Weekly Trinity journal., 1878-10-19

and the invalid knew then that the only
thing this bee had TO sting with was do
ing its work in the end of his thumb.
He reached his arm out from under the
sheet, and dropped the disabled atom Of
rheumatism linimeht on the carpet. Then
after second OF blank wonder, he began
to feel around for the bottle, and wished
be knew what he did with it.
In the meantime strange things had
been going on. When he caught hold of
the first bee, Mr.. Middlerib, for reasons
drew it out in such haste that for the
time be forget all about the bottle and its
remedial contents, and LEFT it lying un-
corked in the bed, between himself and
his innocent wife. In the darkness there
had been quiet but general emigration
from the bottle. The bees, their wings
clogged with the water Mr.. Midderb
had poured upon them were crawling
aimlessly about over the sheet. While
Mr.. Midderib was feeling around tor it,
his ears were suddenly thrilled and his
heart frozen by wild, piercing scream
from his wife.
Murder - she screamed, murder !
Oh. help me Help help !"
Mr.. Middlcrib sat bolt upright in the
bed. His hair stood on end. The night
was very warm, but he turned to ice in a
minute.
"Where in thunder" he said, with
pallid lips, as he felt all over the bed IN
frenzied haste-"where in thunder are
them internal bees Z"
And large humble" with sting as
pitiess as the finger OF scorn, just then
climbed up the inside Of Mr.. Middlerib's
night shir: until it got squarely between
his shoulders. and then 1t felt in for his
marrow, and said. calmly:
"Here is one Of them"
And Mrs. Midderib felt ashamed Of
her feeble screams when Mr.. Middlerib
threw up both arms, and, with howl
that made the windows rattle, roared:
Take him off Oh, land Of Scott,
somebody take him off ~
And, when little honey bee began
tickling the sole o. Mrs. Middlerib's foot
she shrieked that the house was bewitch-
ed, and Immediately went into spasns.
The household was aroused by this
time. Miss Middlerib, and Master Mid
derib, ard the servants were pouring into
the room, adding to the general confusion
by bowling at random, and asking irrele-
want questions, while they gazed at the
figure of a man, little on in years, ar
rayed in long night shirt, paving fierce
~ at the unattainable spot in the middle
of his back, while he danced an unnatural
weird, wicked looking jig by the dim, re-
ligious light of the night lamp. And
while he danced and howled, and while
they gazed and shouted. a navy blue
wasp, that Master Middlerib had put in
the bottle for good measure and variety
and to keep the menagerie stirred up, had
Tried his legs and wings with corner of
the sheet, and after preliminary circle
or two around the bed to get up his mo-
ton and settle down to q working gait,
he fred himself across the room. and to
his dying day Mr.. Middlerib will al
ways believe that one of the servants
mistook him for burglar and shot
him.
Not one, not oven Mr.. Middlerib him
self, could doubt that he was, a. least for
the time, most thoroughly cured of rheu-
matsm. His own boy could not have
carried himself more lightly, or with
greater agility. But the cure was not
permanent, and Mr.. Aiddlerib does dot
like to talk about it.