AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



791 



FROM THE STINGER. 



The paragrapher of the Proi/ressivc Bee- 

 Keeper has asked why we did not use " Stray 

 Strings " instead of "Stray Stings," as I 

 might then use them to bind the " Straws " 

 with. One reason why I did not use 

 •'strings '' is because neither the American 

 Bee Journal nor myself are in the supply 

 business. 



What sort of an ear must S. E. Miller, of 

 the Progressive have when he seems to think 

 that "Stray Stings" sounds a little like 

 " Stray Straws ?" I never heard a donkey 

 try to sound the two headings mentioned, 

 but I should judge that if that much-abused 

 beast were to make the effort, he would not 

 succeed in finding much difference between 

 the two. 



But ye Frogresslre paragrapher. we found 

 another reason for not using anything that 

 had " stray '" about it — tve might be thought 

 to be like that (a)stray donkey that is try- 

 ing to do the funny act for one of the bee- 

 papers. 



This seems rough on the Missouri bee- 

 keepers! The paragrapher of the Proijres- 

 sive Bee-Keeper asks, "Has not Missouri 

 enough of bee-keepers with cheek enough 

 to assert their rights V I never thought 

 that a bee-keeper had to push his way to 

 secure what he really wanted by having 

 to have "cheek." The bee-keepers I have 

 had to do with were all nice people — modest 

 to a fault, but, nevertheless, they managed 

 to "get there" every time, wiiile some 

 pompous individuals who had a profundity 

 of gall and cheek, went to the wall. 



As it seems that some of the Missouri 

 bee-keepers are a little deficient in that re- 

 quisite mentioned by friend Miller, I would 

 suggest that he start a School of Monumen- 

 tal Cheek, and offer inducements to the 

 Missouri bee-keepers to come and take les- 

 sons from him, that they might make that 

 State the Mecca of apiarists who wish to 

 become elieeky. 



Somnambulist asks, in the November 

 issue of the Progressive Bee-Keeper, " Is it any 

 wonder I feel too full for utterance?" I 

 really do not know, my friend ; it might 

 altogether depend upon how greatly in- 

 fatuated you were with those blonde dam- 

 sels I saw dispensing beer and that sort of 

 stuff in Old Vienna and the German gar- 

 dens. I do not know your capacity for the 

 malt liquid, you see. Oh, by the way, did 

 you try the pretzels in one of those gardens 

 or corners, Somnambulist ? Bro. Root says 

 pretzels are fine. 



Truly, you were an object of pity Som- 

 nambulist, and I wonder that you are still 

 at large. 



I did not see any of "the pretty little 

 guides in their imitation West Point uni- 

 form." I saw the real guides of the Fair, 

 but they did not look anything like the 

 West Pointers. I have seen the latter on 

 their "native heath," and there is a deal 

 of difference between the uniform of a 

 Columbian guide and that of the boys who 

 are serving a term on Uncle Sam's farm on 

 the Hudson. 



Now, I guess, that while the Somnambu- 

 list was half awake and half asleep on the 

 Fair Grounds, he mistook one of the afore- 

 said cadets (who, with his comrades, was 

 spending his vacation on the Fair premises) 

 for one of the guides. Strange things are 

 sometimes conjured up in the minds of a 

 dreamer. 



I notice that one of our queen-breeders 

 has been sending some of his Italian queens 

 over to Ireland. I was of the opinion that 

 the Irish people did not want any more 

 queens or other royal personages fooling 

 around their Gi-een Isle of the Sea. Noth- 

 ing gives an Irishman greater pleasure 

 than to go before one of our American 

 courts, and become a citizen of this great 

 country, as it gives him an opportunity to 

 swear off allegiance to the Queen of Great 

 Britain and Ireland, and Empress of India. 



[For years, bee-keepers have felt that they 

 owed the Rev. L. L. Laugstroth— the Father 

 of American bee-culture— a debt that ibey 

 can never very well pay, for his invention of 

 the Movable-Frame Hive which so completely 

 revolutionized bee-keepinj? throug-houtall the 

 world. In order thcrt his few remaining- years 

 may be made as ha^py and as comfortable as 

 possible, we feel that we should undertake a 

 plan by which those bee-keepers who consider 

 it a privilege as well as a duty, might have an 

 opportunity to contribute something toward 

 a fund that should be gathered and forwarded 

 to Father Langstroth as a slight token of their 

 appreciation, aud regard felt for him by bee- 

 keepers every where. No amount above $1.00 

 ii expected from any person at one time— but 

 any sum, however large or small, we will of 

 course receive and turn over to Father L. 

 All receipts will be acknowledged here.— En. 1 



Ivist of Contributors. 



Previously Reported $75 70 



Chas. F, Jaessing, Maumee, 1 00 



W. R. Mundhenke, Wheeling, 111 1 00 



Total §77 70 



Please Send TJs the Names of your 

 neighbors who keep bees, and we will 

 send them sample copies of the Bee 

 Journal. Then please call upon Lhem 

 and get them to subscribe with you, and 

 secure some of the premiums we offer. 



