I36 THE BLESSED BEES. 



The men had been bidden to come without their 

 breakfasts, and now all went into the rough but 

 pleasant kitchen of our large log-house, where my 

 mother had used her skill in preparing a most 

 savory breakfast. As we ate, not a few questions 

 were asked me about bees and honey, and my 

 methods of managing. Believing that any attempt 

 on their part to keep bees would surely result in 

 failure, from their not informing themselves thor- 

 oughly as to methods, and not attending carefully 

 to the bees, I allowed them to mystify themselves 

 with the belief that I had some profound secrets to 

 which my success was due. Of course I did not 

 tell them so. Indeed, I denied it strongly. But 

 my denial only made them assert it more positively. 

 The capacity of the average man for humbugging 

 himself is simply amazing. Those good men be- 

 lieve to this day, that I have some powerful charms 

 for managing bees. They will, perhaps, read this 

 book out of curiosity, to know what young Allen 

 says, and will smile with a superior look and say, 

 " Allen has written a book, but then, you know, he 

 has not told his secrets." If I were to charge them 

 fifty dollars each, for some utterly useless " charm " 

 or " secret/' they would pay it willingly, and think 

 it cheap. 



After breakfast I mounted my wagon and started 

 off, at the head of the procession of ten teams. 



