1897 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



245 



diatply turned down the ferryway, and upon 

 the boat. A man on horseback, and a party in 

 a wagon were also crossing. Alfaretta being 

 envolopi'.a in the macintosh, and it being late 

 in iheevfiiing. the ferryman had no suspicions 

 that his boat was bearing the mad beauty 

 across the river until he made his round to col- 

 lect the fares. " Fare, please," saia he to the 

 dark figure upon the pony. For a reply, Alfa- 

 retta began to sway her body, and croon, 

 "Rumbles and gumbles, skies clear; gumbles 

 and tumbles, moon fair— fair." 



Then turning suddenly in the saddle she 

 bent low, her face almost touching the surpris- 

 ed boatman. "Ha, ha!" she laughed; "see my 

 teeth!" 



The latter was said with a hiss and a grimace 

 that gave a chill to the boatman. The front 

 end of the boat was now grating upon the shore 

 graviil. Alfaretta touched the pony with the 

 whip, and she responded by leaping into the 

 shallow water, and jumped to land; and the 

 last the occupants of the boat heard was a weird 

 song from the bluff: 



"The night is stormy and dark," etc. 



"That mad beauty, by ginger," said the 

 boatman. " Well, I can't help it. If her folks 

 can't keep her in nights, don't know- as I am 

 bound to chase around after her. Say, Jim, 

 you are on horseback; spose you follow her up." 



" Not much," said Jim; "don't want my nose 

 bit off an' eyes scratched out. She's a witch." 

 And Alfaretta was left to pursue her journey 

 unmolested." 



It was, to all appearances, a crazy idea of a 

 crazy person to start out under cover of night 

 to search for Fred Anderson, not having the 

 least idea of his whereabouts: but she had 

 great faith in her imaginary mermaids and the 

 utmost confidence in Jack. The latter was 

 worthy of it, for an Indian pony never forgets 

 its home. In their fishing-excursions to the 

 various streams, and in their annual migra- 

 tions as hop pickers to the hop-fields of the 

 Sacramento Valley, the Indians and their 

 ponies become familiar with a wide area of 

 country; and this night, after crossing the 

 river, the pony made rapid progress, for every 

 lope was toward its home. 



But even horse flesh will tire; and about 

 midnight, Jack, of his own accord, turned into 

 a little arroyo where there was water and 

 grass, and began to browse and drink. Alfa- 

 retta, patting the pony's neck, dismounted, 

 removed the saddle, secured the long slender 

 lariat to a bush, and Jack was left to rest and 

 eat, while Alfaretta partook of her lunch, and, 

 wrapped in the heavy macintosh, she crooned 

 her song and kept a fitful vigil over the pony. 

 In the early morning, away pony and maid 

 again hastened. It was about midday when 

 Alfaretta galloped into the little settlement of 



Covelo, just on the borders of the Indian reser- 

 vation. The pony halted for a drink at the 

 only watering-place— a tank in front of a saloon. 



A stranger in these out-of-the way towns, be 

 it man or woman, is an object of curiosity; and 

 the pony's nose had scarcely touched the 

 water when a long lank individual, dozing in a 

 chair under the generous awning, aroused, un- 

 folded himself, and approached the rider, and 

 proceeded to get acquainted by saying, " How 

 d'y' du, gal? That's a ::"ht smart of a pony 

 yer have thar. Mout yei 'epoin'fur? Ef I 

 can be of sarvic" "—but the t. ■ n was suddenly 

 interrupted by Alfaretta leaning toward him, 

 and, with a grimace, she shouted, "Bum, 

 bum, go-baa-baa!" and concluded by striking 

 him over the head with her light riding-whip. 

 The pony immediately struck off at a gallop, 

 and *he discomfited meddler turned to the 

 laughing crowd that had collected, with the 

 angry remark. " By Jericho! ef a man had done 

 that, by Jericho I'd a shot 'Im dead; butefl 

 don't b'lieve she's that ar' crazy gal I've heerd 

 so much about down at Colusa." 



"Ha. ha! Jim. that's a good way to turn it 

 off." said a woman in the crowd. " You 

 needn't think you are over in Missury, whar 

 everybody's bizness is your bizness, and your 

 bizness everybody's bizness. This is Californy, 

 whar yer've got ter mind yer own bizness. That 

 gal ain't crazy 'tall. She's one o' them tower- 

 ists who don't know any better'n to go gallup- 

 adin' round the country with a double-barreled 

 spy-glass and a camery a insultin' decent folks. 

 Oh! no, Jim, she ain't crazy onless the hul lot 

 on 'em are." 



While the people were discussing Alfaretta's 

 action, the pony was rapidly carrying her into 

 Round Valley. As the pony approached its 

 former home its pace increased. Under the 

 heat of the day. and the exercise, Alfaretta had 

 thrown aside the macintosh, and her fluttering 

 white dress would have made her conspicuous 

 but for the lonely road she traveled. Two 

 hours' riding, and pony and white-robed rider 

 flashed into the broad plaza of the Indian 

 rancheria. The pony gave a loud whinner of 

 joy and recognition of home, and so aroused 

 the entire rancheria. The men awoke from 

 their dozing; the dusky half-clad children 

 scrambled into the wooden wickiups; the 

 squaws, after one glance at the white-robed 

 figure, one and all ran hither and thither in 

 confusion, hair streaming, arms uplifted, hands 

 clasped, and shouting in despair, "Ban-owoya! 

 ban-owoya!" (the white squaw! the white 

 squaw!) 



Please allow me to congratulate you on the end- 

 spacing staple wViich you have already sl'own us in 

 Gleanings. I think it will prove one of the most 

 euccf ssful improvements that as yet have been of- 

 fered to bee-keepers. Jas. Pratt. 



Cumminsville, Neb. 



