86 
FOLLOWING THE BEE LINE 
My father had not given in to the automobile 
as early as some; not through dislike of motor ve¬ 
hicles but because he loved horses. So the plan was 
for me to take a young horse which could cover 
the seven miles rapidly. We put the hive in the 
back part of a buggy, and my sister-in-law got in 
beside me, on her way to catch a train in the village 
a mile away. 
Off we drove gaily, with the hive projecting some¬ 
what at the rear of the carriage. We had not gone 
far before I noticed that a few bees were following 
us. I gave them little attention however, thinking 
that probably I had not closed the hive entrance 
soon enough and some early risers on coming back 
from the fields had been unable to get in, as often 
happens when bees are moved. 
My sister-in-law shooed one away, exclaiming, 
“What makes these bees follow us?” 
“Oh, they won’t follow long,” I answered non¬ 
chalantly. “They’re iust a few stragglers, but we’ll 
soon lose them.” 
But we didn’t lose them and their numbers in¬ 
creased. 
“Darn it all,” said my sister-in-law profanely, 
“You may like these things, but I don't —Let me 
out!!" 
