The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-29
THE FABLE OF THE FLY.


Once upon time. fly lighted on the
heavy rim of the nigh rear wheel OF one
OF LIE SuERMAN's drays. The dray was
heavily loaded, and altogether must have
weighed great many hundreds OF
pounds.
The fly futtered It's wings once or
twice, and wiggled its legs, and pretty
soon the dray began TO move. The nigh
rear wheel revolved slowly In harmony
with the three other wheels, and tho dray
with it's great load moved through Gus
tom House street The fly, by the exercise
OF little agility, kept itself uppermost
on the rim, pushing the while with Its
feet, and remarking to itself: "My, /
didn't know could do this! Why, Pm
making this wheel go round and push
ing this dray. How big am!n
After awhile the dray stopped and the
fly stopped pushing, being quite tired
with its unusual exertioD, although flat
tered at the marvellous results thereof.
Pretty soon a humble bee came along,
feeling pretty good itself.
"How are you, Mr.. Fly?" said the
bum BILE bee.
$50, SO" replied the fly, assuming an
air of nonchalance, "except for a little
lameness in my No. 8 leg on the left side,
due TO the exertion required to push this
dray over here.
0Due to'whatg" exclaimed the bumble-
Dee, IN amaZenlenL
"Why, / just pushed this dray over
here" repeated the fly, trying to look
unconcerned, as 1t mopped the perspira-
tion from Its brow.
"Ob, come offl' cried the humble bee
derisively, "What are you giving me?
You push that dray over here? Why, a
million like you couldn't bulge that
dray."
"Couldn't. hey" cried the fly in high
dudgeon. ''Perbaps you think you know
II all. But / want you TO distinctly un-
derstand that l pushed that dray over
here and II you doubt 1t I'll show you
how l can push It back again."
"Let's see you do it, said the humble
bee, still In doubt but with its opinions
soLaehat intimidated by the confidence of
the fly.
with that the fly mounted the rim of
the nigh rear wheel, fiuttered it's wings
a few times ana kicked against the rim
with It's legs. But the wheel did not go
around and the dray did not bulge. The
down the rim toward the ground and
underneath to lift. But all to no avail.
The.w heel was immovaple.
The blmble bee looked on with a Gym
ical smile. "What's the matter?' he in
CURED with affected concern.
"Darned IL KNOW responded the fiy
In great dsgust. "Somehow something
seems to stick"
There is moral to this little fable, OF
course. A fahle without moral would
be as useless as pump without handle,
as disappointing as the Hon. RATHBoNE
GARDNER without his moustache.
Indeed in this case, the moral inspires
the fable When sometime last faii the
Hon. Tom BIcKYELL, the Hon. SAM
BULLOCK, the Hon. PHILANpER HoL-
ocAusT MULHoLLAEp, the Hon. Il. ID.
M'GUINNEss, and other reformers for the
sake Of reform, rose up in the municipal
midst and declared that they were the
people this community appeared to rush
to them, embrace hem and allow that
indeed they were the people and what
they saId-went. We use the word sap
pear" advisedly. II was only an appear
ance as was made evident when the Hon.
Tom DIcEELL ana twenty-three others
assembled in Narragansett Hotel and,
| with relation to something or other that
was up before the General Assembly, pro.
tested in the name again OF the people OF
| Providencel
Aud the influence exerted by this pro-
test was as the numbers and influence.oi
the Narragansett Hotel "peoplo" are to
the real citizenship OF this town-and
about the same Gs that cxerted by the
fly on the rim in i;s attempt to duplicL.s
i;s success at making tho wheel &c
around.