON
CURED in the opinion last given.
But the oldest inhabitant-theYh have
a separate Oldest inhabitant for
every important occurrence in Staten
island-gives still more hopeless
reply
faint the question, - said he,
''what we're goin to do with them
vermin. The question is what's
them vermin goin' to do with us?"
This particular Oldest inhabitant
is an ex-sailor, with little home
near the waterside He says he
knows all about clcadas, us he's
seen swarms of them in all parts of
the world.
There's trouble comm" said he;
"sure 'nough trouble. Somethin'
terrible always happins when them
animiles heaves in sight. When
was travelin' acrost the country
nj hA al ntt
swarm so thick it stopped the train
and near threw it of the track. The
very next week lost a wallet with
81. 83 in it.
"Have you ever seen the insects
on Staten island beiore?" asked the
reporter.
"Yes, seen 'em more'n fifteen
year ago, an that very year my
brother William fell down and bust
ed his leg plumb off short. ] knowed
these were comm and / got all
ready for 'em an closed my house all
up, My little sloop lies out there in
the bay, an l slowed away all her
sall under lock an KEY. What fer?
Why, young man, the las time we
had them animiles here u swarm of
EN- flew out to schooner belongin'
to me an my brother an ate every
stitch of canvass off'n her. They
didn't even leave the ropes an stays.
amt runnin' any risks like that
agin.
They're cute devils. See that
ellum tree out in my yardP Well.
that's a slippery ellum an on Sun
day mornin', when the animiles first
came up from the ground, they
spotted that troe. They went to
work an eat all the bark off In line
up an down, an then they went slid
In down the slippery place jes like
a toboggan slide, an they was SO
many OF 'em that it was Just one
long line, roun' an roun' until l got
so dizzy | had to get out my garden
hose an wash 'em off. That's the
reason you don't see many OF 'em.
for whom they sees l meant business
they left,
"Speakin' OF locuses, I'll tell you
how they saved my life once when l
was climbing South American
mountain by gittin' in between me
an avalanche an stoppin' the ava
lanche. Talk about big swarms!
Why, that was the biggest What's
thatP Your train Welcome down
again any time you want to know
anything about them animiles."
A Difference of Views.
81 am almost afraid, Miss Suueers. ~