Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-04
THE LEGEND OF AN INSECT
how the DEVILS Darning Needle Co
His Name.

From the New York Tribune
Uncle Cyrus Hornbee had finished reading
his Tribune. II see that down In New Ter
sey they're agoin to set the devils darnin'
needles on the skeeters," said he wal.
that amt sech a bad idee to my way of
thinking
WHAT'S devils darning needle, Uncle
Cyrus?' asked little Nephew Ned from tho
city, who was "out on the farm for the
summer.
Bless my soul!' said Uncle Cyrus with
laugh, ut amt possible you don't know
what devils darning needle Is? Wal. I
suppose that's to be expected when 1 re-
MEMBER You were born and raised in the
city. Tomorrow We'll go down to the creek
and I'll show you one Of them right In ac-
ton AS fer shelters, I guess you know
what they are without no further explana-
lions, don't ye?"
Nephew Ned knew all about MOSQUITOES.
but he was in dense ignorance about the
other mysterious insect with the strange.
profanely sounding name. Insistence grew.
All right" said Uncle Cyrus. 'if Won
can't walt, I'll have to tell you about him.
He's long and slender, with two pairs of
Study, shiny wings. Indeed. he looks like
paper stretchers My, and mebbe he TEST
can't sail and scoot from flag blossom to
sweet root and back againl You'd think
ne was humming bird to hear him boom
his wings. When the sun ketches them
Jest right they glitter and glow like four
little tiny rainbows hoverin' above the
PUSHES Sometimes his long, matchy body
CLEANS with bright green and silver and
gold like beautiful bar pin with Jewels on
1t. That's when the sun Is shining bright
and the world smiles glad up to it and ev-
erything is still in the medder except the
oopoiinks and the croonin' of the creek
over the shadows.
One of the most pecoolier things about
the critter Is his name" continued Uncle
Cyrus. IF you'll listen now, I'll tell Won
now ne got that queer name, the devils
darning needle. He wasn't alIus called
that: Fer awhile after he was made he
dldn't have no name at all. But long after
time there was certain 1eetle boy who
told wrong stories about everybody and
way to make him stop. One day he took
his pet leetle dog for walk in the fields.
and by and by they come to creek with
a deep pool in it. This bad leetle boy, he
jest up and threw the poor dog into the
pool. and when he tried to climb out he
Kept pushing him in until at last he was
drowned. When the leetle boy went home
ana MS folks asked where the dog was he
told them he didn't know nothin' about the
dog, and hadn't seen ii. Everybody was
dretful sorry. and his sister cried all night
long. few days after that they found
the leetle dogs dead body in the pool, and
they took the boy down and said to him:
Did you drown the dog in the pool? and
the boy shook his head and said he hadn't
seen the dog at all. Then they asked him
again. and he Jest hollered right out that
ne didn't know nothing about the dog AS
he said this a second time one of these
queer critters which nobody had ever found
name for suddenly darted up, from no.
body knew where, and held itself straight
In front the boys lips, a boomin' it's wings
in the air with deep hummin sound. For
the tnisd time the boy denied all about the
little dog, and then, with one leap. the big
sbuzzin' insect fastened itself on the little
boys lips and in less time than I'm takin'
tellin you about 1t had sewed up the boys
mouth that tight he couldn't speak or even
humble.
THE little boy he kept this way for
whole day. He couldn't eat nor drink BIZ
meby he called to his mamma and papa,
and by signs told them to asst him the ques- A.,
ton about the dog again. When they had
and begun to cry, sad and broken. Then !
all of a student. the stitches In the lips
ripped out, and the boy run to his man.
mas arms, cryin': I've been a bad, bad
boy, and I'll never tell another lie as long
as ever live His mamma and papa fer
give him. and he grew up to be good
man whose smallest word could be trusted
As for the insect that had sewed up his 1
lips. people called 1t from that day the !
devils darning needle, and so It's been 1
called ever since. The man would never !
let nobody kill one of them, and there amt !
no record of it's ever sewing anybody. else !
up. But II has always had a sort Of love
and good nature fer man, and continues to !
do him kind services by ketching skeeters
and devouring them by the Million