.

This morning I flew over to the farm-house again, through the kitchen
door, and into the nursery. I thought I would find a glass of milk and
have a nice bath and my breakfast. But, alas! the baby was not in his
crib. The room was so still and cold it frightened me and I flew out. I
saw several strange men and women; the women were all crying and the men
looked sad. A man was fastening something white on the front door. I
tried to understand it all, but I could not catch any word except
"TYPHOID." I wonder what that means, anyhow? As no one will tell me, I
must be off to the next farm-house to hunt a good dinner.

This was a sensible fly, do you not think so, children? Thousands of
other flies might tell the same story if we would only watch their
habits and listen to what they have to say.

QUESTIONS

1. I wonder if any of you can guess what was the
matter with the baby on the morning the fly found
it red and hot?

2. What had happened when the fly went back to
it?

3. What caused the baby to have typhoid fever?

4. What is a germ?

5. Where did the little fly say he was hatched? It
is in such places as this--in stables and other
filthy places--that all flies are hatched and
raised. They all like good things to eat. Flies
can smell a good thing to eat a long way off; so
they soon find their way to the kitchen and
dining-room. On their way to the kitchen, they
often stop by the out-houses and gather on their
feet and legs a lot of dirt and germs. I must tell
you now that the fly can get the typhoid germ or
plant only from human filth.

NOTE.--The teacher should have an inexpensive
microscope and show the children a fly,--its head
and its feet especially.

6. Have you ever seen a fly under a magnifying
glass? On the bottom of the fly's feet are little
glue-like pads and a number of little hairs on his
body and feet, to which germs and bits of dirt
stick. The fly in this story had come to the
farm-house for the first time, you know, when he
found the pitcher of milk and had such a nice
bath. He had been gathering germs and dirt on his
feet, both from his early home in the barn-yard
and from the ou