The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1862-06-25
From Wilkes Spirit Of the Times.
'CUMULATlNE A BEE HIVE.
BY CAPT. JERE WILLIAMS,

! HeTe Is ~ r askeO one OF MS TWO
hearers.
"If you'll promise to so along and help
'cumnlatc it, III tell you
Count me one" said Jed Wicks.
Count me half dozen, if you want
that many" said Bill Reese
"Rut I'll tell you, boys, its down at Rob-
inson's, on Cheat river, and worse than
that, its in the kitchen loft; and still worse,
he has two alfred big cross blood hounds. :"
Come to Think" said Jed Wicks, q.
havn't time to CO.
81 never agreed to CO." said Bill Reese.
"Iook here, f,llcrs, tell you you can
'cumulatc that ere honey, and ef you fel.
lers are afcerd to g., can find somebody
that amt
This lcfthandcr at their courage set
them to wardng off with other excuses.
II m not afecrd to CO." said Jed, "but
maybe Robinson is Union man, and it
wouldn't do, you know"
Not by dcrnd sight, he amt. He's
one these cusscd neutral seceSh that's ten
times wusS than an out-and outer. He
carries news to Greenbior camp, and III
prove it on him aiorc a week"
"But, then,' intcrpoSed l,ill, 1--WE can't
get past the camp guards; ard it we could,
it looks little too much like stealing"
"Gittin' past the guards amt common
amusement" said Jack list say you'll
go and the honey is ourn And as to the
moral pint, We'll go 'cor,|ing tc the law and
custom, you know Fust, demandn' of the
secesh bees to take the oath, they rcfusin,
We arrest them and contiscate their proper
ty. al fair and legal, you see What's
stealin' in times O. peace, is confiscatin'
and 'cumulatin' in time o war; For steal
in you go to Jail, but for 'cumuatiD' you
get promoted. SO, you see, in a moral pint
of view, its intirely different"
Their qualms Of conscience being thus
disposed Of, and Jack having insured their
hides against the hounds, they ag, ced to
go il he would get pass to take them
through the guard lines
Come right along, then, said Jack, and
they followed him to remote beat, where
was walking, to and fro, German sentinel
who could not read English. after the
usual challenge Jack advanced, and draw
ing from the folds Of his pocket book a
crumpled paper read as follows:
"CAMr CHEAT MOUNTAIN SuMMIr,)
Va, October IS, 1861.
comrads, on very important business.
Brigader General MILRoY."
The German understood none of this
except the name and title of the General,
and Jack, to prevent him from calling
corporal Of the guard, looked very impor
tant and made him understand that the
General wished the expedition kept pro-
found secret. The sentinel d,tftrcntally
stepped aside and they passed on.
'lIow in the dickens did you get that
pass, Jack ~ inquired Bill.
Pass be hanged 1t was nothing but a
little note Robinson sent up to the General
tother day by me, about the boys steal
ing from him. Yes, gave it to him much"
but what does the note say ~ eagerly
inquired Bill.
why, it says as how if the Gineral
lows any Of the soldiers to come stealn'
about him, his dogs shouldn't leave har nor
hide of EN-. He done it to skccr me, as he
noticed me eyein' of his bee hive tux
the hint and the note and told him like as
not some of the boys would be down this
very day, and maple steal his bee hive or
pinlin' at his dogs. Says |, Il believe see
hind legs off man the fust jerk, ef l tell
'em to- Says keep sharp look out,
and mentioned to him to keep his eye
peeled to day"
Bill and Jed stopped.
Jack" said Bill, my 'pinion is you're
tryn' to git US into an Internal scrape"
Mary time fellers; nary time. | jist
wanted the Secesh cuss to understand that
Jack Phillips could 'cumuate that bee hive
If him and his DIGS was a-straddle Of it.
tell you, ,pon honor, that have the ropes
all laid, and that bee hive is as good as
ourn without ary scratch. III manage
Robinson ami the dogs myself; they shan't
as much as look toward YOU"
After some further assurances they pro-
ceeded, and when they approached the
house, they crept quietly through The laurel
to take reconnaissance. There sat Robin
son in the very door through which they
would have to pass in o,dcr to reach the
bee hive, and by the doorstep lay the two
ferocious dogs. Appearances, certainly,
were not very promising, but Jack quietly
remarked, "aIl right, old fcller'
"Bili, said he, you and Jed remain
here, silent and still, until you hear me
holler, and then double quick in, wrap
blanket around the bee hive and bring it |
into the laurel up the pint. You nee,len't
be afeerd Of Robinson and the dogs, they'll
be tended to-" Saying which Jack start.
ed toward the river.
was foot way across the river, that part
tarthest from the house being single
plank. The water was three or four feet
deep, swift and cold, and the banks quite
bluff.
In about half an hour from the time Jack
left his friends, Robinson was startled by |
hearing squawking in the direction of the
bridge, and looking up saw Jack crossing
the river with a chicken under his arm.
Hold on thar, you internal scoundrill!'
he shouted, ''or III set the dogs on you
Here TiGe, here Mage" and he and the
dogs started on a run.
"'Taint none of your chicken" shouted
Jack, feisning fright, II bought it down to
the widder's"
"Iloli on, tell your shouted the en-
ranged Robinson, and III see whose it is,
you Yankee thief"
Jack stopped at the farther end Of the
foot way, and stood with his toe under one
end of the plank, while Robinson advanced
from the other, shaking his fist and ex-
''I'll teach you to come here stealin', you
pilierin' scoundrelly abolition"
KERsoUsE!!
Jack had dexterouSly thrown the end Of
the plank sidewise, and Robinson and the
dogs were aounderns, and fighting. and
over each other in four feet of
water. Jack gave lound shout, took to
his heels, and, at the appointed rendezvous
found his comrades with hive Of rich
honey.
F&ruER Avn COI- A lull father had n