GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 1. 



RED'S method of duel- 

 ing was so novel that 

 it elicited no end of 

 comments from the 

 crowd; and, while 

 vehemently opposed 

 by his opponent, the 

 crowd was the more 

 vehement in their 

 approval of it. 

 " Say, young man," 

 said Siim Jim, " whar d'y come from, anyway?" 

 " I came from Maine," replied Fred. 

 "Jest as I mustrusied." said Jim; " fur no- 

 body but an infernal Yankee'd ever thinli of 

 sech a way of fitin' as that. My way is pistils, 

 and it's pistils or nothing." 



" I don't see that there is any difference as to 

 how we fight, if it is only with deadly weapons," 

 said Fred; "and I'll guarantee that the bees 

 are as dead shots as any pistol you can produce." 

 " Yes," said Jim, " they may be deadly to me, 

 but how's it to you ? You mout be one of them 

 fellers that bees won't sting." 



" Well, then," said Fred, '• I would have about 

 the same advantage that you would with a 

 gun. You are a dead shot, and I am not. I 

 had a right to choose my weapon, and will 

 fight with no other; am I right, gentlemen?" 

 said Fred, turning to the crowd. 

 "Right! right!" assented the crowd. 

 Fred icnew that, in drumming bees from a 

 hive, they would fill themselves with honey, 

 and be comparatively harmless, and could be 

 thrown promiscuously into a crowd, and no 

 stings result. But to those ignorant of the 

 traits of the bee, the idea was full of terror; 

 and Slim Jim's view of it was of the nature of 

 a lingering death. 



Fred was thoroughly opposed to dueling in 

 every form; and in making his proposition he 

 sought to make as much of a burlesque of it as 

 possible, and was happy over his success; for 

 after much talk, Slim Jim, after many impre- 

 cations against the "onusual ways of the in- 

 fernal Yankees," made an ignominious with- 

 drawal. 



With Slim Jim out of the way, young Arm- 

 strong directed his attention to Dr. Hayden. 

 The doctor told the story of the valley, his 

 finding of it through the Indians, etc.; and 

 when he had concluded, he said, " Now, if you 

 doubt my word, here are my companions. Ask 

 them." 



Sam Johnson, in giving his experience in the 

 valley, dwelt more upon what Dr. Hayden had 

 done for him morally than he did upon a de- 

 scription of the valley, and concluded by say- 

 ing, "Dr. Hayden am elevated me from de 

 mire ob de dirty slough to de beautiful heaben- 

 ly gardens; and though de beautiful valley am 

 gone, de heabenly gardens remain in my soul, 

 glory hallelulla!" 



Fred interested the crowd with a description 

 of his first acquaintance with the doctor, and 

 of his wonderful success with bees in the valley. 



" Well, now, by snumra," said one of the 

 crowd; " that explains a mystery. I've hunted 

 bees all around Crystal Mountain, and the lines 

 always led me right into them' glass knives. I 

 calculated there was a big cave in there some- 

 where: but instead there was a whole valley, 

 and who'd a thought it?" 



Gimp Dawson gave some of his experiences 

 with Sam Johnson, and said: 



" When I was fust pitched inter the valley I 

 hated that ar' nigger," pointing to Sam; "but 

 afore I came out I come to conclude that, 

 though he's black, thar are some white streaks 

 in his heart. D'ye see that ar' scar on my hand, 

 and that on my shin" (pulling up his trousers)? 

 " then thar is another on my hip— got cut on 

 them glass knives. Wall, Sam done 'em up 

 like a horsepital man, and on the hull we had a 

 happy time, as Sam says, in de heabenly 

 valley." 



When Alfaretta told her story there was a 

 visible effect upon the crowd. Many had heard 

 of and a few had seen the " mad beauty " of the 

 Sacramento; and now to have her in their 

 midst, sane, and talking to them so pleasantly, 

 was too much for them, and they broke, from 

 murmurs from one to another, into a hearty 

 cheer, and the cheer was as pointed for Dr. 

 Hayden as for Alfaretta. 



" Well, Dr. Hayden," said Pete Armstrong, 

 " we had an impression that you were an evil 

 genius, and an all-round bad man. Now, there 

 is such a man and a murderer somewhere 

 around that mountain. My father was shot in 

 cold blood; that Dutchman Kishinka was also 

 killed, and no telling how many men have been 

 driven from the vicinity by burning of cabins 

 or killing of stock." 



" But why should I do such things," said the 

 doctor, " while living peacefully inside the val- 

 ley ? No one was injuring me, and I am not a 

 vicious man, as you have now learned. As to 

 who has committed these crimes, I have noth- 

 ing to say; but if you look sharp you may now 

 find some one outside the valley who is inter- 

 ested in running people off a certain tract of 

 land." 



There was considerable quiet thought over 

 the matter, and finally Pete Armstrong said, half 

 to himself, "If I only knew!— but, wait; there 

 is an Irishman squatting on a parcel of land on 



