104 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



April 



forgot to give credit? You poor, dear 

 little Innocent. Don't you know some 

 of us always do that way. Credit! 

 Bless your soul, it's a game of give and 

 take. We done "takes" all the credit 

 ofifered and "gives" ourselves the rest. 

 See! It is a foine way to build up a rep- 

 utation. We can't help it, we was 

 born that way. You is young yet Har- 



"Dear Deacon Hardscrabble: It 

 grieves me much to see you assailing 

 everyone with whom you do not agree 

 and ridiculing those we lean upon. It 

 seems out of harmony with the spirit 

 of gentleness we expect in the deacon 

 of a church." &c., &c. 



Ahem! A-H-E-M! That is an ex- 

 tract from a letter a sweet young thing 

 sent to me and jerminy hoe cakes it 

 came nigh to bustin my family rela- 

 tions. I've no,t the slightest bit o' ob- 

 jections to the dear girls writin to me, 

 — quite to the contrary, — but thunder- 

 ation if they don't use a typewriter or 

 a man for addressin their envelopes I'll 

 have to move. But to that letter. I 

 ain't attackin the dearly beloved, I'm 

 only just a callin of your attention to 

 what they say and do. I reckon I ain't 

 to blame for their doins and sayins. 

 Golly Harry, what be I to do? I 

 write you things as I see em and times 

 is when I repeats what folks say that 

 it don't sound lovely sure, but be I to 

 blame for the way they said it? When 

 petition don't work try repetition. The 

 dear girl says "gentleness." Phew! 

 She'd better ask the parson about that. 

 Fact is Harry, when a man says "dear 

 brother," holds my eye with that in- 

 tent look of sweet solicitude, and si- 

 multaneously I find his fingers in mv 

 weskit pocket — well, I lambast him fust 

 and considers arterwards. 



Say Harry, what is a HUMBLE ser- 

 vant? 



I was sure that if you'd give him 

 time enough Prest. Hutchinson would 

 show his sand. Go read what he said 

 on the Nat. in February's Rev., 

 it's bully good. Now if he can get the 

 directors to back him up, things will 

 be doin. 



Did ye moind what the Taylor of 

 Lansing had to say on foul brood :n 

 the same paper? Fine, mighty' fine. 

 Now that W. Z. has pulled him out I 

 hope he'll put a chock behind him and 

 keep him from slippin into his shell 

 aagin. 



What d'ye think of AH Barber and 

 his Forty Hives in a cellar? Gives 

 me the shivers. Not his article, but 

 the recollection of old times. 



Art thou surprised cause A. Q. 

 Cumber talks Hustle with a big H? 

 He has to, cause A Q Cumber goes to 

 seed so quick. 



Dr. Pons paints a charming picture 

 of Hell Valley. Sounds like a good 

 substitute for Paradise Alley. 



Bulh' for you, Harry. You've got 

 Bro. Blanton out again. Keep him 

 coming. Got the Swarthy Moor, too. 

 Can't you fish up Bro. Pridgen from 

 ,the Creek? He seems a lively sort 

 of fish. P'raps some of Heddon's fi.->h 

 bait will land him. 



Had the Grippe, Harry? I have and 

 it beats Syrians for doing thiuj^s to 

 you, and if I don't get bef^ter of 't 

 soon I'll be "yours forever" instead 

 of 



Yours as ever, 



John Hardscrabble. 



Sixth Annual Report of the National 

 Association. 



Forest City, Iowa, Dec. 1902. 

 To th'.- Members of the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Association: 

 The pas.t year hac been ,1 busy one for 

 the General Manager. Bee-Keepers 

 seem to have more trouble with their 

 neighbors than formerly. When the 

 country was sparsely settled and life 

 was not so strenuous as at present, it 

 was a rare case when neighbors sought 

 to restrict the acknowledged right of 

 the bee-keeper and honey producer. 

 But severe competition in all lines of 

 business and the crowding of people 

 in,to towns and cities has developed a 

 selfish spirit which crops out on many 

 occasions. 



But with one exception, no serious 

 legal conflicts have occurred. The past 

 decisions of courts establishing and 

 confirming the rights of bee-keepers 

 are of great importance whenever 

 threats are made or actions begun to 

 determine ,the legal rights of our mem- 

 bers. Many of these decisions have 

 been briefed and printed in pamphlet 

 form for use in just such emergencies. 

 Whenever a member gets into trouble 

 because of his bees and is threatened 

 with damages or ordered to remove 

 them, the printed matter we have i3 



