Evening star., 1949-09-03
This and That
Bv Charles E. TyaceiUeU

Templeton Jones hates centipedes.
This fact is basic to proper understand
ing of what follows
AS some men despise Republicans, and
others are wary Of rattlesnakes Temp Jones
reserves his spleen for the agile thousand
logger. .s ,....~. ..5
This odd creature, relative Of the insects,
but not exactly of them, has become pest
in the Jones household.
It comes in by the dozen when fall comes
around, and always comes to jones own
room. much to his-shall we say-chagrin.
*
Actually, it is more than that. It is, with
Templeton Jones, combination Of honest
dislike, probably innate fear. and extreme
lack. of sympathy.
Yes, that's it.
Jones utterly has no sympathy with the
centipede. except that he admires its run
ming ability.
Since most persons never see these noe
turnal denizens. they do not realize that
they can run at rate Of. perhaps. go miles
an hour.
With all those feet, that's not to be Won
dered at! But think Of the possibilities OF
getting them mixed up.
X X
Templeton Jones is the man who first
used the vacuum cleaner to catch centipedes.
On one invasion several years ago, ne
caught more than 100 Of the largest size
and that is pretty big-in night forays.
Three or four at time-that is the way
they come up.
Most people never see them at all. because
they sleep soundly, and the runners never
bother them, being after spiders and the like.
But Templeton JONES' not being very
heavy sleeper, discovered several Of them
on his ceiling one night, and from then on
it has been war.
The upright type of vacuum sweeper re-
duces them instantly to pulp. Jones is
not sure what his tank type does to them,
but one thing is certain, they are never seen
again.
This preoccupation with centipedes is
pretty bad, Jones had been told, from the
Freudian standpoint.
"Hokum," says Jones, succinctly.
IT just don't like 'em, and that is all there
is to it., he continues.
Certainly the largest, with long legs, and
casting a great black shadow, are things in
q caveman's dream. The commonality of
mankind is right in refusing to wake up to
look at them.
Jones is not the usual sort. (He enjoys,
We suspect, being differently
His warfare against the centipede tribe
is something he enjoys, being Templeton
Jones.
The other night Jones woke with q start.
Something told him to look up.
Z He looked up, but there was nothing there
His sixth sense, however, warned him not
to stop looking.
So he stepped out into the hail. snapped
on the light latter first swapping on the one
downstairs-he has been doing that for 20
years. and looked up.
Sure enough. there it was, little one this
time, but unquestionably centipede.
Jones unlimbered his pet vacuum cleaner,
rolled 1t out. and grabbed for the long snaky
tube.
At this point Mrs. Jones appeared in
the hall.
did you catch one, Templeton?" she
asked, sympathetically.
did II" asked Jones. proudly mot q
large one, but too large for me. was hoping
for a large one"
Mrs. Jones smiled, still sympathetically.
What is that just above your head?" she
purred.
Templeton Jones looked up-and there
was the granddaddy Of all centipedes. poised
as if to drop squarely down on his head.
The yell he set up must have convinced
the neighbors that the fastidious Mr.. Jones
was having nightmare.
But it really waf just eentipeds, after al.