48 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 15. 



asked Senor A. about it. It turned out to be 

 "Coggshall," with a Spanish pronunciation. 

 It surprised me very much to find a horse with 

 such a name until Senor A. explained that the 

 horse had grown into the habit of kicking the 

 cover off from things, then all was clear ; for I 

 knew that Gi^eanings circulates in Cuba. 

 San Francisco de Paula, Cuba. 



[Mr. Howe sent us a photo of the Aguilera 

 apiary; but, owing to the difficulties mentioned 

 in the letter above, the picture was not clear 

 enough to be reproduced by half-tone. I re- 

 gret this very much, as the view if clear enough 

 would be very interesting, and we hereby re- 

 quest Mr. Aguilera to have another attempt 

 made ; and while he is about it, let us have a 

 snap- shot of the horse " Coggshall " that has 

 a fashion of " kicking covers off from things." 

 —Ed.] 



DISTRACTET HONEY. 



BY LOUIS SCHERFF. 



You ask if mine pees dis summer did veil ? 

 Ef I got me considdible much new honey? 

 You bed your shlibbers. An' I dit sell 

 It all to deni cidy folk fur shpot gash money. 

 It was distractet honey, an' arful nice, 

 Because mine pees dey hat to gadder it dwice. 



How dis habbend, I vill now to you exblain, 

 Alldough mine vife vould give a good deal money 

 Ef she coult rup out uf her life de arful stain 

 Dat she says I poot on her, dough t'vos very funny. 

 She has nefer forgif me quite to dis day, 

 Dough I haf dried to blease her in efry vay. 



You see, las year from a pee subbly manafacter 

 I pought me some alsike I indendet to grow. 

 An' also vot dey calld a battend honey-distractor 

 Vot dey use to ciistract out de honey flow. 

 Veil, dis year I got a pooty fairly goot crop, 

 I distractet almost a parrel full to de top. 



"SHE HAS NEFER FORGIF ME!" 



De nex ding vos to fine a goot blase, 



So I garried it indo mine upgrount cellar. 



As mine vife vos avay for a cupple of days 



I indendet, ven she got back, to dell her 



If she vent in dare she shoult look a liddle out ; 



Dot de lit on dat parrel vas not fery shtout. 



(You see, mine vife she is of pooty goot size ; 



An' for bossin' me roun' she's a reg'lar hummer. 



Dot she vears de breeches, her neighbors surmise ; 



But /genrally vears 'em in de summer. 



Her nature is goot, dough, ven she is not mat ; 



But ven somding goes wrong, den her demper is bat). 



Out in dot cellar, high up near under de joice. 

 In a blace dot her burposean fansy dit suit, 

 A shelf hat been pud dare bv von of de boys. 

 Where she kept all of her nice cannedt fruit ; 

 So high vos de shelf dat, unless vou vould shtand 

 On somding, you couldn't reach back niit your handt. 



Von hot day, vile gettin dinner herself. 

 To de cellar she shtarted, in her bare feet 

 To git a can o' fruit from de shelf. 

 Besides a few odder goot dings to eat. 

 An' just because she didn't haf no shair. 

 She clum up on to dot parrel vot shood dare. 



" BESIDES, SHE WAS JAWIN 



Dare came a crash, an' den she vent down 



Into dot parrel, clean up to her hip, 



Vile ofer it hung her skirt an' gown, 



Yust in de right blase to catch all de drip. 



Her hips vos wetched in dot parrel so tight 



She couldn't turn'd her limbs roun, left nor right. 



De schildren, addracted by de noise of dare maw, 

 Straitvay out in dot cellar now shtruck ; 

 She dold em to run guick au get dare paw. 

 An dell 'em to hurry up, dot she vos shtuck. 

 Ven I got to de cellar an' .saw dot si^ht 

 I lafft so hard dot mine eyes actuly crite. 



You see, I didn't realize (dough it looket .so funny) 



Dot she vos in such an arful bad plight ; 



An' dot dare vos danger of her shpjilin' dot honey ; 



Besites, she vos jawin' me mit all her miglit. 



An' salt dot I hat almost ruined her for lue. 



Dot I cared more for pees dan I dit for my vife. 



I dried to console her in farious vays 



(At de same dime I blanned how to safe dot honey). 



" If you'd a got drownd," 1 .said, " durin' dog days. 



How I'd hat been sad hat 1 lost mine sweet bonny." 



But she almost shtarted a reg'lar quarrel 



Mit me pefore I got her out of dot parrel. 



Ven I dit git her out, I sat her in a vash-dup 



(I coult handle her, for her outside gown vos glean). 



Den mit a large sheet I coffered her up, 



So dot nodding at all of her coult be seen ; 



An' I told her, if she would now only behafe, 



Efry bit of dot honey I den coult safe. 



We carried her outdoors, under de drees 

 (A neighbor helpt me to bring her out up). 

 Right in front ot all dose hifes of pees 

 We blaced her. sittin' in dot va>h-dup. 

 Den mit four poles an' four sheets I vent 

 An' inclos'd her around, like a circus tent. 



I says, " Mardy, if you will now only tarry 



A couble of hours I'll gif you half of der money 



If you will let dose pees come in an' carry 



Back to de hife off of you all dot honey. 



Dell me, Mardy, vill you holt shtill ? " 



She lookt at me satly an' said, " I vill." 



