1897 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



187 



everything you ask for shall be granted. " 

 "It shall be as your majesty com- 

 mauds, " replied the woman. 



So on a day the mother and daughter 

 started for the tracks, and the girl 

 ■walked first, singing as she went for the 

 very joy of life. 



Presently they met a man riding on a 

 bicycle with his eyes shut. "Good 

 morning, uncle!" cried the girl. But the 

 ■woman asked, ' ' Why do you ride with 

 your eyes shut?" And the man an- 

 swered, "Because I am so keen of sight 

 t&at I canuot help seeing my way 

 through the tiniest crack on the ground, 

 and if I keep my eyes open I should go 

 down to the very center of the earth." 

 "That is good," said the mother. "Will 

 you help my daughter to win the crown 

 prince for a husband?" "That will I," 

 said the man, "for no girl ever called 

 me uncle before. ' ' 



Soon they met another man riding a 

 bicycle with his feet on the forks. 

 "Good morning, uncle!" cried the girl. 

 But the mother asked, "Why do you 

 ride with your feet on the forks?" And 

 the man answered, "Because I pedal so 

 fast that I skim over the ground, and 

 no one could get out of my way if I pat 

 my feet on the treadles." "That is bet- 

 ter," said the mother. "Will you help 

 my daughter to win the crown prince 

 for a husband?" "That will I," said 

 the man, "for no girl ever called me 

 uncle before. " 



Before long they met a third man 

 riding a bic.cle, with his hands in his 

 pockets. "Good morning, uncle," cried 

 the girl. But the mother asked, "Why 

 do you ritir xvith your hands in your 

 pockets?" And the man answered, "Be- 

 cause my grip is so strong that I should 

 lift my bike over the trees and up and 

 down the telegraph posts if I used my 

 hands." "That is best, "said the moth 

 er. "Will you help my daughter to win 

 the crown prince for a husband?" 

 "That will I." said the man, "for no 

 girl ever called me uncle before." 



"Now I have enough uncles," said 

 the girl. "The next stranger I meet 

 shall be my cousin." But they met no 

 one else, for all the world had gone to 

 the tracks. Only when they reached the 

 pavilion they saw a smart young .'■oldicr 

 pacing up and down. "Good moruiug, 

 cousin, " cried the girl. "Good mciu- 

 iug, cousin," replied the siiiL.rr ;.'. Uu^i 



soldier, and he gave her a nearry kiss. 

 "How dare you?" cried the mother in 

 a rage. "Cousins always kiss," replied 

 the smart young soldier. The uncles 

 looked at each other and said, "Wenev- 

 <5r thought of that. " But the girl blush- 

 ed and said nothing, for the smart 

 young soldier was the same handsome 

 young huntsman whom she had vowed 

 should be her husband. "And now I 

 must leave you," said the smart young 

 soldier, and he marched off, whistling 

 "The Girl I Left Behind Me." 



Then they prepared for the first ride 

 and dressed the first uncle in a crimson 

 suit and put on him a veil of gold em- 

 broidery that glittered like the sun. The 

 signal sounded, and they opened the 

 pavilion door, and the first uncle sped 

 out like the wind and kept his eyes shut 

 till he came to the hedge that was lOU 

 yards thick, and there he opened them 

 and saw hi? way through in a trice, 

 and so, shutting his eyes again, he sped 

 rouud the track to the other door of the 

 pavilion. 



Now they dressed the second uncle in 

 a suit of dark blue and put on him a 

 suit of silver filigree work that glisten- 

 ed like moonbeams. And he flew out of 

 the door like a bird and kept his feet on 

 the forks till he came to the pond that 

 was 100 yards across, but then he put 

 his feet on the treadles and skimmed 

 over the water without even splashing 

 it, and so, coming to the other side, he 

 put his feet on the forks again and flew 

 around the track to the other door of the 

 pavilion. 



The third uncle had a suit of black 

 velvet, but as there were no pockets for 

 him to put his hands into they were 

 forced to cut a slit on either side in- 

 stead. His veil was of black lace, span- 

 gled with diamonds which sparkled 

 like the stars on a frosty night, and 

 when the door of the pavilion opened 

 he shot forth like lightning, with his 

 hands in the slits of his suit, but as 

 soon as he came to the ladder that was 

 100 yards high he took hold of the han- 

 dles and darted up and down the ladder 

 in a twinkling, and so, putting his 

 hands in the slits again, he whirled 

 round the track to the other door of the 

 pavilion. 



You may be sure there was a great 

 shouting and a mighty rush of people 

 toward the pavilion of the champion 



