ArRii.. 1919 



G r. E A N I N G S IN BEE C IM. T U H E 



some riijht little ones, tho — evidently just 

 hatched out. But isn 't it too bad to have 

 to be a worm in order to get wings, and 

 fly?" 



Daddy Lowe smiled. "Sometime we'll 

 talk that out," he promised. "But now let's 

 finish with this comb, so we can go on with 

 our work. Inside the cells that are sealed 

 with the brown coarse covering, the worms 

 are getting their wings. The cells around 

 the top, with a lighter seal, contain honey." 



Anne was so interested that she yielded 

 the comb reluctantly. But when Daddy 

 Lowe, drawing out another, announced the 

 queen on it, she fluttered over to his side, 

 all excitement. 



"You beauty!" was all she said, "You 

 slim golden beautj'! " 



' ' Do you see that the wings on one side 

 are clipped off?" the man asked. 



"Sure enough," she agreed; "Why?" 



' ' To keep her from flying away with a 

 swarm. And that keeps the swarm from 

 flying off, for they won't go without their 

 queen. ' ' 



One after another the combs were ex- 

 amined, Daddy Lowe marking down in a 

 record book the estimated amount of stores 

 and brood on hand — or food and babies, as 

 Anne said. "When I find about how the 

 different colonies are running," he explain- 

 ed, "I shall probably take some honey and 

 some brood away from part of them to give 

 to those a little backward." 



In another hive he pointed out the pollen 

 cells, packed with their hard, dry, varicolor- 

 ed treasure. "And you've seen the bees 

 coming in loaded with pollen, haven't you? 

 They 're bringing in a lot today. ' ' 



"You mean those bright balls sticking on 

 their legs? Yes, I was going to ask j^ou 

 about them. Is that pollen?" 



"Yes, that's pollen. They gather it from 

 different flowers and pack it into their pol- 

 len baskets, an arrangement of hairs on the 

 back legs, and bring it home." 



In still another hive an undipped queen 

 was found. "Superseded," rernarked Dad- 

 dy Lowe, "that is, the bees raised a young 

 queen and made way somehow with their 

 old one. My record shows the other to 

 have been clipped. And soon it will show 

 this one clipped. ' ' 



Deftly he picked up the royal lady by her 

 wing, quickly putting the tip of the first 

 finger of his left hand under her; and when 

 the little feet grasped the finger, the thumb 

 closed gently but tightly upon them, hold- 

 ing her fast, even after her wings were re- 

 leased. Then with the free right hand, he 

 picked up his scissors and skillfully cut off 

 the wings on one side. Anne let go her 

 breath. 



"That looks like a delicate operation," 

 she said appreciatively, "and delicately 

 done. I'd likely kill her." 



' ' Hardly that, but you might injure her 

 the first trial. Sometime you shall experi- 

 ment with a drone. They 're not so precious 

 as queens. ' ' 



"What a good idea! And now. Daddy 

 Iiowe, you've told me a lot and shown me 

 more, and I am most grateful. But I know 

 I'm bothering. So please go on and don't 

 pay any more attention to me. I'll stay and 

 watch, but I'll keep my questions till later. 

 It '11 mean a lot to me to see just how you 

 do when you 're not being interrupted. ' ' 



Daddy Lowe took her at her word. Hive 

 after hive he opened and looked thru, the 

 girl sitting opposite him, watching closely 

 but seldom speaking. Finally, however, she 

 failed to follow, as he moved on to other 

 hives. Quietly, veil turned back, she sat 

 watching the bees drop in from their flights, 

 heavy with their precious treasure brought 

 from afar. Their rapturous humming moved 

 her deeply. Some of them, she knew, were 

 bringing in nectar, tho it was nowise to be 

 seen. Others came careening under great 

 burdensome balls of the gay dust of flow- 

 ers. "I believe you're bringing home the 

 rainbow, ' ' she said softly, ' ' violet, indigo, 

 blue, green, yellow, orange, red. No wonder 

 you sing as you come. ' ' 



"Daddy Lowe," she called presently, 

 "I'm going over to the hill and watch the 

 orchards bloom. ' ' 



"Tell them for me you're a good watcher, 

 and no trouble. Better take Shep along. ' ' 



Anne laughed and called the dog. From 

 the side of the hill Mr. Lowe 's modest or- 

 chard stretched out to meet his wealthy 

 neighbor 's extensive one. Anne looked down 

 on the April beauty as on Fairyland itself. 

 All the thrill and youth of the spring was 

 reflected in the eager face. But gradually 

 the glow died away, and the young eyes 

 grew sad. 



"It's not like this over there," she 

 thought, seeing the orchard thru a sudden 

 blur. " It 's April, but it isn 't like this. Boys 

 are dying. They are killing each other. Oh, 

 Robert, my brother Robert, how about 

 you?" 



Then quite suddenly, a great sob broke 

 thru, and Anne dropped in a little heap on 

 the side of the hill and cried like a child. 

 She was not given to crying, but she was 

 very young and the world 's tragedy and 

 sadness overwhelmed her. 



"Shep," she said gravely as she rose a 

 little later, "please don't think I'm a cry 

 baby. I'm going home to Mother Lowe. 

 She 's little and old and as frail as an apple 

 blossom, but I believe she 's stronger and 

 braver than I. I can beat you to the mul- 

 berry tree, tho, and don't mind proving it. 

 Come on! " 



And with a smile resolutely shining thru 

 the tears, she dashed home with Shep. En- 

 tering the yard, she saw Daddy Lowe talk- 

 ing with a young man whose face was turn- 

 ed away from her direction. Shep started 

 over to investigate. Anne did not. "Theo- 

 dore Robinson!" she gasped, and fled into 

 the house. 



"Mrs. Lowe!" she called, "where are 

 you? I've come in to knit." 

 (To be Continued.) 



