The Aristocrat of the Kitchen. 115 



eyelashes of their children, are often made to grieve at 

 the sight of those lovely lashes nibbled over night by 

 roaches in the most distressingly mangy-looking manner. 

 It is said the Brazilian housekeepers encourage spiders 

 which destroy the roaches. Maybe so, but I think it is 

 just an excuse for not getting rid of the spiders. Finger- 

 nails and toe-nails are also considered delicate eating by 

 roaches, which have strong biting jaw r s, even if they do 

 work sidewise instead of up and down. 



Having no particular objection to anything they can 

 get their jaws into, there is one service of which they are 

 capable. But first let me tell a little story. Once there 

 was a little English boy born to a family of the name of 

 Bugg. His sponsors in baptism gave him the Christian 

 name of Bedford. \Yhat they could have been thinking 

 of the dear above only knows, for I can't imagine. 

 \Yhen Bedford Bugg grew up to be a man he found his 

 collocation of names a burden too grievous to be borne, 

 so he petitioned Parliament to let him change his sur- 

 name to Norfolk-Howard, which was done; thus out- 

 fitting my gentleman with three of the most aristocratic 

 appellations in the United Kingdom, and at the same 

 time supplying lodging-house keepers with a most gen- 

 teel word to be used thus, ' And, sir, you will find no 

 Norfolk-Howards in my beds.'' Well, then, the one 

 service of which the cockroach is capable to usward is 

 that it will destroy Norfolk-Howards mercilessly, pursu- 

 ing the shrieking creatures into the farthest recesses and 

 slaying them without regard to age or sex. It is a great 

 service, but, like that of the red ant, considering that it 

 means the permanent establishment of the cockroach in 

 the house, the price is cruel high. Better stick to 

 sulphur. 



For, once the cockroach has decided that he likes the 



