turns into a new toober-chlosis bug and busts into a thousand pieces,
and so on, and the chicken gits all filled full of toober-chlosis
bugs before it knows it. When a chicken snaps up one toober-chlosis
bug it has a million in it inside of half an hour and that chicken
don't last long, and when the bugs make for the house--What's that on
your dress there now?"

Mrs. Gratz looked at her arm indifferently.

"Nothing," she said.

"I thought mebby it was a toober-chlosis bug had got on you already,"
said the thin Santa Claus. "If it was you would be all eat up inside
of half an hour. Them bugs is awful rapacious."

"Yes?" inquired Mrs. Gratz with interest. "Such strong bugs, too, is
it not?"

"You bet they are strong--" began the stranger.

"I should think so," interrupted Mrs. Gratz, "to smash up padlocks on
such chicken houses. You make me afraid of such bugs. I don't dare let
you go out there to get your bones and feet all eat up by them. I
guess not!"

"Well, you see--you see--" said the thin Santa Claus, puzzled, and
then he cheered up. "You see, I ain't afraid of them. I've been
fumigated against them. Fumigated and antiskep--antiskepticized. I've
been vaccinated against them by the Board of Health. I'll show you the
mark on my arm, if you want to see it."