948 



GLEANlisfGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



lyEC. 



Every boy or girl, under 15 years of age, who writes a let- 

 ter for this department, containing somk valuable fact, not 



GENERALLY KNOWN, ON BEES OR OTHER MATTERS, will receive 



one of David Cook's excellent five-cent Sunday-school books. 

 Many of these booLs contain the same matter that you find in 

 Sunday-school hooks costing from $1.00 to $1.50. If you have 

 had one or more books, give us the names that we may not 

 send the same twice. We have now in stock six different 

 books, as follows; viz.: Sheer Off, Silver Keys, The Giant-Kill- 

 er; or. The Rohy Family, Rescued from Egypt, Pilgrim's 

 Progress, and Ten Nights in a Bar-Room. We have also Our 

 Homes, Part I., and Our Homes, Part II. Besides the above 

 books, you may have a photograph of our old house apiary, 

 and a photograph of our own apiary, both taken a great many 

 years ago. In the former is a picture of Novice, Bine Eyes, 

 and Caddy, and a glimpse of Ernest. We have also some pret- 

 ty little colored pictures of birds, fruits, Howers, etc., suitable 

 for framing. You can have your choice of any one of the 

 above pictures or books for every letter that gives us some 

 valuable piece of information. 



CONDUCTED BY ERNEST R. ROOT. 



THE BOYS' BEE-HIVE FACTORY. 



A FURTHER ACQUAINTANCE AVITH OUR 



OLD FRIEND (V) MR. SHIFTLESSNESS ; 



WHAT HE DOES, AND HOW HE 



GETS ALONG. 



fOU will remember that we left Jim- 

 mie and Sam "slicking up"' their 

 work-shop, and that Mrs. Green, aft- 

 er having instructed them how to go 

 to work, and what to do with the 

 refuse, left them. The two boys worked 

 together for some time in silence. Sam 

 sorted and put away the boards, while his 

 companion was master of the broom. As 

 the work progressed, their zeal to wipe out 

 all traces left by Old Shiftlessness grew 

 more and more apparent. 



" Well," said Sam, " it is not such a very 

 bad job after all." 



" No, it's just fun, ain't it V My! won't 

 we surprise your ma when she sees what 

 we've done '?'' 



"I rather reckon she "— 



"By cracky!" said Jimmy, interrupting, 

 " what's this down in the litter of dirt? I 

 swan, it's the hammer we've been hunting 

 all over for, as sure as "— 



'• I didn't know Mr. Shiftlessness ever hid 

 tools in that way. We might have hunted 

 for months, and it never would have turned 

 up. I recollect now of having used it in 

 that very place, and I guess no one has had 

 it since," said Sam, as he looked at the ham- 

 mer. 



" Yes, your pa said Old Shift, never put 

 tools away, and that he's more like some fel- 

 lows than he is other fellows. Leastwise 

 he's not like me." 



"Humph!" said Sam, as he pulled over a 

 pile of boards near the saw-table, and espied 

 tlie missing Aviench. " What do you call 

 this? You acknowledged, the other day, 

 that you had the wrench last, and here is 

 just exactly where you were working." 

 Then holding it up before his playmate's 



eyes he said, with an air of triumph, " If I 

 am shiftless, here is a sample of yours. 

 Come, let's shake hands on that, for we be 

 brethren." 



Jimmie was just on the point of retorting, 

 when, observing Sam's good-natured twin- 

 kle, and his allusion to brotherly kinship, 

 he softened. They pushed forward their 

 work, and by noon "every missing tool turned 

 up from its hiding-place, just where Old 

 Shiftlessness had left them. When the boys 

 had completed their work, Shiftlessness 

 stepped out and Order stepped in. The 

 noon whistle blew ; and as the boys proceed- 

 ed to draw on their coats, they remarked to 

 each other that it looked just a little better, 

 and, besides, they could find things now. 



As Sam sat eating at the dinner-table, he 

 recounted how they had driven Shiftlessness 

 off the premises. 



" You haven't quite yet," said his sister 

 Mary, casting sly glances at her brother's 

 hands. 



" My hands are just as clean as yours. 

 They are tanned, that's all. I will leave it 

 to ma." 



So saying, Sam placed one of his hands 

 beside that of his sister. Sam had been 

 working in the dust and dirt, and, not hav- 

 ing washed his hands, it is needless to say 

 there was quite a contrast. 



" Yes," said his mother, " I did not notice 

 your hands as you sat down to the table ; 

 but I must agree with your sister, that Mr. 

 Shiftlessness has not yet made his depart- 

 ure.'" 



Sam then appealed to his father, but ob- 

 tained no better satisfaction. 



At the request of his mother he got up 

 and washed his hands, which, when he had 

 done, he remarked, as he again took his seat, 

 " The^ dont look much different from what 

 they did."' 



" I think they are a decided improve- 

 ment," said his mother. 



" Yes," said Mr. Green, " your mother 

 and sister were right. If you have finished 

 your dinner I will now take a little time in 

 showing you how to arrange your tools." 



The two started for the barn-loft. On 

 arriving there, Mr. Green said : 



" Well, well ! you have done your work 

 much better than I thought you would. 

 Why I your floor is very clean. I think I 

 see evidence of your mother's supervision." 



" Ye^, ma did show us a little this morn- 

 ing; but we did all the work.'' 



" You all deserve credit ; but I see that 

 your tools are still scattered over your bench 

 in more or less confusion, and Old Shift., as 

 you call him, has a fashion, when he finds 

 tools thus, of getting them on the floor, and, 

 by degrees, slipping them into hiding- 

 places." 



" They are all picked up and put on the 

 bench. What more could you do?" said 

 Jimmie, who had just now formed himself 

 into one of the trio. 



" Very true ; but you can not tell at a 

 glance whether any tool is missing. For in- 

 stance, I want a tool. I go to this bench 

 and fumble them over. Perhaps I find it, 

 and perhaps I do not. Time is lost in either 

 case, particularly the latter. Well, suppose 



