The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-07-21
The Spectator

Are you acquainted with mans most
insignificant. insidlOus and persistent
enemy? I'm talking, Of course, OF the
Oklahoma chigger Jigger, the lexi.
cographers call him but chigger he
IN In Oklahoma. And he's the lOudest,
most Industrious blatant mouthed
citizen Of the commonwealth. And,
when YOU come TO look over the pOliti
cal eleIpent and take Its capabilities
along that line into consideration,
that's giving the chlgger some dis
t%lnction, believe me. A time age |
was called to attend the funeral VI a
very dear friend. A man OF upstand-
Ing Integrity, with a nature as simple
and tender as Il child, had fallen.
Great throngs attended. The services
were held OF the spacious lawn Of the
family residence, for no building in
the state could have housed the sor-
rowing people. l stood In the velVety,
clOse-cropped grasses and listened for
an hour to touching music and stirring
oratory. And for Il week now | have
been scratching, scratching. | have
marshRlled the druggists, the bacteri-
ologists, the doctors OF every school,
and even old Indian coniurers. Post.
lively, there was nothing doing.
Science has not yet discovered any
thing that IL capable Of heading OFF
your busy little chlgger friend, once
he has taken a liking TO you. Yestkr-
day, as | worked with one hand and
scratched with the other, | thought Of
those thousands who were exposed
also. | telephoned to find out about
II. And they told me that the entire
population had been fighting the red
bugs ever since the funeral that the
drug stores we're sold out VI all the
various kinds Of dope theoretically sup.
posed to be good for chiggers, That's
the trouble: All this drug store stuff
Ia good for 'em whereas the sufferer
wants something that win kill 'em.
For the first time in my life i am in
sympathy with the sign Keep off the
grass" No more lawn funerals or
fetes for me Can you. ~perchance,
give me an answer TO the question :
Why is a chigger7
Too much cannot be said Of the yer
sltality Of the Oklahoma climate.
Last year we withered and parched
with heat and drought. This year we
! have been wallowing in water and
chestily going about our business un-
der temperatures mat make the alti.
tudes Of the Colorado resorts appear
like cheap limitations. Twenty four
hours ago It seemed we were In for
some torpid. not to say tepid, weather.
Coats became suddenly b%urdensome
and there sprang up that insane, al
most uncomfortable longing TO adopt
the fashions so popular In the Garden
Of Eden back Wonder In the morning
OF creation. Then. without notice
there came a delicious breeze from the
northland, bringing to our minds the
old New England scenes, and to oui
lips the old. old song OF "Greenland's
ley Mountains" In the impossible
hours " the morning, when Sleep re
fuses 90 Yield a jot OF title, there
was a scramble for blankets, and We
peeked from cover this morning hail,
wondering II the fall had been one
inch OF six. Geet This oklahomf
climate Is great. I read a profes
serial explanation Of the freakishnes.
Of the weather doings the other day
According to the eminent authority The
world Is whlrling round and 'roun'
all the while. had heard this be
fore, though old Calico got himself
into all sorts of trouble n few thou
sand years ago, by talking that sor
Of gibherish. According to this em'
nent authority the day after they nav
: shreds and sllyers over there In En-
rope. Oklahoma II directly underneath
the aforesaid shiyered atmospher'
which. by that time. has gathers
|, itself together and II ready TO ge
even. II gets even by pouring gu
? rain and other unusual things ON IN
, United States ~ America. Whic
. fairly meets my Idea Of a miscarrier
~ justice No; YOU don't have 10 %
lieye n. IT'S probably, Just scahua