Austin's Hawaiian weekly. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1899-190?, 1899-07-01
AUSTIN'S HAWAIIAN WEEKLY.

haven't killed fly in two days. Put some
sugar your desk deah boy" suggested the wit,
then you'll soon have game in your preserves"
This plan worked we'll enough for few days,
but within week Jackson was miserable, not a
fly would come within reach of his catapult; not
only in the office but his other hunting grounds,
for Jackson's habit had grown to be mania now;
the flies were safe from him nowhere except at
his fiancees home, at present Cupid superseded
the butcher.
1t certainly seemed as if the insects had some
method of warning each other, whole week
passed and the flies troubled not Jackson, nor
Jackson the flies. Them slowly, by graduation
came the day of reckoning by such subtle degrees
that the victim himself hardly realized it at first
One memorable morning Jackson, seated at his
desk in melancholy mood for he was pining for
flies like an opium iend for his drug, was stirred
into unwonted activity by the sight of magnifi-
cent specimen of his prey calmly settled on his
blotting pad, busily engaged in apparently wash
ing its face with its fore legs. 1t was beauty,
not an ordinary mnsca domestica or common
house fly, but an immense fellow with bronze
green body and irridescent wings cleaning in the
sunlight. Slowly, cautiously, Jackson felt for
and found his favorite weapon. carefully he
stretched the band to its fullest extent and alb
justed his aim. then, zip. the knot sped to its
mark and miracle The wretched insect was still
there, not manned, crushed. but intact and APP
parently oblivious of the attempt on its life.
Somewhat staggered, Jackson aimed and fired
again. with the same result-the insect unmoved
and still cleaning its legs Precipitation broke out
on his brow. 81 must be losing my nerve he
nuttered looking round to see if any of his fellow
clerks had observed his useless bombare1ment
No, they were all busy engaged or rather dis
engaged. The blue bottle was still there. Look
ing carefully at it horrible fact broke on Jack
sons mind 1t cast no shadow His antics
aroused feeble curiosity on his neighbor who
languidly enquired the cause. ''Do you see that
fly on my pad?' "What Ay?" "Whv that one.
that big fellow" "What are YOU talking about
deah boy. there's no fly there. I say you fellows,
Spiders got EN-, he's seeing flies" 1t was the
truth the fly was phantorl-a ghost-No one
could see it but Spider Jackson 1t was the be-
ginning of the end.
At home in his select boarding house that even
ing began series of carefully planned torments
that drove the shattered nerves of Jackson to the
verge of insanity. The bodies of his victims were
everywhere. He saw flies in the milk the butter.
the gravy everywhere. and no one else could find
them. On the third complaint the landlady after
gravelv inspecting the cream pitcher remarked
that "late hours and dissipation PLAYED strange
tricks on young mems nerves"
In all his haunts, his former hunting grounds,
he beheld shadowless flies, his nkpots were full
of them, though the anitor was unable to dis
cover them and gave it as his opinion that "Spider
Jackson had the trimmings" One place as yet
was sacred his fnancee's home. there he had i'm
molated no unfortunates. there he was at peace
tor three evenings week. But alack, thev traced
him even there One unhappy evening betwee,
the lips extended for chase salute there brzzed
an aggressive f1v. "Bother the flies" said the
maiden with charming pout. But Jackson fell