The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
The Botherina Chigger.

merry picnic season comes the chigger,
beast of mystery and Of retiring dispo-
sition. His habits are predatory and, like
the wicked flea, he frequently goes where
no man pursueth. But while not possess
ing the saltatory powers of Pulex irri.
tants, he is much harder to hold up. Those
who have had the good fortune to
witness lovely women capture q flea
have high praise for the expert man
ner in which 1t is done, but the chigger
laughs her to scorn and hides his dimin.
ished head beneath her cuticle with
great speed and consequent irritation to,
the surrounding tissues. He gets there
before she does and even the new woman
cannot circumvent him.
The chigger is no respector Of persons,
and nobody is exempt from his ravages.
The statesman Of high degree and
the tender maiden are alike meat
for him, and equally toothsome. 1t is
said that cat may look upon king
with the calmest composure, and SO, in
deed, might a chigger, but king cam, t
look upon chigger by reason Of the
smallest of the bug, and that is where
the chigger lays it over royalty. Certain
learned gentlemen who are versed in in
sect lore tell us that the chigger is mite
and there is probably no one with temer-
ity to dispute the assertion. He is in
deed mitey and will prevail in spite of
our most devoted efforts.
But it is especially at those rural festi-
walls called picnics that the chigger dis
ports himself at the greatest abandon.
There he has his innings and he proves
himself Nemesius of the deepest hue.
Enjoy yourself while ye itch! The de-
lights Of the merry-go-round and the Gus
tard pie are but eyanescent things, soon
to fade away, but the chigger burrows
like the tooth of remorse and bites like
sixty, or any other mathematical COM
putation sufficient to convey the idea.
The habitat of the chigger is among
the weeds and grasses. There he re.
mains in outrageous retirement, enjoy
ing the beauties of nature and biding his
time. The time soon comes. A fair
summer girl trips along with dainty foot
steps or perhaps reclines at ease upon an
emerald sward, when the chigger marks
her as his prey and takes possession at
once. 1t is fair land of promise and the
grazing Is good. The chlgger rolls that
damsel under his tongue as a sweet NOR.
sci, and in the exuberance of his glee,
shouteth' Yum, yum!'
The remedy for the chigger is various.
Every woman has her own private for
mula for potent chlggercide, ranging
from face powders to spraying and frang.
ipani, but they all pale into insignifi-
canoe beside the ancient and time homo
ed practice of amounting with bacon. A
crisp piece of breakfast bacon showing
streak of lean and a streak of fat in the
proper proportions is poison to the CHG
ger; sad commentary upon hisepicu-
rean tastes, but as he is strictly anth-
ropophagous this is not matter of great
surprise. To pour oil into the wounds
made by chigger is to grease with ba:
con. 1t is like, the precious ointment
which ran down upon Aaron's beard,
and its influence is as balm upon the
distraught victim Of the chigger's
voracity. But one thing must be
borne in mind While
"Bacon may render vain the chigger's
sharp bill,
The scent of the smoke house will ling
er there still. kansas City Journal.