61f 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 



the other iu. AVell, Avith his father's com- 

 passes a true cirfle was marked out on an- 

 otlier piece of tin, and when made just the 

 right size, and cut out, it just pushed into 

 the cup. It would go into the top very well, 

 and when pushed down to the bottom it 

 came solidly against the seam that was 

 turned in to hold it. It came do.vn into 

 place so securely it almost seemed as if it 

 would stay without solder. However, as 

 John's cups were to be useful as well as or- 

 namental, it was soldered securely. Mary 

 and Freddie were loud in their praises of 

 the cup. because it actually did not leak a 

 drop all the while they were eating supi)er, 

 yet it was left on the work-bench. brimu)ing 

 full. Freddie said they bought a tin cup of 

 a peddler, and it would not do that. After 

 supper, a handle was made of a piece of tin 

 that was left. The handle, when cut, looked 

 just likelhis: — 



After he got a cup made so he knew it 

 held exactly a pint, he made a careful pat- 

 tern and punched a hole through it so it 

 could be hung up on a nail. He also wrote 

 on every })attern the name of it. as you see 

 in the pictures, so no mistake would be 

 made. The edg^s of the handle were folded, 

 much like the body of the cup ; and, to get 

 the right shape to it, he folded it over his 

 mother's rolliiig-pin, so as to be bent exactly 

 like a cup they had iu the house. After he 

 bad got one to suit him with the aid of the 

 patterns, it did not take very long to make 

 another; and, at the suggestion of Mary, 

 this second one was hung on a nail just 

 over his bench, with a little board under it, 

 marked as you see below : — 



Just as they got it nicely 

 fixed, T.' ncle Billy drove past; 

 and, seeing the children look- 

 ing up at the cup Avith such 

 interest and animation, he 

 glanced up too. 



■• Only live cents ? Why, I 

 guess a new tin cup is just 

 what I want; '' and he took 

 a nickel out of his pocket and handed it 

 over. 



" John made it, all his self," ventured 

 Mary, for the success of her plea for the little 

 trough had made her somewhat bold. 



'•Is that so V Why, where did he get his 

 tools for a tin-shop ? " 



John, a little shyly, told him they Avere 

 there on the bench. While Uncle Billy was 

 looking them over and asking questions, the 

 doctor drove up with his ooy Tom. (Jf 

 course, all had to look at the cup. The doc- 

 tor gave an order for half a dozen, explain- 

 ing that he preferred it to any he could buy, 

 because John had done all of the soldering 

 from the outside. .Solder contains a consid- 

 erable portion of lead, and as lead is to a 

 certain extent poisonous, it is very desirable 

 that all kitchen utensils, especially fruit- 

 cans, should be soldered only on the outside. 

 Mary clapped her hands at the prospect of 

 so much monev ; but Johi^ looked a little 



downcast, because he did not know how he 

 was to get so many bright clean oyster-cans, 

 lie timidly mentioned something of this, 

 when Tom interposed. 



•' Why, father, he can buy new sheets of 

 bright tin. I can get some for him when I 

 go to the city to-morrow." 



" Yes," said uiicle Billy, •• I happen to be 

 acquainted with the tin-smith there, and I 

 will send a line to him, asking him to let you 

 have it as near box prices as possible." 



John was troubled still, for the nickel he 

 had just received for the cup was all the 

 money he had in the world. But a brave 

 boy as he was, tliough, he spoke right out; 

 and at the same time he thanked them he 

 told them the trouble. 



•• Why , look here," said the doctor ; '" here 

 is the money for the six, in advance." 



•■ And here is the money for six more that 

 Jw'ant," said uncle Billy. '•It is a pity if 

 we can not give the • Temperance Hotel ' a 

 lift when it is just starting out;" and he 

 gave the doctor a look that was understood, 

 as he laughed good-naturedly. Tom took 

 the money, <md promised that "the tin should 

 be on hand by the next day noon, if nothing 

 happened, and off they all went. John could 

 hardly keep back the tears. What did it all 

 mean? and how was it that even Tom seemed 

 so pleasant and accommodating? His moth- 

 er told him it was simply the working out 

 of the promise in the text at the head of our 

 story this month, and that he might reasona- 

 bly expect people in this world to be willing 

 to help those who are trying hard to help 

 themselves. At a little before noon Tom 

 drove up and handed out ten bright sheets 

 of tin for the sixty cents. After the tin was 

 out, he pulled out of his pocket a clean 

 bright bar of nice new solder. 



'•Why, where did you get that?" said 

 John. 



"OhI I had a little money left.and I thought 

 you would get out befme all this tin was 

 w(uked up, and so I brought it along. It 

 cost just oU cents." As John looked a little 

 undecided about getting in debt so much he 

 added, •' You just lay it in your drawer un- 

 til you get a lot of cups done, and then I 

 will help you sell them." 



John found that each sheet would make 

 the bodies to seven cups, and a half-sheet 

 more Avould make the bottoms, with scrap 

 enough for all the handles. Before he went 

 to bed that night the dozen were Huished, 

 and tied up with strings ready for delivery. 

 Before noon next day, enough were made and 

 sold to pay for the bar of solder. During all 

 this time John was revolving a plan in his 

 head for making a o-cent pail, on the same 

 plan as his cup. By the time his bar of sol- 

 der was all his own, his plan was matured, 

 un one side of the cup is a seam, you know; 

 well, right opposite tins seam he cut a little 

 notch in the body of the cup, before it was 

 folded up. so as to have a break, as it were, 

 in thiS folded edge. Well, after the cup was 

 all made but the handle, he with a sharp- 

 pointed scratch -awl raised the fold and 

 slipped in a bent wire, which formed the 

 ears of the pail. The drawing below will 

 show you how the ear was made, and held 

 in position until it could be soldered. The 



