54 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



*^ 



(The experienced bee-keeper, who has 

 lost whole colonies, or mayhap, an en- 

 tire apiary, by disease, or frost, or fire, 

 will bo kind enough to conceal the 

 smile he may not be wholly able to re- 

 press. To lose the queen to one's strong- 

 est colony, so late in the season, was 

 misfortune enough for a beginner. But 

 this queen was peculiarly dear to me, 

 as being the oldest queen of my own 

 rearing,and the onlj- queen whose wings 

 I had heartlessly clipped.) 



When sufReiontly recovered to do so, 

 I picked up the little body and vainly 

 tried to warm it to life with my breath. 

 Then, having carefully but hopelessly, 

 deposited it in a warm place, I obeyed 

 a summons to breakfast, and seated 

 myself to pour the cofliee, with what 

 was meant for a calm and tranquil de- 

 meanor. 



" Are you sick. Cyula ? " inquired 

 Tiichard. 



" Oh no ! " I responded, with a ghast- 

 ly smile, and a sudden but nerveless 

 attack upon a large potatoe. 



" Shan't I make you some toast, Cy- 

 ula?" anxiously inquired Nellie, a few 

 moments later. 



" Oh no, I believe I am not very hun- 

 gry this morning." 



"But wouldn't you like a cup of tea ? " 

 persisted Nellie. 



" No, — your coffee is delicious, Nel- 

 lie," hastil}' raising my cup. 



" I believe that you had not tasted 

 it ! " she exclaimed, half indignantly. 

 "It is one -half, at least, cold coffee 

 warmed over ! " 



Conscious guilt prevented other reply 

 than an apologetic smile. A little after, 

 Nellie's hand stole across under the 

 corner of the table, and gave my dress 

 a sj^mpathctic twitch. As I looked up, 

 "What is it?" her eyes asked. 

 " Nothing — that is — after breakfast 

 1 will tell you," I responded in an un- 

 dertone ; and then, having replenished 

 the empty cups, I escaped to the next 

 room, whither Nellie soon followed me: 

 her breakfast, spite of my good inten- 

 tions, having been almost as effectually 

 spoiled as my own. 



An hour afterward — vai'ious plans 

 having been diseussc<l and rejected 

 meanwhile — Nellie suggested : 

 " Send to Mr. foi- a queen." 



" 'Tis too late, I fear." 



" Do you fear that he has no queens 

 left ? or that the weather may be too- 

 cold to send one?" 



" Both." 



" But since nothing better can be 

 done you might try." 



Briefly told, the trial was made. Fort- 

 une favored our attempt more thart 

 could have been expected ; and about 

 twelve days after Rebecca's decease, we 

 received through the postoffice, a cun- 

 ning little cage, holding the much de- 

 sired queen, with about a score of at- 

 tendants. The tin}^ colony had been 

 amph^ provisioned with half a stick of 

 candy and a small sponge of water. Not 

 a bee had died during the four days 

 which had elapsed between the posting 

 and the receipt of the small package. 



We felt then that our trial was over. 

 To suppose that our bees could be un- 

 reasonable enough, and so ungrateful 

 as to object to their new queen, scarce- 

 ly occurred to us as a possibility. We 

 had so identified ourselves with the col- 

 ony in their loss, had been so affected 

 by their plaintive nioanings (or what, 

 to our excited imagination seemed 

 such), by their restless searchings, and 

 aimless wanderings — in short we had 

 made their grief so much our own, that 

 — as in effect we have already said — 

 we scarcely thought to ask oui'selves, if 

 they would sympathize with us in our 

 joyful reception of the new queen. In 

 our simplicity we took it for granted. 



Nevertheless, we thought best to pro- 

 ceed according to rule : so, for more 

 than forty-eight hours, the bereaved 

 colony were permitted to make th®^ 

 acquaintance of their new sovereign^ 

 through the meshes of her cage. Thea 

 the final 'introduction was performed 

 with great ceremony, and according to 

 all the rules of etiquette for such cases- 

 provided. Apparently, it was success- 

 ful. \ had one night of peaceful repose. 



Next morning, just to make assur^ 

 ance doubly sure, I sent out Nellie to 

 examine the entrance of the hive, I 

 watching her through the window. 



She brushed away a few dead bees^ 

 examining them in a manner satisfac- 

 tory enough to her interested observer^ 

 until, with a sudden start, she glanced 



