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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



The man Slim Jim would never forget the girl 

 who gave him the lashing with her riding-whip. 

 Dr. Hayden was also recognized as the mysteri- 

 ous man of the mountain. The people were 

 not so terror-stricken by the earthquake but 

 they could give attention and create quite a 

 commotion around the doctor and his compan- 

 ions. Pete Armstrong, who had hunted the 

 doctor with guns, and had once shot at him, 

 was anxiously looked for by the crowd. 



Slim Jim evidently had no good feeling 

 toward the party, and, remembering the episode 

 in which Alfaretta had struck him over the 

 head with her whip, his questions and his con- 

 duct toward her were so covertly insulting that 

 Fred, though indignant, kept his temper, and 

 in a gentle tone of voice reminded Jim that it 

 was the part of a gentleman to treat a lady 

 with respect. 



This excellent advice Increased his ire, and 

 he now turned a good share of his abuse upon 

 Fred. The latter was pleased that he had 

 drawn at least a portion of the abuse from 

 Alfaretta. The continued abuse, however, so 

 wrought upon Fred's sensitive nature that at 

 length, forgetting to curb his spirit as he 

 should, and forgetting that he endangered the 

 welfare of the rest of the party, like a knight 

 defending a fair maiden he slapped Slim Jim 

 on the mouth. 



" Take that, you low-lived miscreant, and 

 that," as he followed it with another. 



The crowd fell back, shouting, "A fight! a 

 fight!" "Make a ring!" "Come, Jim, will 

 you take that?" 



" No, I won't take it," said Jim, livid with 

 rage. " But I'm no fist fighter. I want deadly 

 weapons. I say I want deadly weapons. Now, 

 young man, ef you have any sand in yer dandy 

 body, jest walk right out with yer deadly 

 weapons; and the quicker ye decide, the 

 better." 



At this juncture Pete Armstrong rode up, 

 and, dismounting, made his way into the crowd. 

 It was not necessary for him to ask about the 

 excitement, for several voices shouted, "The 

 mystery man of the mountains." 



Pete Armstrong was a noble type of the 

 young American, and Fred and the doctor felt 

 instinctively that they would have fair treat- 

 ment at his hands, while the crowd was so 

 vicious and unreasonable as to refuse to listen 



to the explanations the various members of the 

 party had essayed to present. 



Young Armstrong gathered the party under 

 the saloon-awning, and said: 



" Gentlemen, I believe iu the great American 

 idea of fair play; and while I would have shot 

 this mystery man had I met him in the moun- 

 tains, it is no more than fair that, as he is in 

 town, and has in his party the young lady and 

 boy alive and well, whom we thought dead, I 

 propose to listen to each person's story; and if 

 their explanations are founded on reason, I am 

 willing to let those who are innocent go their 

 way, and the guilty receive the punishment 

 due them." 



"But, Pete,"' said Slim Jim, "this young 

 dandy slapped me in the face, and I have chal- 

 lenged him to meet me with deadly weapons, 

 and I don't want to be interrupted in this thing 

 by your personal matters." 



"Ha, ha! personal matters!" said Pete. 

 "Well, then, young man, what do you say? 

 Are you willing to meet this aggrieved man 

 with deadly weapons?" 



"I certainly am," said Fred. "And as lam 

 the challenged party I have the right to choose 

 the weapons. We can settle this matter in a 

 few minutes." 



"All right, boys," said Pete. " We'll let the 

 fun go on, and attend to serious matters after- 

 ward." 



Seconds were duly chosen, and, though the 

 doctor mildly persuaded, and Alfaretta urged, 

 even with tears, to prevent the disgraceful 

 scene, Fred was determined; and, though a 

 very conscientious and moral young man, he 

 seemed just happy at the prospective danger 

 before him. Pete Armstrong, seeing that both 

 were determined, told Fred to choose his deadly 

 weapon, time, and place. 



"Well, then," said Fred, "I propose that a 

 circle eight feet in diameter be marked oil upon 

 the ground. Each party to the duel shall take 

 his stand inside said circle, bareheaded, and 

 his body stripped to the waist. Each party 

 shall be provided with a peck basket, with a 

 cloth cover. Inside said basket must be at 

 least two quarts of live honey-bees. Each 

 party, while keeping within the eight-foot 

 circle, shall throw honey-bees into the hair and 

 upon the naked body of his opponent, until one 

 or both are stung to death, or until one cries 

 'Hold, enough!' " 



A SHORT time ago a question was asked in the 

 Question-box department of the American Bee 

 Journal, whether it was advisable to use deep- 

 cell-wall foundation in sections. A few ans- 

 wered no. It is very evident that some had 

 never seen it, or at least had the impression 

 that the new f oujidation was clumsy ,_and_nqt 

 the beautiful delicate article it is. Mr. Mc- 



Evoy, one of the respondents, not having seen 

 the new foundation, answered in the negative; 

 but later on he saw a sample, and frankly ac- 

 knowledged to Mr. Holtermann that, if he had 

 seen it at the time he made the answer, he 

 would have replied in the affirmative. This, I 

 judge, would have been the case with the oth- 

 ers who answered no. 



