164 The Book of Bugs. 



' Oh, get out ! Who ever heard of painting the front 

 stoop red ? ' 



' Honest, it is. Come out and see." 

 Yes and then you holler: ' Rubber! ' I know you." 

 True as I live it's painted red. No foolin'. Hope to 

 die if it aint." 



' Well now, if you're fooling me Well, sir, so 



it is." 



"Didn't I tell you it was ?" 



Well, of all things ! Folks, come out here ! The 

 front stoop is painted red ! ' Then there was a great 

 hub-bub, or whoop-up, to be etymological. Some didn't 

 like it at all. Said it looked too conspicuous. Others 

 objected to these new-fangled ways of doing things, and 

 declared a red front stoop was too much like the Catho- 

 lics, but by and by they got used to it, as parishioners will 

 when there is a change in the ritual. By and by blue 

 paper was substituted, and there was more excitement 

 and talk of complaining to the bishop and the Standing 

 Committee, but it passed over. The next thing was that 

 the blue paper was taken away and the nest left as it 

 was in the beginning. Then all the High-Church wasps 

 were dissatisfied and went around with their noses in the 

 air. " P. E.," said they scornfully. ' Oh, dreadfully 

 Prot." 



Then came the practical joke. The red paper was put 

 back and left on for twenty-four hours, after which it 

 was removed and fastened up a foot away. The wasps 

 alighted on it, and crawled through the hole, expecting 

 to find themselves at home. They did look so sold when 

 they found themselves still out of doors ! The Low 

 Church wasps said then that they always knew that 

 Ritualism was just a scheme to get folks to go over to 

 Rome. 



