896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CQLTURE. 



Dec. 15. 



of the cabin. Malt heard him shout, "El diablo! 

 spirit! gose! give me the gun! Matt Hogan's 

 gose!" 



It is a very strange freak of the human mind, 

 v^hen frightened by tilings supposed to be super- 

 natural, to grasp some deadly weapon for de- 

 fense. So Jose called for the gun; but luckily, 

 perhaps, for Matt Hogan, the guns were in the 

 house, and Mr. Ghering sat wedged against the 

 door while he was ualimbering his bulky form. 

 Matt Hogan, seeing the front window open, 

 as a means of self-preservation skipped through 

 it; and when Mr. Ghering and Jose opened the 

 rear door for the gun, Matt stood with folded 

 arms in the center of the room. 



Another yell escaped Jose, and a "Mein 

 dunder" from Mr. Ghering. He essayed to 

 close the door, but seemed to be for 

 the moment petrified. '"Hello, 

 boss," said Matt, in his old, natural 

 way, " what's the matter of all you 

 fellows? I'm not a diablo nor a 

 spirit -nor a subject for a dose of 

 lead. I'd prefer a dose of yer bacon 

 and coffee. Give me a lick at it, 

 an' I'll show yees that I'm flesh an' 

 blood an' jaw." 



Mr. Ghering, like a true phleg- 

 matic Dutchman, soon recovered 

 from his intense surprise. The rest 

 of the men were no less surprised, 

 for they had all given Matt up for 

 lost. They soon quieted down, and 

 even Jose came back into the circle, 

 with some hesitancy. Matt's keen relish for 

 the supper dispelled all doubts as to his cor- 

 poreal existence, and the men began to con- 

 gratulate him over his escape, and to ask ques- 

 tions. It was at a late hour that night when 

 they all retired, and even then Jos6 imagined 

 himself in conflict several times with " un 

 diablo." 



Before retiring, Mr. Ghering said, "Veil, 

 Matt, you haf missed several of our interesting 

 meetings at the Dawson place. I tells you they 

 vas become goot. first rate. They vas profit- 

 able. More peoples come than efer. The widow 

 Dawson haf improved shust splendid. She vas 

 more as ten years younger, mit plushes all ofer 

 her face, shust like von girl shweet sixteen 

 years oldt. I tells you what. Matt Hogan, 

 vidow Dawson vas all vool, von, doo, dree, 

 yard-sticks vide." 



Matt looked curiously at Mr. Ghering, won- 

 dering which was the more interesting to Mr. 

 Ghering — the meetings or the widow. But 

 Matt was too well bred to chaff the boss, and 

 turned the subject of conversation by asking, 

 " Well, Misther Ghering, did yees take good care 

 of me few swarms of baas while I was gone ? " 



"Not much," said Mr. Ghering; " the water 

 haf let them alone, and so haf I. But, Matt, 

 you will nefer want to look in the square face 



of a bee-hife again, after being so nearly drown- 

 ed with them. You'll nefer succeed a pudering 

 with those McBurger Dawson bees. They 

 are efil - spirit possessed; no, mine cracious, I 

 vill keep von mile away from them, and advise 

 you to do the same." 



Matt Hogan had a curious beaming in his 

 eyes, as much as to say, " Which is the more 

 dangerous— the stings of bees or the blushes of 

 Mrs. Dawson?" But Matt, remembering his 

 good breeding again, replied, " My friend Gher- 

 ing, sure and that's where yees be off yer reck- 

 onin'; for of all the occupations of me life, 

 there's nothing took hould of me so strong as 

 the kaaping of baas an' the creatin' of the beau- 

 tiful honey; an' though the little dariints sting 

 me from head to foot, though with them I gg 



Bad cpss to ypes Hojgan 

 phatsthpinatTprwid-vpr. 

 dy Buell i5kno(kPri 

 Knmniplioijsfit.wicl 

 shPPhan'^abpin cwr^i^ 

 wid me fly-trap shunhat 

 acfiP. away goes tliatye 

 a yci-yowing atihcfap' 

 he had met- a pfiahegraff' 



ijPPibpaftPPXplainin^ 

 Wiclyprmout.rnPouKl la- 

 ,5pa(lil('53 311 off into a 



WMaMf louKinlikpa 



pill liKeofhh whilst 

 ngr that iiifvpry jaws 

 •Ipr ramroil afaMPxuia 

 of IDS vice 3s though 

 of ould Nick 



into the river an' under the river, though me 

 clothes are torn an' me bones crushed, an' if 

 spirit-haunted an' divil-possessed, with them 

 I'll for ever take me stand, me beautiful baas." 



Last mouth was the warmest November in 

 many years, according to the Weather Bureau. 

 It has been a good time to get bees into winter 

 quarters, and I hope that by this time the bees 

 have been safely housed. 



The Michigan State bee-keepers will hold 

 their annual convention Jan. 1 and 2 at the 

 Doniphan Hotel, Mount Pleasant. Rates, $1.00 

 a day. The first session will be on the evening 

 of the 1st. There will probably be half fare on 

 the railroads. 



The evidence is now so full and complete, 

 that it does not seem to me there can be any 

 question that birds of various kinds have been 

 making the pinhole punctures that have been 

 laid at the door of the bees heretofore. Honey- 



