252 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



Augvst 



IRISH LULLABY. 



Jiusho, husho 1 Winds are wild in the willowa. 

 Birds are warm in their downy nests— every 

 bird but you. 

 Kings' children wake and toss on silken pil- 

 lows, 

 You have but a broken roof to keep you 

 from tht dew— husho I 



Husho, husho ! Rain falls cold in the city ; 

 Here rain falls kindly, warm on sleeping 

 eyes. 

 Husho, husho ! Even clouds take pity 

 On my vourneen deelish and leave you sil- 

 ver skies — husho 1 



Husho, husho I Silver skies to sail in 



In a boat of amber, warm as any nest. 

 ^h, but can my cushia find no place to wail in 

 But the wai-mest place on earth, and that 

 her mother's breast? Husho, husho 1 

 — Nora Hopper in New York Tribune. 



THE YELLOW BALSAM 



The Riesengebirge abounds in deli- 

 cious herbs, from ■which the, most effica- 

 cious balms have been at all times made. 

 The inhabitants of the village of 

 Krummhubel still use essences made 

 ■with these simples, and this will appear 

 less surprising when it is known that 

 those inhabitants are in part descended 

 from the students of Prague of the fa- 

 mous school of Paracelsus, who were 

 expelled during the war of the Hussites, 

 and who. without doubt, were in posses 

 Bion of unusual botanical secrets, the 

 knowledge of which is at the present 

 day neglected. But among the herbs 

 •which the Eieseugebirge produces is one 

 •which has becSmexelebrafced beyond'aTl 

 the literature of fable. It is called the 

 yellow balsam and grows only in a 

 kitchen garden, of which Rubezahl has 

 reserved for himself the exclusive en- 

 joyment. A marvelous power is attrib- 

 uted to this herb. The most durable and 

 the most ii-veterate maladies do not re- 

 sist it. Ic serves even to nourish the 

 mind, and Rubezahl permits only a 

 small number of his favorites to gather 

 it. 



Once upon a time a lady of distinc- 

 tion who resided at Lieguitz fell dan- 

 gerously ill. Fearing for her life, she 

 sent for a peasant of the mountains, 

 and promised him a large reward if 

 he would bring her a yellow balsam 

 from Rubezahl 's garden. Seduced by 

 the temptation of gain, the peasant ven- 

 tured to undertake the adventure. When 



he had reached the wild and desert place 

 in which the garden is situated, he per- 

 ceived the wonderful plant and, seizing 

 a spade, he prepared to dig it up, but 

 while he was trenching the earth a fu- 

 rious wind suddenly arose and a voice 

 like thunder sounded in his ears words 

 which he did not comprehend. He rose 

 up quite frightened and advanced to- 

 ward the place whence the noise pro- 

 ceeded. Scarcely was he able to resist 

 the wind and keep himself upright. 

 Presently or the ridge of a rock he saw 

 the movement of a gigantic apparition. 

 The phantom had the human form; his 

 long beard hung down to his breast; a 

 large, hooked nose gave him a deformed 

 visage; his menacing eyes seemed to 

 dart lightnings, and his locks and his 

 cloak floated in the wind of the tempest. 

 In one of his hands was an enormous 

 club, full of knots. 



"What are you about there?" cried 

 this supernatural being to the peasant. 



The peasant, conquering like a brave 

 man the alarm which at first seized 

 him, answered: "I seek the yellow bal- 

 sam. A sick woman has promised to 

 pay me well for it." 



"That which you hold you may take 

 away," replied the giant, "but take 

 good care not to come a second time." 

 At these words he brandished his club 

 with a terrible gesture and disappeared. 



The peasant pensively descended the 

 mountain, and the lady thought herself 

 happy when she saw herself in posses- 

 sion of the remedy which was to shorten 

 ;lj«fj: sufferings. Her illness, in fact, di- 

 minished at the sight. Nevertheless, she 

 did not obtain a complete cure. She 

 again sent for the peasant. 



"Have you again the courage," said 

 she to him, "to go and seek for me the 

 yellow balsam?" 



"Madam," answered the peasant, 

 "the lord of the mountain appeared to 

 me the first time in a terrible shape and 

 forbade me with threats to set my feet 

 again in this garden. I have too much 

 fear of offending him." 



However, the dame conquered his 

 fear by the promise of a still larger sum 

 than the first, and for the second time 

 he determined to penetrate into Rube- 

 sahl's domain, but scarcely had he be- 

 gun to dig up the yellow balsam when 

 a frightful storm again arose, and the 

 figure appeared to him more menacing 



