894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15. 





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FTER Fred's de- 

 parture from 

 Sacramento with 

 Dr. Hayden and 

 his party, Matt 

 H ogan com- 

 menced his jour- 

 ney up the river 

 astride the little Indian pony. Matt was a 

 sociable fellow, and his tongue was never idle 

 when anybody was near to talk to; and now, 

 having only the pony for a companion, ho kept 

 up a running conversation at times with it, as 

 the mood seemed to strike him. When the 

 pony would persist in going at a loo rapid gait, 

 Matt would shout, good uaturedly, " Whoa, 

 now, me beauty, take a rist. Yees are too am- 

 bitious intirely. Yees must spare yees nimble 

 legs; for did yees but know it yees are to be a 

 lady's pony. A foine lady she is too, barrin' a 

 few mintal throubles. It is becoming of yees 

 to be promoted from the society yees have been 

 a kaapin", to the gintle society of the professor's 

 daughter. But methinks me charmin' Biddy 

 Malooney would look quite as well aslant of 

 yer back; but, begorry, me Biddy 'd never dis- 

 grace yees to get aboard of yees asthraddle. 

 But about the professor's daughter, it's meself 

 that's doubtful. Her mintal throubles have so 

 unbalanced her mind, and body too, that she 

 may have to sthraddle yees to hould on, sure. 

 Now, I am a wontherin', too, if all those women 

 who imitate men's ways are not a little mintal- 

 ly unbalanced. Be gorry, it's meself that's a 

 believin' they are. Ah, luck-a-day! this is a 

 quaar world intirely, and it's quaar people we 

 are jostlin' against all the time. But yees are 

 a beautiful baste, and Adrietta is yer name. 

 It is such a beautiful name, too — a match to 

 the foine lady's name that'll ride yees. Bedad. 

 now, I don't believe Fred heard the docthor 

 when he tould me yer name. He would have 

 been sthruck wid it, sure." 



So Matt Hogan beguiled his time as he lei- 

 surely .iourneyed up the river; and on the third 

 day in the afternoon he rode confidently into 

 the grounds and up to the residence of Prof. 

 Buell, who was working at the Cyprus hedge, 

 and did not notice the approach of Matt until 

 he was within a few feet of him. When he did 

 look up and behold who was before him, his 

 pruning-shears dropped from his hands, and he 



stared at Matt in speechless and opsn-eyed 

 wonder." 



" Bedad, now. Professor Buell, it's meself and 

 not me spook that's a grinnin' at yees," said 

 Matt as he sprang from the pony and shook 

 hands with Mr. Buell. 



"Well, well! Of all the wonderful things," 

 said Mr. Buell. "I was really startled to see 

 you. Surely. Matt Hogan, we thought you 

 dead." 



Mrs. Buell, hearing the greeting, came to the 

 door and also expressed her unbounded aston- 

 ishment. 



Matt briefly narrated the incidents of his 

 escape from a watery grave, and finally of his 

 meeting with Fred Anderson in Sacramento. 



" Fred and I thought each other drowned, 

 sure. The lasht thing I remimber was our 

 tumblin' into the wather on the work-binch, 

 and the baas and the foine honey all a tumblin' 

 with us. And (do you belave it, Misther Buell ?) 

 we were riserrected to each other furninst a 

 honey show in Sacramento." 



" Well, Matt, we are heartily glad of your 

 escape and return; but what has happened to 

 Fred that he did not return with you ? " 



"Furninst all of his bad luck, Mr. Buell, 

 Fred is yet a baa-man, honor to his grit, and 

 has gone off to the mountains with a great baa- 

 master. He bought this pony of the baa-mas- 

 ter for your daughter, Mr. Buell; and in deliv- 

 erin' it to yees I must say it is a gintle and 

 beautiful pony." 



"It is a beauty indeed," said Mrs. Buell. I 

 knew we could trust Fred to select a pony. 

 Now we must give it a pretty name." 



"An', sure, that is what she has already," 

 said Matt. "It is much like yer daughter's — it 

 is Adrietta." 



"Adrietta!" said both Mr. and Mrs. Buell, 

 putting up their hands, and advancing a step. 

 "Adrietta! Adrietta! impossible!" 



" Sure, it must be possible," said Matt, taken 

 aback by the earnestness of Mr. and Mrs. Buell. 

 " When I was a lavin' the corral with the pony 

 it was tould to me by the docthor." 



" Doctor!" said Mr. and Mrs. Buell again, in 

 greater excitement. 



"Sure, Misther Buell, it must be me clumsy 

 way o' sayin' it. But I'm thryin' to say that 

 the man that Fred has gone away with, and 

 the man he bought the pony of, and the man 



