1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1001 



ticularly cross. I feel kindly and pleasant- 

 ly toward everybody; but, oh, how I do wish 

 to be just let alone ! A good old lady who 

 lives in the neighborhood has sometimes 

 tried me exceedingly by insisting on replies 

 in regard to the weather, the state of the 

 roads, etc. Why, I have actually left the 

 sidewalk and pushed off through the apiary, 

 simply to be excused from talking, or using 

 my brains when they were already used up. 

 Well, I pushed away over to the opposite 

 side of the walk, that I might let the little 

 girls pass, without slacking up my rapid 

 footsteps. One of them was accompanied 

 by a little yellow dog. At sight of me, with 

 my rapid movements, he seemed to think it 

 incumbent upon his dogship to bark and 

 growl ; and when I stepped clear off the 

 walk to evade him, he flew at me, snapping 

 and snarling, and, in spite of all I could do, 

 he grabbed me by the leg and bit me quite 

 severely, although he did not draw blood. 

 I tried to kick him, but he was too adroit, 

 and I was too tired to used much strength. 

 I made up my mind that any dog that thus 

 molests peaceable passers-by ought to be 

 killed, and so I looked for a stone or stick 

 to put my " project ,1 into execution. The 

 dog watched me as closely as I watched 

 him ; and, probably noticing that I could 

 not find any particular stone, he attempted 

 to bite me again. I have sometimes said 

 that I never wanted a pistol. Just then it 

 occurred to me that such an implement 

 would be exceedingly convenient. Ernest 

 has a shotgun, but he was away, and his 

 house was locked up. Uncle Hen, also, has 

 one to kill rats ; but I could not see him 

 anywhere in sight. It would have been a 

 real luxury just then to offer somebody a 

 five-dollar bill to make sure work of that 

 obnoxious " yaller dorg." Just then it oc- 

 curred to me, " Look here, old friend A. I. 

 Root, it strikes me you are considerably 

 stirred up. Hadn't you better cool off a 

 little?" I did not say any thing out loud, 

 but I said to myself, " The good of passers- 

 by and community at large demands that 

 that dog be killed." 



" Very likely it does ; but the minutes 

 are passing. Which is of the most impor- 

 tance — that you have your nap, and the 

 clear mental vision that will come after it, 

 or that you set the little girls to weeping by 

 killing "their pet dog— that is, if you are 

 smart enough to get him killed by using up 

 your whole half -hour of rest?" 



I looked— was it viciously or wistfully?— 

 toward the dog. I made some big resolu- 

 tions as I gave him a farewell glance while 

 he went off wagging his tail. I succeeded 

 in gaining my coveted place of rest and re- 

 tirement, but I was too much stirred up to 

 get to sleep. The little voice resumed : 



" Look here, my friend ; do you expect to 

 get to sleep when you are vehemently plan- 

 ning ways and means of putting that dog 

 out of existence V Why trouble yourself by 

 rehearsing what you will say to the owner 

 when you meet him after dinner? and. my 

 friend, how does your present mood har- 

 monize with the little text you are in the 

 habit of thinking over and over, as you 

 loose consciousness?" 



I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for 

 thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. 



Then came the thought, " It is a bigger 

 task than I am equal to." By and by an- 

 other text followed, something in that line : 



I can do all things through Christ which 

 strengtheneth me. 



The twinges in the calf of my leg where 

 the dog bit me still tended to rouse com- 

 bative feelings, and for a little time I feared 

 I was not going to make the desired haven. 

 Then I remembered the time when I " laid 

 me down in peace to sleep," when the fac- 

 tory warehouse was burning. " Shall a poor 

 mistaken yellow dog spoil my usefulness, 

 spoil my temper, and spoil my rest during 

 this bright day when so many responsibili- 

 ties are resting on my shoulders, and when 

 I am needed so much ? " Then came 

 thoughts in the line of that beautiful little 

 text, at the head of our talk to-day : 



He that is slow to anger is better than the 

 mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that 

 taketh a city. 



And I conquered the bad spirit. I slept, 

 and woke up just as the whistle was blow- 

 ing 2 refreshed in mind and body, and with 

 praise and thanksgiving in my heart. If 

 fifteen minutes of sleep can work such a 

 miracle to others who are subject to nerv- 

 ous exhaustion, I shall do good service in 

 urging upon tired and exhausted humanity 

 this God-given remedy — this plan of invig- 

 orating without medicine. When I glanced 

 at the hill as I hurried toward the factory, 

 one of the staves of the great tub was raised 

 aloft, clearly and sharply defined against 

 the blue sky. Before I had passed the hun- 

 dred yards between my residence, and the 

 factory where the notes of the organ pro- 

 claimed the noon service begun, three more 

 staves were placed beside the first one, and 

 I felt happy, and for several reasons. I had 

 ruled the spirit that would do me harm. It 

 may not have been a very evil spirit, it is 

 true ; but it was one that would have un- 

 fitted me for my task had I listened to it ; 

 and I felt happy, too. to think that the bet- 

 ter spirit had triumphed— that A. I. Boot 

 had effectually, calmly, and coolly and de- 

 liberately ruled, and not a sudden impulse. 

 Do you wish, dear reader, to know the fate 

 of that yellow dog? Well, so far as I know 

 he still goes about on four legs ; but I hope 

 not, however, abusing people who are at- 

 tending to their own affairs on their own 

 premises, as he abused me. I still think, 

 however, that he and all of his race that 

 have that disposition should be abolished 

 from— sidewalks. May be they ought to be 

 extinguished completely from the face of 

 the earth. If a majority of the community 

 should so decide, all right : but in handling 

 all these questions we should remember 

 there a multitude of tastes to consult. Dogs 

 have seemed to me to be a rather useless ap- 

 pendage to society, therefore I am not a fit 

 one to judge. I have not yet spoken to the 

 owner of the dog, neither do I know the 

 laws of our land in regard to cases of this 

 sort. This I do know, however, that what- 

 ever needs to be done should be done in a 

 line of the littletext which says, " If it be 



