744 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15. 



scheme of cutting off the tassels, as fast as they 

 appear, on every other row of our sweet corn 

 this year; and, so far as it is possible to judge 

 from one year's experience, it pays well. There 

 are many more fully developed ears on the 

 trimmed rows than on those that are not. 



We are selling the first of the Spanish King 

 onions on the wagon these days. The boys get 

 five cents a pound for them, and they weigh 

 from one to two pounds apiece — five or ten cents 

 for an onion I'aised right here at.home! 



Well, friends, we have not been all over the 

 place, but I guess this is enough so that you 

 will know we are here and at vour service. 



Qu^ pejaEf^. 



He tliiit is faithful in tliat which is least is faitli- 

 ful also in much.— Luke 16:10. 



Well, dear friends, here I am again, just 

 where you found me before. I am free from 

 fever, free from pain of any kind, and my mind 

 seems more clear and vigorous that it has be- 

 fore for months. But our good friend the doc- 

 tor is vehement in objecting to my dictating 

 one of my usual Home and neighborly talks; 

 therefore I have selected a chapter from a Sun- 

 day-school book that has recently interested 

 me greatly. The title is " Cecil's Knight," pub- 

 lished by Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., New York. 

 Perhaps I had better explain to you that the 

 good lady who takes such a prominent part in 

 the story, and has so many proverbs and old 

 sayings at her tongue's end, has been christened 

 in her own neighborhood '• Aunt Solomon." If 

 the story is not by Uncle Amos it has his most 

 emphatic indorsement, for it is a better story (in 

 his opinion) than any thing he ever has written 

 or ever will write in that line. I have taken 

 the liberty of giving it a heading myself. 



THE BOY WHO WAS DETERiMINED TO HAVE AN 



EDUCATION, AND WHO WAS ANXIOUS AND 



WILLING TO WOHK FOR IT. 



■'There's somebody knocking, Sophy I You 

 will have to go to the door. If I go, whoever it 

 is will stand there and talk till noon. I dare 

 say it is a book-agent, or a man selling notions. 

 It's ' in for a penny, in for a pound.' when they 

 get hold of one. Tell 'em I've got everything 

 in the world that I want, and haven't a cent to 

 buy any thing more, nor a minute to spend 

 talking about it. There, he's knocking again! 

 Don't stop to prink any longer, you foolish girl! 

 What do you suppose he will care how you 

 look ? 'All horses are the same color to a blind 

 man.' Do hurry!" 



Sophy hurried, according to orders, while she 

 was within reach of her mother's eyes; but she 

 stopped on the stairs to pull down her sleeves, 

 and glanced at the looking-glass, as she went 

 through the sitting-room, to satisfy herself that 

 her hair was in order. 



" If it's a book-agent, I don't mind," she said 

 to her.'^elf ; " but if it's somebody else, I don't 

 care to look like a Hottentot!" 



•'It's a boy who wants to see you," she said, 

 coming back to her mother presently. 



"I'll warrant it." Mrs. ^tarten said impa- 

 tiently. "If ever I'm up to my elbows in suds, 

 or have turned the house out of the windows 

 for spring cleaning, some one is sure to call; 

 but if I happen to be dressed up in my Sunday 



best, with nothing to do but to hold my hands, 

 not even a tin-peddler comes near me. I'm sure 

 I haven't a minute to waste on any boy to-day. 

 What does he want of me? Why didn't you 

 ask him ? However, ' a short horse is soon 

 curried.' I'll be back in two minutes. ' What 

 the fool does in the end. the wise man does in 

 the beginning.' Where did you leave your 

 boy '?" 



" Standing at the south door. He wouldn't 

 come in,'' Sophy said, getting upon a chair to 

 take down a picture, and dusting it energetical- 

 ly- 



Mrs. Marten had been putting down her 

 sleeves while she talked, from force of habit, 

 but she recollected that it was only a boy. be- 

 fore she untied her apron. 



She found the south door closed, and her call- 

 er standing on the step outside. She gave him 

 a nod by way of greeting, and waited for him 

 to declare his business. 



He looked at her; what he saw was a tall 

 woman, with a sensible face, and a pair of keen 

 eyes; she was dressed in a neat, dark print, 

 which was carefully pinned up. and covered 

 with a huge apron, while a brown barege veil 

 was tied over her hair, as a substitute for a 

 sweeping-cap. The (mds of it floated out on 

 each side of her head, as she stood in the bi'eeze 

 at the door, giving an odd suggestion of wings 

 in the wrong place. 



She looked at him; what she saw was a fair- 

 ly well-grown, strongly built boy of fifteen, 

 with black curly hair and bright eyes. He was 

 neatly dressed as far as spotless cleanliness went: 

 but her quick eyes noted that the sleeves of his 

 worn jacket had been pieced out at the wrist, 

 and patched at the elbow, and even a piece of 

 cloth of a different shade had repaired some 

 damage on one shoulder; while his trousers 

 were too short, and the shoes had evidently 

 seen their best days. 



A glance had shown her these things, and in 

 the same instant she summed up the items. 

 "The amount of it is," she decided mentally, 

 " he's as poor as Job's cat. but he's got a good 

 mother. He's as tidy as can be, only he's 

 grown out of every thing." 



He lifted his straw hat respectfully. 



" Good-morning. Mi's. Marten," he .said. "' My 

 name is Louis Thorne. Last night I heard that 

 you wanted some one to work for you, and I 

 should like to get the place.'' 



" You '?" she said, In surprise. " Oh! I want- 

 ed a man." 



"Well, I'm a youn<j man!" he returned, 

 pleasantly, seeming in no wise discouraged. 

 "And I tliink I'm as strong as some older men 

 are, and as tall as some others. Couldn't you 

 forget my age — I am growing older every day! 

 — and let me try ?" 



He straightened himself a little, to look as 

 tall as possible, and his frank, pleasant manner 

 spoke strongly for him. 



" You may be as big, but I should be remind- 

 ed soon enough that you are nothing but a 

 boy," Mrs. Marten said, shaking her head. 

 " You are strong enough, as far as that goes; 

 but ' old heads don't grow on young shoulders,' 

 and you would be a care instead of a help. 

 There are boys enough about the house now. I 

 should never be sure that Dandy had any thing 

 to eat unless I looked in his manger." 



" Only try me." Louis urged. "I'll promise 

 you he shall always have his dinner before I 

 have my own.'' 



" Oh, thei'e's no use talking." she said impa- 

 tiently, thinking of her suspended work. " I'm 

 sure I don't know what I'm wasting my 

 time with you here for. I've got plenty else to 

 do with every minute of it. I ought to have 

 told you in the first place that, though I did say 



