378 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15. 



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 Qp^3taIJKooi)tair) 



HE doctor and ± red im- 

 mediately hastened to 

 the cliff, the latter almost 

 flying up the terrace. 

 Upon the edge of that 

 tract of obsidian points 

 they found Alfaretta lying insensible if not 

 dead. The donkey was, sure enough, dead; in 

 his struggles upon those knife-like projections 

 he was litera'ly cut to pieces. Gimp had tried 

 to rescue Alfaretta, but had sustained only 

 severe cuts from those knife-like edges. Fred, 

 more methodical, secured a club and broke 

 down all intervening points: then, tenderly 

 lifting Alfaretta in his arms, he carried her to 

 a place of safety. When thrown from the 

 donkey she struck the obsidian points in such 

 a way as to break them off. Blood was flowing 

 profusely, and the doctor ordered her to be 

 borne to the cabin. A cot was sent for, and 

 she was carefully carried down the terrace to 

 her cabin. 



The doctor, with the aid of the two squaws, 

 made an examination of the wounds, and found 

 nothing serious except that there was a piece 

 of obsidian driven firmly into the skull in the 

 parietal bone near the coronal suture. 



The doctor explained to Fred that he dared 

 not just now remove it; " for," said he, "there 

 are certain conditions that may follow which 

 may result in death. But how did this all hap- 

 pen ? The donkeys have always kept at a 

 proper distance from those places." 



Gimp, whose wounds had been carefully ban- 

 daged by Sam, gave the following explanation: 

 " Yer see, mister doctor, Alfaretta was a ridin' 

 that ere donkey jest as proud as ef she was the 

 queen of Sheber; and yer know that ere little 

 queen-rearin' row of hives on the heeltrope 

 terrace? Wal, the donkey tipped one over; 

 the bees want much cross, but one stung the 

 donkey's ear, and then he jest landed his heels 

 right an' left, an' jest run over an' kicked over 

 the hull row, Includin' them big swarms in the 

 center; then he seemed ter think that place 

 out amongst the glass knives a good place to 

 roll, and, accordin', he rolled; an', poor donkey ! 

 he'll never roll any more; an', what's more, 

 I'm feared Alfaretta never'll ride any more. 

 D'y' think, doctor, she'll die? Doctor, she's 

 been gooder'n a sister ter me, even if they du 

 say her mind has sprung off the hinges." 

 "Gimp," said the doctor, "I hope she will 



recover; and, though her life hangs by a slen- 

 der thread, we must hope on." 



Then, after pacing up and down before the 

 cabin a few moments, he stopped, and, address- 

 ing Fred, said. "Fred, that piece of obsidian 

 must be removed, even if death follows. Come 

 with me." 



Dr. Hayden prepared himself with the neces- 

 sary accessories, and proceeded to perform the 

 delicate operation. Fred was too excited to be 

 of any aid; but the two squaws were stoical 

 enough to correctly render the little aid the 

 doctor required. The scalp was turned back 

 from each side of the wound, and the piece of 

 glass-like substance was carefully removed 

 with a pair of pincers. A perceptible pallor 

 came over the doctor's face at the crucial mo- 

 ment; but a little later an expression of sur- 

 prise shone from his eyes; for, with the piece 

 of obsidian, there came a piece of the skull 

 about the size of a nickel. The doctor carefully 

 laid this to one side and proceeded to dress the 

 wound by first trepaning the skull. Alfaretta 

 began to show signs of reviving under this 

 operation, and a little chloroform was used to 

 complete the operation. As soon as the scalp 

 had been replaced and a few stitches taken, 

 the doctor left his patient in the hands of the 

 squaws: and, taking the small piece of skull in 

 hand, went out to where Fred was anxiously 

 waiting and pacing to and fro beneath the oak- 

 tree. 



" See here, Fred," said he, holding the little 

 bone in his hand; "this piece of skull came 

 away in the operation." 



"But. doctor," said Fred, in deep anxiety, 

 " what is to be the outcome ? " 



" Wait a moment and I will tell you," replied 

 the doctor. " By a wonderful chance— no, I 

 will say providence— this obsidian splinter pen- 

 etrated Alfaretta's skull at the identical point 

 where she was injured by the spar striking her 

 head in San Pablo Bay. Now, see; this little 

 '^one, or granular formation, or bubble- like ex- 

 crescence, protruded and crowded against the 

 brain; and so wonderfully delicate is that 

 organ that the least displacement of some por- 

 tions of it causes trouble. In the case of Alfa- 

 retta it was so-called insanity. Now, further- 

 more, if I mistake not, when she revives she 

 will be a sane, sensible young lady." 



" Doctor, I am overjoyed at what you tell me. 

 Alfaretta sane! I can hardly picture such a 



