16 



TEE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



January 



WOMAN'S LOVE 



A ■entinel angel, sitting high in glory, 

 Beard this shrill wail ring out from purgatory; 

 "Have mercy, mighty augell Hear my story t 



'*I loved, and, blind with passionate love, I felL 

 Iiove brought me down to death, and death to 



hell. 

 For Ood ia just, and death for sin la well. 



**I do not rage against his high decree 

 Kor for myself do ask that grace shall be, 

 But for my love #q earth, who mourns for me. 



"Great Spirit, let me see my love again 

 And comfort him one hour, and I were fai» 

 TO pay a thousand years of fixe and pain." 



Jhen Baid the pitying angel: "Nay, repent 

 That wild vow. Lookl The dial finger's bent 

 Down to the last hour of thy punishment." 



But still she wailed: "I pray thee, let me go. 

 I cannot rise to peace and leave him so. 

 Oh, let me soothe him in his bitter woe I" 



The brazen gates ground sullenly ajar, 

 ^nd upward, joyous, like a rising star, 

 Bbe rose and vanished in the ether far. 



But soon adown the dying sunset sailing 

 And like a wounded bird her pinions trailing 

 Bbe fluttered back with broken hearted wail- 

 ing. 



ghe Bobbed: "I found him by the summer sea 

 Beclined, his head upon a maiden's knee. 

 She curled his hair and kissed him. Woe Is 

 mel" 



Bhe wept: "Now let my punishment begin. 

 I have been fond and foolish. Lot me in 

 To expiate my sorrow and my sin." 



The angel answered: "Nay, sad soul, go 



higher! 

 To be deceived in your true heart's desire 

 Was bitterer than a thousand years of fire." 



—John Hay. 



JUST PURE NEEVE. 



They had been talking of nervy men 

 when one of tlio group asked if they had 

 ever kuowu of Johnny Neeley, who 

 Btaid awhile in Santa Fe in the early 

 days of the town. He wasn't a "bad 

 man," a little, smooth faced chap, 

 "weighing perhaps 125 pounds. But he 

 was lightning, and by and by the boys 

 learned that he carried h»rge quantities 

 of nerve with him at all times. 



One night Neeley strolled into the 

 Whit-e Rose saloon, and sitting down by 

 a Bmall table some distance away from 

 the gang began smoking a long, black 

 Mexican cigar while reading a newspa- 

 per that had come down by the last 

 stage. He puffed away at the cigar un- 

 til half an inch of ashes hung at the end. 



The young fellow was tilted back in 

 his chair pointing up at an angle of 45 

 degrees. The ashes made a splendid 

 target, and big Bob Sweeney cautiously 

 drew bis gun and gave the boys the 

 wink. 



There was a flash, a loud report, and 

 the bullet from Bob's pistol flecked the 

 ashes off Neeley's cigar just as light and 

 smooth as if he had brushed them away 

 with his finger. To the surprise of every 

 one present the young fellow did not 

 jump and yell as they had expected. In- 

 stead he slowly folded the newspaper, 

 laid it down on the table and then turn- 

 ed and looked at the gang with a ques- 

 tioning expression on his face. He did 

 not even remove the cigar from his 

 month. 



When he saw the smoking revolver in 

 Sweeney's hand, he got up and, walk- 

 ing over toward the table where the 

 gang were seated, asked in the mildest 

 sort of tone, "Did you shoot at me or 

 my cigar?" 



The gang was completely taken aback 

 at the coolness of the fellow. 



"I just thought I'd flip the ashes off 

 yer cheroot, young feller, and save you 

 the trouble," replied Sweeney, who still 

 held his revolver. 



"Thank you very much. I just want- 

 ed to know what you were shooting at. 

 It was a good shot. There's no hard 

 feelings. Have one with mel" 



As Neeley spoke he pulled out another 

 long cigar and handed it to Sweeney. 

 The big fellow held out his hand for 

 the cigar, but he was fairly dazed by 

 the action of the young man. Then 

 Neeley went back to his own table and 

 eat down again. As soon as Sweeney 

 had recovered from his surprise he 

 winked at the crowd, and, putting up 

 his gun, struck a mutch to light his ci- 

 gar. As lie raised the burning match 

 toward his mouth there was a sharp re- 

 port, and it was knocked out of his fin- 

 gers. Quick as lightning Johnny Neeley 

 had drawn a 6 inch derringer and had 

 shot the match out of Sweeney's fingers. 



"Never light a cigar with a match. 

 The fumes of the sulphur may spoil the 

 flavor of tlieweedl Allow me to offer 

 you a light, "said Neeley, stepping over 

 and extending his lighted cigar with his 

 left hand. 



Bob Sweeney's face was u study. He 

 let his ci«ar drop on the table, and, with 



