SEVENTEEN YEARS UNDER GROUND. 359 



descriptions, "can you tell us what such destructive 

 creatures were made for ?" 



"That is a question, I fancy, that falls within the 

 province of the naturalist rather than the theologian," 

 replied the Doctor, with a smile, wisely declining to 

 enter into a problem of that nature. 



But Aunt Hannah was not quite satisfied with that 

 view of the matter, and suggested her own opinion by 

 a series of questions : " Does thee know, friend Abby, 

 why the ten plagues of Egypt were sent upon that 

 land ? or why the palmer-worm and the locust and the 

 canker-worm and the caterpillar were sent upon Israel 

 of old ? Does not the prophet Joel suggest an answer 

 when he says, "For the meat offering and the drink 

 offering is withholden from the house of your Lord ?" 



The Doctor, who was not proof against this challenge, 

 removed the spectacles from his eyes, and with a little 

 preparatory "ahem !" turned to answer Aunt Hannah. 

 Fortunately we were brought back from this theologi- 

 cal digression and saved the impending discussion by a 

 bit of hard fact which Hugh Bond interjected. 



"As to them loc — beg y 'r pardon, them Harvest- 

 flies, bein' destructive creeters, I never jes' see it, at all. 

 Some folks allers make a poweful fuss over 'em w'en 

 they come, and talk about the devourin' up uv every 

 green thing, an' so forth. But my exper'ence is that 

 ther bark 's wuss 'n ther bite. 



"Now, I never seed any leaves or other green things 

 eat up by locusts uv that sort. They does cut off a 

 power o' young shoots an' sich, an' sometimes, w'en 



