176 



THE AMERICAN API CUL TUB 1ST. 



was going down, a yellow-hammer 

 flew out of the tree a few feet above. 

 Thinks I, I will see if there's anything 

 there. Billy Sawtelle you know wants 

 a yellow-hammer's egg. 80 I climbed 

 to the top, — the old stump ain't mor'n 

 twenty feet. 



"I whittled out the hole (Tim's 

 hands are very large) and was just 

 lowering the seven eggs to the ground 

 in my handkerchief, wlien I heard a 

 buzz. 'Gosh,' says I, 'if there aint a 

 swarm of bees lighting right below 

 me.' You can just bet I sat and 

 watched them bees go into that hole. 

 It was such a lucky thing I couldn't 

 help laughing right out. 



"Wal, as you will believe me, they 

 warn't mor'n half in when there was 

 another hum, and along came another 

 swarm right from the direction of Dea. 

 Brown's. 'Jehosnphat,' said I, 'if 

 this doesn't beat all, Iavo swarms com- 

 ing to this old buttouAvood.' " 



"See here, Tim," broke in the black- 

 smith, "I thought that bees never 

 chose a dead tree for a home." 



"P'r'aps so, p'r'aps so, probably 

 this was an exceptional case, 1 cal'late 

 bees know what they are about. 



" Wal, when 1 saw that second 

 swarm come, I rather expected trouble, 

 and, sure enough, there was excite- 

 ment soon. What is more, 1 was 

 afraid they wouldn't allow spectators. 

 As it was, one bee tapped this ear for 

 me." 



Tim's ears never had sought close 

 proximity to his head, and to-day his 

 right one stood out like a door in the 

 dark. 



"The first swarm stopped going into 

 the hole, and both simply spread over 

 the tree for two feet, and stayed there. 

 Wal, boys, you see how I was fixed, 

 up that old stump with the trunk be- 

 tween me and the ground covered with 

 bees. I can stand stings as well as 

 any man, but I wont shin down over 

 a swarm of bees, let alone two swarms. 



"Gosh, I didn't know Avhat to do. 

 I sat there. It was two o'clock and I 



hadn't had my dinner, that was on the 

 ground where I left it. Yesterday 

 was the best hay day we have had, 

 and there wasn't a tree near to shade 

 me. I had plenty of time to look 

 around. 



"It was great fun watching a pair 

 of squirrels in an old oak. I guess 

 that they and the birds took pity on 

 me for they cut up a good deal. It 

 was pretty hot for them though and 

 by three o'clock they Avere all gone 

 except the yelloAV- hammers, — they 

 were keeping up an everlasting rattle." 



Sam Jenkins here interrupted him ; 

 "Come, Tim, hurry up and tell us hoAV 

 you got down." 



"You keep cool, I guess if I tell 

 you this story I am going to tell the 

 whole of it. I was up that tree till 

 most sunset. 



"About four I thought the bees were 

 going to leave, as they got restless. 

 Another one came up to interview me. 

 It AA'asn't fair; I had to cling to the 

 stump with one hand, and that tarnal 

 bee dodg'd my other and took me 

 square under the nose. WIicav ! did 

 you ever get stung there? It makes 

 you sneeze like sixty. When I had 

 sneezed thirteen times I heard a rustle 

 down in the willows, and I saAV a par- 

 tridge scurry out. I found sixteen 

 eggs there this morning. A rabbit, 

 too, that had been smelling of my 

 grub box was scared so that i'f ran 

 for the underbrush. Wal, it did seem 

 as though everything Avas free to run 

 but myself. 



"I felt like running just tlie same. 

 That old tree Avas full of ants. I 

 would just about as soon have bees 

 crawl up my panto as ants. My legs 

 look to-day as though I had the 

 measles. 



"Wal, boys, I stayed there till nigh 

 sundown, and might ha\ e been home 

 long before that if I hadn't been so 

 gall-darn stupid. There I had some 

 matches in my pocket all the time, 

 and rotten button-wood is the best 

 thina: next to 'celsior for smoke. I cut 



