Part 37 (1/2)

That night the Mosquito Man telephoned to a drainage expert in New York and demanded that he come out the next day

”I don't like to work on Sunday,” the expert objected

”It is absolutely essential that you come at once,” he was told ”Can you take the first train?”

The first train and the expert arrived in Darien at 5:51 Before the day was over a contract had been drawn up to the purport that the expert would drain the salt marshes between Stamford and South Norwalk for 4,000

The Mosquito Man now began to talk mosquitoes to every one ould listen and to ,” the old settlers called him at the ti wo, made bets as to whether he would talk mosquitoes--and he always did Every property-owner in the townshi+p was asked for a subscription, and soardly and soive at all The subscriptions were voluntary, for no one could be forced to re nuisance from his property This was in 1911, and only in 1915 has a mosquito law been passed in Connecticut The Mosquito Man was forced to use ”indirect influence,” which does not expediteland corporation of the neighborhood, after the ”indirect influence” had rather forcibly expressed itself

”I want 1,000 from you,” said the Mosquito Man to the representative of the president--the president was in South Ahed, so the Mosquito Man spent several days explaining to him why property is more valuable when it is not infested with pests But every time that the 1,000 was mentioned, the representative could not restrain the smile

”Well,” the Mosquito Man said, at last, ”I will e on your property anyway, and it will cost me 2,000 If you want it left you will have to pay me every cent of the 2,000, not just the 1,000 that I a now Otherwise I shall fill up my ditches and let you enjoy your h at this, but cabled the president in South America As the president had just been at Panama, and had seen the mosquito extermination work, the 1,000 subscription came back by return cable

The Darien Board of Health also was a spot against which in direct influence was knocking, for it was a rich Board of Health with 150 at its disposal--and the Mosquito Man wanted that appropriation to flaunt in the faces of the old settlers

”God sent mosquitoes,” objected onein the face of Providence to try to get rid of them”

All in all, the ave 25, and soave 100, and soive at all--but a sail-ave 5, and ”I haven't regretted a cent of it since”

The draining now commenced, and the expert and the Mosquito Man were of the same stripe The as completed in six weeks Just about this ti,” and the members of the Country Club even tried to make him talk mosquitoes to them, while the sail-maker felt sure that his 5 had done the whole job Ha outside of the screens is the barometer of thevery satisfied the night he went to a dance at the Country Club But the east wind blew in the mosquitoes fro experience I have ever had,” said the Mosquito Man ”I sat right behind a big fat lady whose dress was very low and I watched the mosquitoes bite her; her whole back was covered with red luraphed to the raphed back that all of Norwalk townshi+p must be drained”

Norwalk proved to be a much severer task than Darien In Darien the Mosquito Man had found only indifference and prejudice; in Norwalk he met active opposition Property owners and city councils seeht down if any sanitation scandal is advertised It really appeared to be sinore the fact

To do aith this opposition, the Mosquito Man handled his can in a popular ained and every day he published articles on the mosquito question; some of the articles were educational and others were facetious--while one ca ”ave the statistics of Norwalk's health rate in comparison with other Connecticut towns The siven a dollar to a cause, that cause is his Many a child was received with a welcon offices a ten-cent donation

True, ten-cent donations were not suggested to adult contributors, and the Mosquito Man didto their means He still tells with relish of the club of women which took up a collection, after his talk, and presented hih, were reatest help,” he adds; ”I found that the wolad to be organized to fight the mosquito and fly menace Of course, I found some uneducated ones that owned a piece of property a foot square, and were afraid that I would walk off with it in my pocket if I came to look it over--but, as for the educated won without thee contributor to the fund was the monastery at Kaiser Island For years this had been a summer resort for the monks, who filled the dormitories in the old days before the mosquitoes took the island Only one priest was there when the Mosquito Man visited the place to ask for a subscription

”Very few come any more,” said the priest ”It is because of the et rid of them?” asked the Mosquito Man

Briefly, the Mosquito Man offered to repay the 500 himself if he did not exterminate the mosquitoes The mosquitoes went; the monks came back to Kaiser Island

Yet, in spite of the occasional generous giver, the 7,500 was never quite raised, and the Mosquito Man himself had to make up the deficit

The citizens of Norwalk, for instance, contributed only 150