Evening star., 1945-10-09
This and That
By Charles E. Trdce,1eH.

Mr.. JONES' asked the young man,
with the pencil and paper, "how did You
come to invent your famous vacuum
method of catching centipedes?p
The great man leaned back, and
smiled at the reporter
Young man." he said, II didn't in-
vent it--it invented itself.
You see, it was this way-there was
the centipede on the ceiling, and ]
wasn't tall enough to reach it.
Il knew il I stood on the bed, and
tried to bat it into oblivion from there,
I probably would knock the creature
down onto my arm.
Have you ever had a centipede run
over your arm, young MANI"
The young man hadn't.
Nor would he want to, he asserted,
with no little fervor.
The inventor of vacuum trapping
waved his hand.
We'll, there I was, a four -incher on
the ceiling, and I down on the floor.
How was I to reach it? 1t was
pretty problem, and lesser men, If I
may say so, might have solved it by the
practical method of hauling off with
a slipper and soiling the ceiling with
centipede blood.
Il had just painted that ceiling, and
I had ne intention of messing up my
work. I can be as practical as the next
one, when I want to be-
"I am sure of that" murmured the
reporter.
But wanted to get that centipede."
continued Jones, Il had to get him in
careful, quiet, but thorough way.
"Suddenly-"
Eyes, yes-go on" the reporter
breathed.
Suddenly I thought of my wife's
vacuum sweeper. remembered the long
tube, with which the housekeeper is
supposed to 60 over the furniture, etc.
II recalled that this device would take
in all dust, threads and lint, the sue
ton being very powerful.
IT realized, in the twinkle of cent?
pedes eye, that this long tube was the
very thing needed to take one off the
ceiling"
'It really works, them"
Works, young fellow? Why you
should see it. The arst time I was
doubter, just as you are. I didn't know
whether the suction would overcome the
pull of all those legs"
"Tell me, MIR. Jones'" said the re-
porter. as he looked up from his scrib-
bling, ''has centipede really got a hun
dred legs?"
Il never counted em," replied the
inventor, "but I understand that he
hasn't. But when ore runs down your
arm, you think he has about thou
'a@I' II lifted up the tube he went on,
"and approached the open end to the
centipede."
why didn't it run with all those
legs?"
at didn't run because, like 20 many
humans, it was victim Of its own clever
ness.
"It had the idea that If it remained
| still, it would be In better position to
see danger when 1t came.
7 MANY q man, and many cent?
pede, has fallen victim to that fallacy.
| A iuid approach makes him stay still a
| second too long.
1 "I approached the tube, and the
creature didn't start to run until II
felt the pull Of air driven by something
/ out Of its experience, motor.
| "It tried with all. its legs, but grad
4 ually each one was pulled loose, and
i then away 1t went swirling down the
long tube to destruction"
THAT first centipede must have beer
3 big thrill" said the reporter. noting
down big thrill"
"You said it." replied Templetor
Jones, falling into the vernacular. NOnly
don't say it too pointedly. The point i.
simply that the first centipede in worle
history to come Oh a ceiling by vacuum
sweeper was local centipede."
"It was your idea," suggested the re.
porter.
Yes, but It was . local centipede, :
said Templeton Jones, firmly.