264 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



Septemher 



perfumes outward,'arid tte drying action 

 of light. Where there is too much heat 

 there is too little scent. This is due to 

 the excess of light and the dearth of 

 •water. — Cincinnati Enquirer. 



How Fine Wire Is Made. 



The finest wire in the country is 

 made at Taunton, Mass. This metal 

 cobweb of minute diameter is exactly 

 the oue-fivc-hundredth part of an inch 

 in thickness — much finer than human 

 hair. Ordinary wire, even though of 

 small diameter, is drawn through holes 

 in steel plates, but, on account of the 

 wear, such plates cannot be used in 

 making the hair wire. The Taunton 

 factory meutioned uses drilled diamond:i 

 for that purpose. 



His Tip. 



"Don't I get a tip?" asked the barbel 

 after he had finished cutting the tail 

 man's hair. 



"What for?" asked the tall man. 



' ' Why, for taking such good care of 

 you. Gentlemen generally give me 

 something. " 



"Well, so will I," said the tall man 

 as he took his tally. ' 'You may keep 

 the hair. ' ' — Pick Me Up. 



Celebrated Playing Cards. 



The most celebrated pack of playing 

 cards in the world, "Turocci di Man- 

 tegna, ' ' was sold by auction in London 

 for $560, and incomplete at that, for 

 five cards are wanting, their places be- 

 ing taken by facsimiles of the originals. 

 The pack is interesting as a -series of 

 Italian engravings of the fifteenth cen- 

 tury. 



The Most Absentminded of Men. 



The most absentminded man is a 

 Brewer man, and he is convicted by his 

 own story, which is as follows: The 

 other night he went shopping and took 

 his wife along. He visited four stores. 

 He is a pleasant man and a happy con- 

 versationalist. At each store some inter- 

 esting story was stai-ted, and nobody 

 seemed to notice that thotigh he bought 

 a bundle at each place he never carried 

 away more than one. He visited the 

 laundry, laid his bundle from the last 

 store on the counter, chatted with the 

 cashier while he piaid his bill and went 

 out with only his laundry bundle. Then 

 with his wife he went to his own placo 



of business to bring home a halter strap 

 for his colt. His wife stopped next door 

 below the store chatting while he went 

 in. When he came out, he went whis- 

 tling softly homeward with the halter 

 strap and witiiout his other bundles or 

 his wife. Ho only awoke to a series of 

 mistakes when he reached home and 

 failed to find his wife. He found her, a 

 little scared, however, in a few minutes, 

 but he did not get his other property 

 till next day. The shops had closed. — 

 Augusta (Me. ) Journal. 



Two Oblising Princes. 



Not long ago two Englishmen travel- 

 ing in Sweden lost their luggage, and 

 as they did not speak Swedish they 

 were at their wits' end to explain the 

 matter. Two young men finally came 

 to their rescue and politely asked in 

 English if they could be of any assist- 

 ance. On explaining their situation, the 

 young men promised to telegraph for 

 the lost goods and made an appointment 

 to meet at the same place the following 

 day. The appointment was duly kept, 

 the luggage duly delivered — the Eng- 

 lishmen, full of gratitude, pouring out 

 their honest thanks to their unknown 

 friends. ' 'Do you know whom you are 

 thanking?" said one of them with a 

 smile. "No, sir. We wish we did." 

 "Well, then, perhaps you will like to 

 know. I am Prince Oscar of Sweden 

 and this is my brother Eugene. ' ' 



A Good ^Excuse. 



After tKe Duke of Wellington's vic- 

 torious campaigns the University of 

 Oxford coniplimented the duke himself 

 and his principal officers by conferring 

 upon them the honorary and not very 

 appropriate degree of doctor of civil 

 laws. At that time the fees were 

 heavy, and one of the distinguished sol- 

 diers, who had gathered more honor 

 than profit in the wars, declined the 

 proffered degree in the following verse : 



Oxford, I know you wish me well, 

 But prithee let me be. 



I can't, alas, be D. C. L. 

 For want of £ e. d. 



Times of general calamity and con- 

 fusion have ever been productive of the 

 greatest minds. The purest ore is pro- 

 duced from the hottest fm-nace and the 

 brightest thunderbolt is elicited from 

 the dai'kest storm. — Colton. 



