The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-08-23
SILAS HIyING BEES.
How he Expected to DO 1t, and How he
Didn't DO IL.

How he Expected to DO 1t, and How he
Didn't DO II.
The old gcntleman's name is Silas, and
that of his eldest son is George his wifo's
name is Matilda, and his three pretty
daughters arc named Helen, Alice and
Susie there is little Sins, too, and m
older boy whose name is too queer to
mention.
The bees had alightcd in n great
bunch, as largo rs half bushcl measure,
OH the limb OF n peach tree in the yard.
You NIL know how it is done. A table is
placed under tho overhanging limb,
spread with clean white cloth, and the
hive placed thereon.
Then one of the boys, one that is good
for nothing else, is sent into tho tree
with saw TO sever tho limb the limb
comes down slowly and easily, and the
old gent below, dressed in great coat,
buckskin gloves, cowhido boots, and n
bed quilt tied around his head and face,
slyly manipulatcs twig from the tree,
and in two minutes has safely coaxed
every bee to enter the hive, during all Of
which time Matilda and Helen and Alice
and Susie pound the bottoms ont of Just
four tin pans, little Silas does his pret-
tiest yelling, while the boy with the
queer name is Just old enough and sharp
enough to slipbehind tlIchousc and wait
for the thing to come to point. That
is the way it ought to have gone OF ;
but that isn't the wav it did. Silas, the
elder, was very comfortably bundled up
for SO warm II day, and he had his suit
well arranged, only lie forgot to tie
strings around tho bottoms OF his pants
legs.
The bees had settled on the limb OF n
peach tree, and Silas, when his table and
white cloth and hive were MI ready,
commanded:
"Now, George, grab that old rusty
saw and climb; l guess You can cut that
small limb of easy enough"
George was Just home from six
months term Mt school, and he felt n
great tenderness for his father, and
would have gone through patch Of this.
ties barefoot to please the old gent, and
yet ho had particular dread for the
"business end" of Il bee, and particu-
larly of such crowd OF them. But he
obcycd, and began to fiddle away call
tiousIy upon tho particular limb. One
little bunch of bees dropped oil and were
Gagged another and another small bunch
dropped, and the prospect seemed good,
when suddenly an old honey-makcr, who
had been in the business before, scared
upward. George shut up one eye quick,
gave one terrific surge on tho old rusty
saw, got ont of that tree Mt one jump,
and his anxious mother caught ono
glimpse Of him rs he flew around thu
corner Of the barn twenty rods away.
But poor old Silns The bees came
down, and he thought the bunch was rs
big ms a haystack now. They did not go
into the hive, but they went through his
overcoat and bcd-quilt as il these had
only been mosquito bars, and they
climbed up the inside OF his pants legs,
and the old gent danced rs he had never
danced before and he slapped his legs,
Ms he never allowed any one else to slap
them, and his voice lowered high above
the clatter Of the tin pans and the shrisks
OF little Silas Ms he yelled:
"'Throw water on mo! throw water on
ME soak me, wet me down "
He rolled three or four times over in
the grass, and sprang up, shouting .
"Slap me slap me Can't you slap
met" III the midst of which little Silas
crept up behind his infuriated pa mud
dealt him lively one with shingle !;
but poor little Silas landed the next
second against tho milk house, for his pa
took him and his shinglc for thousand
bees, and gently brushed them oil.
o, the agony of that three minutes
jig. He appealed to his wife.
"NfNtilla, for Heavens sake, bring
me another pair Of brccchcs, won'tyou I"
But these things don't last always, any
more thau Nny other happiness, and
after n few minutes the old gent came
limping out OF the cellar with the
brcechGs on that Matilda brought him,
feeling much easier, but certainly much
fatigued, just rs George got back from
the barn and the boy with the queer
name slipped around the corner OF the
house. Both boys were very anxious to
know how matters stood and asked:
"Did you git en- hivcd, par
But the old nan was too mad tn
answer or even look Mt his boys. He
turned to little Silas and said
Little one, you meant all right, nnd
I'm sorry l cuiitd you SO; next time
don't slap so hard"
Then to his wife Matilda, to you |
owe everything. Accept my heartfelt
gratitude. Well take no more stock i'll
bees. have made up my mind, aud it's
settled. Mny our quiet, peaceful farm
home never be so stirred up again.
Seems to me l never had somuch Of life
crowded into few short minutes be-
fore. Run after the cows, how, boys !;
be of, for it's almost dark"