The border vidette. (Nogales, Ariz.) 1894-1934, 1903-04-04
No. 16.

of coal oil case Smallpox did not
worry him any more it is true, but
every now and then he would wake
from a constantly recurring dream, in
which gigantic bed-bug stood over
him ready to grasp him by tie throat
and suck the blood out of him like
vampire. For the next few days
Jerry was busy exterminating with
all sorts of bed-bug remedies that his
willing friends advised him to USE He
used everything suggested: sheep-dip,
kerosene, turpentine, strycknine, sui
phur and chloroform, but without
avail. as the pests thrived and increas-
ed every day. The house had begun
to smell so much like a drug shop gone
wrong that even the chickens could
not stand to be around it any longer
but had moved down the canyon and
were roostimg in tree. Jerry was
getting desperate and was seriously
thinking of taking Harry Fryer's sage
advice ''to burn the damn shack and
every thing in il, when like Yelling
ton, at the critical moment of the bat
tie of Waterloo, who thought of his
last reserve = the cavalry Jerry
thought of his hitherto invincible bug
eater, the Chuclk-a-W ALA.
That night Jerry went to bed in
fear and trembling with Dick, (as he
called his pet) safely ensconsed under
the blankets by his side. Soon there
was battle royal in progress; the
ferocious bed-buss had evidently
brought their entire force into the
field, but what the willy Chuck -Walla
lacked in numbers he made up ID
valor and activity. He was here,
there, and everywhere; never before
had he enjoyed such bountiful repast
as he did that night. The bed bugs,
seeing the hopefuiness of ever being
able to get meal as long as their
valiant opponent WAS near, Withdrew
from the field of action, only to repeat
the attack the next night and for
many nights thereafter, until there
were but few of them left. Meanwhile,
Dick reveled in luxury. All day he
slept pufed up liked bloated calf
Jerry was correspondingly elated over
his pets achievements and had Just
about concluded to sell his cattle and
go into the business of raising Chuck
to supply the growing de-
mand for a sure enough bed bug ex-
But the old saying that "Pride
goeth before a fall" came true in this
case in a startling manner. One
Dick did not appear when
Jerry called him, but thinking the
animal was sleeping off the effects of
an overdose of bed bugs, Jerry went to
fix up his bed as usual, when on turn
ing back the blankets a sight met his
eyes that caused cold childs to run up
and down his back. There lay his
faithful Chuck a-Walla cold in death,
with the head of a tour-inch scorpion
tightly grasped in his jaws, while the
stinger of the venemous insect was
still embedded in Dicks head where
it no doubt had penetrater the brain.
The Chnck-a-Wal probably surfeited
on bed bugs, and conceited by his easy
victories, had attacked the scorpion
thinking that it would be an agreeable
change of diet but sad to relate, had
fallen victim to its own gluttony.
Jerry is inconsola BILE over the death
Of his pet and says that the faithful
animal knowing the deadly nature of
the scorpion had fearlessly attacked
him, thus willingly sacrificing his own
life to save his master from possible
injury.
J. J. G..