AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



583 



]fIore Coiiveiition Eclioes.— On 

 page 521 we gave a few comments on the 

 St. Joseph convention, and now comes our 

 friend Emm Dee with some more in about 

 the same strain — though probably less 

 "strained" than were ours. Here they 

 are: 



EMM DEE IN CLOVER HONEY. 



Can I ever forget the glories of that bee- 

 convention ? It was my first love (of the 

 kind), and I confess to being softly smitten. 

 Had I known that Bro. York had such a 

 surprise in store for me, I could scarcely 

 have trusted myself to its enjoyment. But 

 what can you do when embarked on the 

 voyage ? It's cowardly to turn back. So 

 I followed my guide, and feared no danger. 



We shipped on board of one of Pullman's 

 schooners, and away we went. On our 

 way we took on at least two other passen- 

 gers — one short and stout, the other lean 

 and tall, and I was dramatically introduced 

 to each. Now, I had heard of, and read 

 much after the party of the first part, and 

 when I heard Dr. Miller's name mentioned, 

 and looked him square in the eye. thinks I: 

 Young man, you're not the kind of a chap 

 I thought you to be ; you're not so tall, but 

 better looking ; you're not "stuck up," as 

 I expected, but a very agreeable compan- 

 ion, with a good open countenance (for 

 pie!). 



The six-footer I learned was Editor 

 Hutchinson, and so clever was he that I 

 actually occupied the same bunk with him 

 the very first night. But, bless your heart, 

 he wrapped himself up in those Pullmaa 

 blankets, and so wound himself up in them 

 that I— well, I got left, out in the cold ! 



But daylight came on apace, the gentle 

 tones of the ebonized porter were abroad 

 in that car, and I felt that the best thing I 

 could do was to get up and rehabilitate my- 

 self in my modest attire, slip out to the 

 wash-room, and let Dr. Miller, York and 

 Hutchy snore away ! And they did it to 

 perfection. Barring a few loose nails and 

 timbers of that car, I believe their united 

 effort did little damage. 



After early breakfast (which we did not 

 have), we arrived in the city of Saint 

 Joe-seph, Missouri, situate on the raging 

 river of the name. We were escorted by a 

 gentlemanly committee of bee-keepers to 

 the convention hall, and it seems to me 

 that in ten minutes every son and daughter 

 in that select assembly knew each other as 



if acquainted for years ! Thinks I, "Verily 

 this is the right sort of welcome. 



And then began a system of questioning 

 that would have driven a Philadelphia 

 lawyer out of his town and State. Besides 

 wanting to know where we were from, 

 they immediately inquired concerning our 

 families— of bees. Whether the circle had 

 multiplied much, and if much honey had 

 been hatched this season, and if Whatshis- 

 name's hive wasn't the dandiest in exis- 

 tence, and whether there was pollen 

 enough scooped in to fill all the cells, and 

 if the bee-bread was really an improvement 

 on the baker's kind or not, As for me, I 

 unhesitatingly replied in the affirmative to 

 all these questions, recognizing that I was 

 looked upon as the chief intelligence on 

 these intricate subjects ! 



Well, by and by, pretty soon, up looms a 

 man they called "President Abbott" — a 

 very good looker, too; he gave a few raps 

 on the table, and commanded order. Well, 

 I swow ! But then we sat down quite com- 

 fortably in great, big chairs, 'pears like 

 stuffed with feather beds; and then the 

 man that stood up laid down the law. 



Up gets a tall, suggestive chap from 

 Laclede, and down sits the other fellow. 

 The Laclede brother, he 'lowed we'd come 

 to hear about honey, and he didn't want 

 any other kind of sweet'nin' in his'n. 

 Then another pretty handsome feller from 

 Canada, he had his say, and it was pretty 

 good, too. Then the sisters present were 

 asked their testimony, and they were 

 mighty slick in giving it — why, say, to my 

 mind they seemed to know a heap sight 

 more than the men-folks ! 



Well, it ran along smooth enough, thir- 

 teen or seventeen trying to tell all about it 

 at once, when, sudden-like. Father Root, 

 who had been sitting alongside of a hand- 

 some sister all this while, got up and said 

 he thought so, too. Only that he— he — well, 

 I've forgotten his exact words, but his ideas 

 were all right, though I didn't know what 

 to make of his direct look at me when he 

 said something about people not being just 

 what they should be— or words to that 

 efifect! O I tell you, I got kinder spunky, 

 but I didn't say much. 



Then Dr. Miller he was elected to give us 

 a hymn-tune, which he did, and he actually 

 played the big music-box all by hisself! 

 Then he gave us a Dutch solo, and after 

 that he told us how nice the honey made 



