378 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



December 



NECESSARY FLATTERY 



\ lie 2J-v;peric:.-c - c? Cj Youiisf \Vonian AYho 

 Tried Pi..'.^ fj piatiinj For a Week, 



It was the first nttcruoou of the ciub 

 meeting, and ihe gir] who prides hc^r 

 se]f ou the earnestness of her aims airl 

 objects m life caine iiito the room with 

 the light of a uoble resolve glorifying 

 her countenance, 



"I've been leading the loveliest book 

 in the world, girls," she exclaimed en- 

 thusiastically, "and henceforth I shall 

 never flatter or deceive anybody! The 

 author says that flattery is the worst of 

 sins and that" — 



"Tell nsyoiir exneriences next week," 

 interrupttd LUe !.ai.caslic maiden grim- 

 ly. "They'll be a lot moro interestiu ; 

 than au account of the book's preach- 

 ings, and besides" — But the earne.'-t 

 girl had flown off in indignation, anj 

 ehe was deciuedly meek and crestfallen 

 when next the club members met. 



"You needn't lauph," she remarked 

 io the sarcastic maiden, who was grin- 

 ning expectantly, "for I believe what 

 the book auid was true, only we're not 

 euflBciently developed to live by such au 

 elevated standaid. You know, I said J 

 ehould never flatter anybody again all 

 nay life. Well, that was last week. 

 Now I'm going to flatter everybody. 

 I've had etough of plain speaking to 

 last mo a lifetime. Last Monday I told 

 mamma she was getting crow's feet 

 when I kne^^ she wanted me to say she 

 wasn't. Next day Mamie asked me how 

 old I thought she looked, and I told heir 

 honestly. Mamma hasn't got over being 

 vexed yet, and, as for Mamie, I don't 

 Buppose she'll ever speak to me again. 



"Wednesday our pastor called and 

 wanted my honest opinion of his last 

 sermon. I told him, and he was awfully 

 hurt. Friday I told my dressmaker that 

 I cousiiid. 1 her awfully careless with 

 nice mateiiul, and she left the house in 

 auger, with my new dress half done 

 and not a sor.l among us who knows 

 how to fiin'-h it. Other dressmakers 

 won't, you know, so what shall I do? 



"That's Che way things have gone 

 all week. Kow I'm going to say love- 

 ly things on principle again, whether 

 they're true or not. You girls do look 

 perfectly stunning," she continued 

 sweetly as htr listeners sighed symna- 



thetically. "I do think we have the 

 prettiest srt cf f,irJs in tlie city in our 

 club and the nicest." 



And then she wondered that they 

 didn't really seem grateful for the com- 

 pliment. "Tl.cy r.cted just as if they 

 didn't think I LLeaDt it," she told her 

 clmm afterward.— Chicago Times-Her- 

 ald. 



I M PROVE M [I NTS IN PISTOLS. 



They Have tiowered In Price and In- 

 creased la Ileliability. 



"There ha.5 been more progress made 

 in the revolver trade in the past ten 

 years," explaiiMd a Connecticut revolv- 

 er manufacturer to a Washington Star 

 reporter, "than iu a'jy other line of 

 trade that I know of. There was a 

 time when even the old fashioned sin- 

 gle barreled pistol could not be manu- 

 factured tj bell for less than $1, or even 

 more. That time has gone, and the sin- 

 gle barreled pistol is a thing of the past. 

 In its place came the revolver, which 

 is now made in all sizes, from a vest 

 pocket revolver to that which is carried 

 iu a holster. The prices have kept ou 

 going down Jis (he revolvers have im- 

 proved in manufacture, so that now a 

 perfect working and reliable revolver 

 can be bought at retail as low as |1, 

 and even the best njakes for $2 or $3. 



"The self cocking and hammerless 

 revolver, which five years ago sold at 

 retail at $10 and $12, can now be 

 bought by the ciirload as low as $3 or 

 $3, and the better goods at from $4 "^o 

 $6. In these arms the beststetl is used. 

 The German revolver, which was the 

 only one which ever seriously competed 

 with those of American make, has about 

 run out its race and is never offered 

 any more except in country stores, 

 where it is bought by boys. It is clum- 

 sier made and heavier than the Ameri- 

 can revolver and no more compares 

 with the latter than than does the Eng- 

 lish line cf revolvers, which at one 

 time wtie very freely sold in this coun- 

 try. Likewise the American rifle and 

 shotgun have outdisianced all other 

 makes, though the German cheap shot- 

 gnus still find a good market with those 

 who do not care to put much money iu 

 a gun. The American double barreled 

 shotgun, which sells at retail for about 



