28 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPEJB. 



January 



come home. The gin gave an impnaem 

 answer, and poor 'old mamma' turned 

 to Branscombe, who laughed in her face 

 and gave Manuela a fervent kiss. Later 

 in the day the thought of that kiss and 

 others made Branscombe's blood turn 

 to ice. 



"Now, Augustinita bad followed her 

 daughter because she loved her and 

 •wished to save her from the fate Brans- 

 combe had in store for her. Besides she 

 is a thrifty old body, and Mauuela's 

 beauty brings a great many centavos to 

 the house. Many of the men eat here 

 merely to get a look in her big gray 

 eyes. 



"At Branscombe's laugh Augustinita 

 burst out : 'Caramba ! No more will you 

 laugh this day! Look!' 



"With a surprisingly quick move- 

 ment she pulled off Manuela's ohal and 

 tore open her high necked camisa. 

 Branscombe gave one glance and stag- 

 gered heavily against the wall. 



" 'Keep away!' he screamed, with 

 outstretched hands. 'For God's sake, 

 keep away! Don't let her come near 

 me! I'll hit you if you touch me!' as 

 the girl endeavored to catch at him, 

 pleading with him in her soft tongue. 



"Branscombe, mad with fear, was 

 deaf. Although he had threatened to 

 strike her he did not do it, for it would 

 bring his flesh in contact with hers. The 

 terror stricken man, shaking her off, ran 

 out of the car and down the track. 



"Manuela covered her breast and 

 walked sulkily back with her mother to 

 the engine. 



"Hawkins said it was an awful sight 

 — those shining, livid, white blotches 

 on the brown skin, a sight be could not 

 forget for many a day." 



I rose, lick and trembling. That was 

 one of the loathsome sights of Mexico to 

 which I could never accustom myself, 

 and the thrill of horror I had felt on 

 •eeing the first white patched, frosty 

 headed leper returned. 



"Don't get frightened, madam," 

 ■aid my friend, eating hii lalsa with 

 gusto. " 'Old mamma' had jnst paint- 

 ed Manuela up in her sleep. If she had 

 b«en a leper, BranBoombe would hav« 

 b«eu welcome to her. Do you think that 

 old lady would spend $300 recoTsring 

 damaged goods?" 



I looked at "old mamma," sitting on 

 the earth floor comfortably smoking, 



and she looked back with her aiamonn 

 eyes, and I thought it not likely. — Edith 

 Wagner in Argonaut. 



A Fisherman's Story. 



"About ten years ago — yes, just ten 

 years — I pulled a bass out of the water 

 that looked to weigh about a pound, 

 and the line broke at a distance of about 

 a foot from the hook," said the fisher- 

 man. 



"And then, about five years after- 

 ward," another hastened to interrupt, 

 "you caught him again, with the hook 

 and line still in his mouth, and the fish 

 had grown to weigh ten pounds." 



The fisherman looked pained at this 

 ruthless capture of his best story and 

 answered: "No, sir. He weighed less 

 than two ounces. His vitality had all 

 been consumed by the line, which had 

 grown to 28 feet 2% inches of clothes- 

 line. " — Indianapolis Journal. 



Gained His Point. 



In the days when her majesty went 

 down to Windsor by road she liked to 

 be driven at a rapid pace — a little too 

 fast to please her escort, especially the 

 oflBcers who rode their own horses. A 

 gallant captain, afterward a renowned 

 M. P., was one day in command and 

 riding at the head of his troop. Just in 

 front of him, with his back to the horses 

 of the carriage, sat the Prince of Wales, 

 then a small child. The captain, direct- 

 ly the party started, lifted his hand and 

 shook his fist in the little prince's face. 

 The prince roared with fright, and his 

 royal mother, quite ignorant of the 

 cause, took him on her lap to pacify 

 him. When the prince was quiet and 

 resumed his seat, the captain again 

 shook his fist, and this was repeated all 

 the way down to Windsor. At the end 

 of the journey the queen learned exactly 

 what had occurred and issued her com- 

 mand that the officer should never com- 

 mand her escort again. This was just 

 wliat the ca ptain hoped woul d happen. 



lA>ng Head«<L 



First Lady — I don't see how you can 

 afford to let your lodgers owe you sev- 

 eral waeloi' rent, 



8«cond Lady— Well, it's like this. 

 When they're in debt it affects their ap- 

 petlte»— they never like to ask for a 

 eecond helping — so it comes cheapest in 

 the end. — London Tit-Bits. 



