Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1912-04-05
In the Tolls

were udWS 6Om6-
where in the screens. AS Mrs. Steble-
ton waved distractedly at the buzzing
pests that were interfering with the
reading of her morning mail she calcu-
lated that there must be at least
thousand flies in the fiat And Mrs.
Stebleton hates fly as she hates a
rattlesnake.
Il simply cannot stand this!" she
| cried in wrath. So she went to the
phone and ordered sent over at once
quantity of sticky fly paper. When
ittcame she hated TO spoil the looks of
the place. but desperate measures were
imperative. The yellow sheets we're
scattered about through the rooms.
Then Mrs. Stebleton hung around
counting the first unwary victims and
rejoicing as she checked them off ....
Presently she got dressed and went
out to luncheon and shopping with
| a friend When she came back she
hoped that the last of the. invaders
would have buzzed out his final pro-
tests on the sticky fly paper
H1lda, the maid, some hours later
bore an armful of freshly ironed sheets
and towels as she tramped heavily
down the hall to the linen closet. Then
she dropped her burden with a thump
on & convenient table. When In the
course of putting them away she came
to the last sheet something seemed
wrong with it. Hilda investigated and
then she said: my land!" One Of the
pieces Of fly paper was immovably
glued to the under side of the sheet.
With mutterings of disgust, Hilda
peeled OF the sheet and tried to wash
1t out In the bath tub. Her efforts
| proved 20 her how very useless It was
| Tor fly to try to get away when
once he got stuck to the sticky stuff.
The fly paper she removed from its
| dangerous position on the liable. and
after atmlessly looking around for
an out OF the way place, deposited 1t
upon the topmost sofa pillow on the
library couch.
Linda Stebleton, aged 16, arrived
home from school o little later, bring
ing with her three girls. They burst
In with, gust of chatter and dis
tributed themselves through two
rooms recklessly. Thereupon .simulta-
neousiy arose wild shrIeks. Guest No.
1 mad planted her elbow on one sheet
OF hy paper and her endeavors to re-
move 1t glued 1t firmly to her other
hand. Guest No.. 2 had leaned back
her head and brought down a sheet
hanging over the edge of bookcase.
-FOUR pufs seemed inextricably at
tached to its surface Guest No. 8 was
trying to remove sheet from Linda's
! back.
After the excitement had cooled
down trifle Linda gazed upon the fly
paper with hostile eyes, Mother must
have put that horrid stuff aroundI"
she said. Il suppose she saw a fiyi
You'd think that one fly was a regi-
ment from the way she acts. Now,
where can we put the awful stuff?"
They prowled around with the sticky
paper gingerly held between their
thumbs and fingers and finally ar
ranged 1t to suit themselves Then
they devoted an hour to soap and alco.
hol in an .endeavor to rid themselves
OF the general sickness
TOD" Stebleton, aged eight, Joined
the procession when he rushed in and
sat down with a bounce on a sheet
that had slid into a chair His obiec-
tions were violent and acrid and II
took the efforts Of his sister and the
other three girls combined to calm
him. Taking the fly paper In no gen.
tie hand, Tod hurled It out Of his way.
Stebleton himself arrived home be-
fore hiS wife. Whats this? What's
this?" he demanded in his nervous
way, placing an investigating finger on
the pale yellow sheet on the hall
stand. 1t stuck. The other hand stuck,
too, when he hastily endeavored to get
1t of. His son and daughter fastened
to his rescue, explaining that doubt
less mother had been waging war
against her enemies, the flies
When Mrs. Stebleton came in, tired.
she was full Of apologies for her late
ness, she explained as she tossed of
her hat and her gloves and coat. I'm
simply dead!" she ended. i've Just
got to rest few minutes before
dress for dinner!" Then she threw
herself among the pillows on the II.
brary couch.
But not for long From Mrs. Steble-
toms appearance as she scrambled to
her feet wildly after horrifed in
stant IT seemed that Linda and her
three friends, Tod and Stebleton all
had followed Hilda's example In choos.
Ing the sofa pillows on that couch as
a safe place to stow the sticky sheets
OF fly paper out OF the way. Every last
one Of them was plastered on Mrs.