Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1912-04-09
In the Tolls

There certainly were flaws some
where In the screens. As Ms Stebie-
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 a fly as she hates a
rattlesnake
Il simply cannot stand thisi" she
cried In wrath. So she went to the
phone and ordered sent over at oucc
quantity of sticky fly paper. When
II came 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
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.
Hilda, 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 jmmovably
glued to the under side of the sheet.
With mutterings of disgust, Hilda
peeled on the sheet and tried TO wash
IL out In the bath tub. Her efforts
proved % her how very useless it was
for a 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 aimlessly looking around for
an out of the way place, deposited it
upon the topmost sofa pillow on the
library couch.
Linda Stebleton, aged l6, arrived
home from school little later. bring
ing with her three girls. They burst
IN with a gust OF chatter and dis.
tributed themselves through two
rooms recklessly. Thereupon simulta.
neously arose wild shrieks. Guest No.
1 mad planted her elbow on one sheet
OF fly paper and her endeayors to re-
move 1t glued 1t firmly to her other
hand. Guest No. had leaned back
her head and brought down a sheet
hanging over the edge OF q bookcase.
-FOUR puffs seemed inextricabIy at
tached to its surface. Guest No. 2 was
trying to remove a sheet from Linda g
back.
After the excitement had cooled
down trifie Linda gazed upon the fly
paper with hostile eyes. Mother must
have put that horrid stuff aroundI"
she said. 81 suppose she saw a flyI
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-
mol In an endeavor to rid themselves
OF the general sickness
Tod" Stebleton. aged eight, toined
the procession when he rushed In and
sat down with a bounce on sheet
that had slid into a chair. His obiec.
t1ons 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 1t out Of his way
Stebleton himself arrived home he.
fore his wife. What's this? What's
this" he demanded in his nervous
way, placing an investigating finger on
the pale yellow sheet on the hall
stand. II stuck. The other hand stuck.
too, when he hastily endeavored to get
1T on. 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 off
her hat and her gloves and coat. I'm
simply dead!" she ended. i've just
got to rest a few minutes before I
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 a horrified IN.
stant 1t 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