1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



601 



a picture, but he finally consented ]'for the 

 children's sake. 



I shall never forget the enjoyable time 

 spent at the home of Mr. McCubbin, and 

 how I ate apricots to my full. While I en- 

 joyed being at the McCubbin home, I want- 

 ed to see just how Rambler "bached it." 

 Two or three times I hinted that I should 

 like to see his quarters; but he turned the 

 subject until finally I told him I was going 

 to see his bachelor quarters, eat Rambler 

 flapjacks, and that he might just as well 

 submit to the inevitable. To make a long 

 story short, we did visit his ranch at one of 

 the McCubbin out-yards, a glimpse of which 

 we showed last 3"ear, and which I now re- 

 produce. The tree in front of which Mr. 

 McCubbin and his two children sit I saw, 

 and know that the statement made under 

 the picture is not far from correct. The 

 little cabin, in close proximity to a delight- 

 ful overspreading fig--tree, on which were 

 black figs, was the home of the Rambler, 



EUCALVl'TUS-TKEE PLANTED 12 YEARS AGO, 

 FEET HIGH AND 3 FEET IN DIAMETK 



where he was baching it alone, wrote his 

 articles, and took care of the bees. 



I hung around the kitchen while Rambler 

 was going through the sleight-of-hand act, 

 lifting the batter of dough after it had been 

 nicely browned on one side, and giving it a 

 twist and a whirl so it would come down 

 kerslap precisely on the same spot from 

 which it had been so deftly elevated, but 

 the other side up. But there was a big 

 family of us that day — Mr. McCubbin and 

 his two children, the Rambler, and myself, 

 and well do I remember how the sweat roll- 

 ed down the Rambler's face as he slapped 

 down those cakes, one after another, and 

 finally asked if we did not suppose we had 

 had enough. Out under the before-men- 

 tioned fig-tree Rambler put his spread, to 

 which we all sat down and ate with a 

 relish. Really I do not see what he needs 

 of an "esposa," for I assume he can cook 

 as well in Cuba as in California. 



Just over his bed, in the little cabin be- 

 fore mentioned, was a picture of 

 his father and mother, and of the 

 wife of his younger days. To me 

 there was something sad and al- 

 most pathetic in Rambler's face 

 when I asked him if that was a 

 picture of Mrs. Martin. For all 

 we have joked him these years 

 about his being an old bachelor, 

 and all that, the picture of the 

 sweet face on the wall revealed 

 that there was a dear one who 

 won his heart years ago, and she 

 was still dear to him, notwith- 

 standing she had been dead these 

 many years. Possibly I ought 

 not to mention a matter so sacred 

 to the one now living; but I be- 

 lieve our readers should know 

 that our friend who has shown 

 so much lig-ht-hearted jollity in 

 these columns has his serious 

 side as well as a not-to-be-for- 

 gotten sorrow. No wonder we 

 see in all his writings, tinctured 

 with so much of the pleasant side 

 of life, evidence every now and 

 then of "the tie that binds" him 

 to the last home from which he 

 will wander no more. Often I 

 have thought since then of the 

 Rambler in his lonely home; but 

 have always been comforted by 

 the feeling that his hope in the 

 beyond gives him peace and hap- 

 jjiness, notwithstanding earth's 

 best friend is temporarily absent 

 from him. 



I omitted to state that the euca- 

 lyptus is an important honey-bear- 

 ing tree. It is a rapid grower, and 

 furnishes delightful shade. It is 

 almost indispensable in some lo- 

 calities in California. vSome spe- 

 cies of eucalyptus, known as gum- 

 tree, grow to the height of over 

 NOW 85 400 feet. 



