Jim Murphy, the driver, looks at the assembled group and then at the hives. For once he takes the boxes up gently and with the greatest care, even solicitude, as if they contained precious and fragile freight, places them on the stand, exclaiming : "Be jabbers and I'm well rid of thim crayters. Hivn't I bin faring by the song of 'em, they would kim out an' make me acquaintence on the road." "Oh, Jim," said Mollie, "just wait a few minutes and I'll show you as pretty a sight as you've seen in many a day." "Prity sight, indade, Miss Mollie, its mesifl as would be made but a sorry sight of with thim fellers a buzzing like mad about me. I'm thinkn' I'll be off double quick, an 'good morning' an 'good luck to yer, but I advise yet all to kape a safe an' respictful distience from thim hot-fitted buzzers." Mollie and the boys shout with laughter as the timorous Jim jumps into the express wagon and whipping his horse speeds away from the scene of action. "Now to work," says Mollie, "Bob, I shall want your help. Here is a black silk gauze veil you must put on over your hat and bring well down over your shoulders and I will put mine on too. Here is a pair of buckskin gloves for you like what I have on. Now we will proceed to take off the wire netting which covers the entrances and let the bees come out and have a survey of their new home. Ted, dear, you must not stand in front of the hives for when the bees fly off they want the way all clear before them. Ah, see them coming out, the little yellow beauties! Now, Bob, I am going to open one hive and show you the queen. We must work gently and slowly for any sudden motion will alarm the bees and they would then pour forth in swarms upon us. I will take the end hive and open it carefully. This upper part contains the boxes for surplus honey. See, they have deposited honey in them already! Give me the smoker. Now we will lift the cover of the main part of the hive and I will puff in a little smoke and then I will take out the end of frame, just see how thickly covered it is, and lean it up against the hive. Now I can move the other frames along. See how the little yellow heads are appearing above the edges of all of the frames, just like so many little boys peeping over a fence. I may be obliged to take out several frames to find the queen ; no, here she is. on the middle frame. Come mother and all of you. Wrap that mosquito neting all about you and come and look. Isn't she a beauty! Any one could at once recognize the queen for she is nearly twice as long as a worker bee and so graceful and if pure Italian, yellow as gold. I did not see her at first, but observing a cluster of the other bees I found her in their midst. They are so attentive to her wants, feeding her and making way for her as she goes from cell to cell laying eggs. See, this is what is called the brood comb and this single comb contains so much. Here are cells filled with eggs, here are others filled with bees in all stages of growth, and here, yes, here are queen cells forming. Just look at them, they are larger and protrude out beyond the others, and are just like thimbles, in shape and size. Now we must be careful for we may expect a swarm soon." "Hurrah for a swarm," shouted Tom. "A swarm in May A load of hay, A swarm in June A silver spoon, A swarm in July Not worth a fly." "Why, Ted," exclaims Mollie, "what's the matter with you. You're running for dear life, eh? What! a bee after you? You should have kept under the netting. Don't take your hat off. If the bee gets into your hair he will certainly sting you for the hair always worries him. There, he has left you now. Don't come too near again without a veil. Now we will put back the frames and in a few days we will examine the other hives, for from the appearance of this one I think we will have a busy month taking care of swarms." "But what a sight it is, Mollie, I never saw anything like it in my life.