The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-20
Copyright.

K AIKE FLANNERY was the star MI boarder at Mrs. Muldoon's, and A he dess " d to be so considered, for he had boarded with Mrs. Muldoon for years, and was the agent of the Interur- ban Express company at Woodcote, while Mrs. Muldoon1s other boarders were large ly transient.
 'Mide," said Mrs. Muldoon one noon when Mike came for his lunch, q know tn opinion ye have of Dagos, and niver a one have I took into me house, and I think the same of thim meself-dirthy things, an takin' the bread away from tn honest American laborin man-and I would not be thinkin' of takin' one t board at this day, but would ye to tell me this-ls a Frinchman a Dago?"
 Flannery raised his knife and laid down the law with it.
 Mrs. Muldoon,'' he said, "there be two kinds of Frnchmin. There be the re- spictible Frinchmin, and there be tn un- respictibe Frinchmins They both be fur riners, but they be classed different. Tn respictible Frlnchmin is no worse than tn Dutch, and is classed as Dutch, but tn other kind is Dagos. There is no harm in the Dutch Frinchmin, for thim is such as Napoleon Bonnypart and the like of him, but ye want t have nawthing t do with the Dago Frinch. They be a bad lott
 ''There was a Frinchmin askin would I give him a room and board this morn- in',' said Mrs. Muldoon.
 F'lannery nodded knowingly.
 q knowed itl" he cried. '"Twas ap- parent t me tn minute ye spoke man. And agin tn Dutch Frinch l have naw- thin t say. If he be Dutch Frinchmin let him come. Was he that?"
 Sure l don't know said Mrs Null deon perplexed. He was a pleasant spoken man enough. Iris professor he is'
 There be many kinds of professors" said Mike.
 'Surel' agreed Mrs. Muldoon. This wan is professor of heas."
 Mike Flannery grnned silently at his plate.
 q have heard of thim. tool" he said "But 'tis of insects they be professors, and not of one kind of insects alone, Mrs. Muldoon, mann. Ye have nistook tn understandin' of what he was say in'."
 T beg pardon to ye, MT. Flannery," said Mrs. Muldoon with some spirit, "but 'ts not mistook I am. Pleas, tn professor said, and no mistake at all"
 "Yis?" inquired Falnnery. Well, mebby 'tis so. He could be what ye call one of thim specialists. They do be doin that now, I hear and 'tis probable tn Frinchmin has fleas for his speciality. Iris like this. nam: All professors is professors; then bunch of professors separate off from the rest and be pro- fessors of insects and then the profess sors of insects separate up and one Is professor of flies and another one Is professor of pinch bugs and another one is professor of toads and another is pro- lessor of Holsters and so on until all the kinds of insects has each a pro- lessor to itself. And them they call spe- cialists, and each one knows more about his own kind of insects than any oth- CT man in the world knows. So, mebby : the Frinchmin is professor of fleas, as ye say"
 q should think a grown man would want to be professor of something big ger than that" said Mrs. Muldoon, "but there's no accountin for tastes"
 "If ye understood, man," said Mike Flannery, 'ye would not say that same, for to the flea professor the flea is as big as a house. He studies him throo telescope, nuTS. IhulQOoL, thnt iho5hi- flies tn flea a million times. Tn flea professor will take dog with flea on him, man. and look at tn same with his telescope, and tn flea will be ten times tn size of tn dog"
 "'Tis wonderfull" exclaimed Mrs. Muldoon.
 Tt Is so!'' agreed Mike Flannery. "But 'tis by magnifyin tn flea that the pro- lessor is able t study so small an insect for years and years, discoverin' new beauties every day. One day he will be studyin' the small toe of tn fea's left hind foot, and tn next day he will be maxim statute of it In plaster, and tn next he will be photygraftin' 1t, and tn next he will be writin out all he has learned of it. and then he will be weeks and months correspondin' with other flea professors in all parts of tn world. see- in how what he has learned about tn Vttle toe of tn f1ea's left hind foot agrees lith what they have learned about it, Snd if they don't all agree, he goes at