1897 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



243 



OR several days the routine of 

 duties arouud the Buell residence 

 was interruiiied by equestrienne 

 lessons, and soon Alfaretta be- 

 came an expert rider. For a time 

 Prof. Buell would mount old Jake and accom- 

 pany her; but observing that she managea the 

 pony with good judgment he delegated the 

 honors of attendant upon Gimp, and finally 

 Alfaretta was left to roam the country at her 

 will. Nearly every day herself and the pony 

 were inseparable companions. 



Sometimes upon the verdant bluffs she would 

 picket Jack and stroll away to gather flowers; 

 but should she get far away. Jack's whinner 

 would recall her; or she would set up a com- 

 munication with the pony with a peculiar 

 whinner of her own. This horse language 

 seemed to be understood between the two, and 

 they were very fast friends. The river men. 

 as they plied their trade up and down the 

 winding stream, caught glimpses of the can- 

 tering black pony and the fluttering white 

 dress, and she became known to them as the 

 flying maid; and one of the boatmen went so 

 far as to thus name his boat. To landsmen for 

 miles around she was known as the '"mad 

 beauty." 



The autumn and the winter wore away; the 

 free outdoor exercise developed strength and 

 litheness of body; a ruddy glow painted the 

 cheek; but, to the sorrow of the parents, no 

 relief came to the clouded mind. 



Many times when starting out upon her 

 jaunts she would pat the pony's neck and say, 

 '■ Now, Jack, we must hunt up Fred Anderson 

 to-day." Her trystingplaces for that laudable 

 endeavor were at the old McBurger bee-ranch 

 or at a point on the river-bank opposite the 

 former site of the chalk butte and Fred's api- 

 ary. For many minutes she would search, 

 peering through the bushes, and calling, "Fred 

 Anderson! ho, Fred! come home — home!" 

 The last word died away with a mournful wail, 

 and with eager gaze and parted lips she listen- 

 ed for an answer. Receiving no reply she 

 would caress the pony's neck, and say, " Fred 

 is far away, but he will come to-morrow." 



Prof. Buell continued his moral teachings at 

 the Dawson ranch, and the Sunday-school had 

 flourished in spite of the flood and hard times. 

 In fact, hard times seemed to draw the people 

 closer together for mutual benefit. 



Early in the spring months a commodious 

 schoolhouse had been erected not far from the 

 Dawsons, and that was now the center for all 

 moral, educational, and social gatherings; and 

 on Sunday afternoon the school -bell called 

 together a small but wide-awake Sunday- 

 school. 



The entire neighborhood had changed for 

 the better, and upon none was this uplifting 

 power more pronounced than upon Mrs. Daw- 

 son. The better nature and milder temper of 

 her youthful days returned. The hard lines 

 upon the face disappeared; and while greeting 

 all with a pleasant word and a smile, upon 

 none did she beam with more pleasure than 

 upon Gus Ghering. The latter was evidently 

 fascinated; and as matters progressed he was 

 subject to many bantering jibes from his neigh- 

 bors; and when he commenced to build an ex- 

 tended addition to his cabin. Matt Hogan took 

 occasion to remark to one of the neirjhbors that 

 Mr. Ghering was preparing to hive a whole 

 swarm of Dawsons. And no one was surprised 

 a few weeks later when a quiet wedding was 

 announced, and Mrs. Dawson became Mrs. 

 Ghering. 



Matt Hogan, having a successful apiary in 

 mind, had taken up a parcel of land about a 

 mile from the river. Thither he had moved 

 his bees and built a cabin, and here he labored 

 and waited for his Biddy Malooney. 



Alfaretta took but little interest in the trans- 

 actions of the neighborhood, and no name 

 would stir her to mental effort like that of Fred 

 Anderson. Then she would arouse to alertness, 

 and insist that she and Jack should search for 

 him. In her efforts to pursue that search she 

 came near crossing the river at the ferry a few 

 miles above her home. Prof. Buell had there- 

 upon instructed the ferrymen not to allow her 

 to cross. Finding opposition to her little plans, 

 she suddenly dropped all mention of Fred's 

 name, and her parents imagined she had en- 

 tirely forgotten him. But with all people who 

 have a certain degree of insanity there is also 

 considerable cunning; and Alfaretta possessed 

 enough to further her vague plans. In her 

 first futile attempts to find Fred she left the 

 matter of guidance entirely in the hands (or, 

 rather, feet) of pony Jack. Wherever Jack 

 would carry her, there she would find Fred 

 Anderson. Jack's idea of the matter was to 

 follow the course of empire and go west; but 

 the river and the ferrymen were a barrier to 

 the passage of the " mad beauty " and her pony. 



Nearly a year had passed since Fred Ander- 

 son's departure. One beautiful moonlight eve- 

 ning Alfaretta retired to her room earlier than 

 usual, and to rest, as the parents supposed; and 

 they improved the occasion by making an eve- 

 ning call upon neighbor Jo Splinter, who lived 

 but a short distance from the river. Gimp 

 Dawson was instructed to remain near the 



