Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1878-11-21
rheumatism Movement Cure.

MiddIerib read in his favorite paper q
paragraph copied from the PratgeT
Observation-Disclosures Wochenblaff. Q
German. paper, which is an accepted
authority on such points, stating that
the sting Of bee was . sure cure for
rheumatism, and citing several remark
able instances in which people had been
perfectly cured by this abrupt remedy.
Mr.. Middlerib dad not stop TO reflect
that a paper gith such name as that
would be very apt to say anything: he
pnly thought Of The Fheamatic tringes
that gTappIcd his knees once IN awhile,
and made life burden to him.
He read the article several times, and
pondeTed over IL. He understood that
the singing must be done scientifically
and thoroughly. The bee, as he under
stood the article, was TO be griped by
the ears and set down upon the rheu-
matte joint, and held there until IL stung
itself stingless. He had some misgiv-
ings about the matter. He knew 1t
would hurt. He hardly thought il could
hurt any worse than The rheumatism,
and it had been so many years since he
was stung by bee that he had almost
forgotten what 1t felt like. He had,
however, a general feeling that it would
hurt some. But desperate diseases re-
quire desperate remedies, and Mr..
Middlerib was willing to undergo any
amount of suffering il il would cure his
rheumatism.
He contracted with Master Middle
rib for limited supply of bees, hum
ming and buzzing about in the Summer
air, but Mr.. Middlerib did not know
how to get them. He felt, however,
that he could safely depend upon the
instincts and methods of boyhood. He
knew that if there was any way in hea-
ven whereby the shyest bee that ever
lifted acknowledgement man of the
clover could be induced to enter a wide
mouthed glass bottle, his son knew that
way.
For the small sum of one dime Mas
ter Middlerib agreed to procure several,
TO wit: six bees, sex and age not spe-
cited: but, as Mr.. MIddlerib was left in
uncertainty as to the race, it was made
obligatory upon the contractor TO have
three Of them honey and three humble,
or, in the generally accepted vernacu-
lar, bumble-bees. MIR. NJ. did not tell
his son what he wanted those bees for,
and the bog went offnn his. mission with
his mead so run Of astonishmess ttSnt II
fairly whirled. Evening bringsall home,
and the last rays OF the declining sun
fell upon Master Middlerib with short,
wide-mouthed bottle comfortably pop
ulated with hot, ill-nstured hsssa
Mr.. Middlerib and .aldia III dime
and the hetEi6 changed hands. Mr.
Middlerib put the bottle in his coat
pocket and went into the house, eyeiaT
everybody he met very suspiciousIy, as
though he had made up his mind to sting
to death the first person who said "bee"
to him. He confided his guilty secret
to none Of his family. He hid his bees
in his bedroom, and as he looked at
them just before putting them away be
half wished the experiment was safely
over. He wished the imprisoned bees
did not look so hot and cross. With ex-
quisite care he submerged the bottle in
a basin Of water and let few drops in
on the heated inmates to cool them off.
At the tea table he had great fright.
Miss Middlerib, in the artless simplici-
ty Of her romantic nature, said
81 smell bees. How the odor brings
up"
But her father glared at her and said,
with superfuous harshness and execra-
bic grammar I:
Hush up! You don't smell moth
ing"
Whereupon Mrs. MidflerIb asked
him il he had eaten anything that dis
agreed with him, and Miss Middlerib
said:
"Why, pal" and Master Middlerib
smiled as he wondered.
Bed time at last, and the night was
warm and sultry. Under various false
pretenses, MIR. Middlerib strolIed about
The house until everybody else was in
bed, and then he sought his room. He
turned the night lamp down until its
feeble ray shone dimly as death light.
Mr.. Middlerib dIsrobed slowly-very
slowly. When at last he was ready to
60 numbering into his peaceful couch,
he heavcd a profound sigh, so full Of
apprehension and griei that Mrs. Mid
dlerib, who was awakened by II, said il
it gave HIM so much pain to come TO
bed, perhaps he had better 81: up all
night. Mr.. Middlerib checked another
sigh, but said nothing and crept into bed.
After lying still few moments be
reached out and got his bottle Of bees.
IL was not an easy thing TO do TO pick
one bee out Of the botileful with his
fingers and not get into trouble. The
first bee Mr.. Middlerib got was a little
brown honey-bee that wouldn't weigh
half an ounce if you picked him up by
the ears, but If you lifted him by The
hind leg, would weigh as much as the
last end Of bay mule. Mr.. MiddIerib
could not repress q groan.
whats the matter with you 20 sleep
ily asked his wife.
II is very hard for Mr.. MiddIerib to
say he only felt hot, but he did it. He
didn't have 10 lIe about it either. He
did feel very hot indeed. About eigh-
ty-six all over, and one hunGred and
ninety-seven on the end OF bis thumb.
He reversed the bee, and pressed the
wsrlike terminus of il firmly against the
rheumatic knee.
1t didn't hurt so badly as he thought
il would.
II didn't hurt at all.
~ IA