Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-06-01
Rheumatism Movement Cure.

One day, not great while ago,
Mr.. Middlerib read in his favorite
paper n paragraph stating that the
sting of q bee was a sure cure for
rheumatism, and citing several re-
markable instances In which peo.
pie had been perfectly cured by
this abrupt remedy.
He read the article several times
and pondered over it. He under
stood that the stinging must be
done scientifically and thoroughly.
The bee, as he understood the arti-
Gle, must be gripped by the ears
aud set down upon the rheumatic
joint, and held there until it stung
itself stipgless. He had some mis-
givings about the matter. He
knew it would hurt. He hardly
thought 1t could hurt worse than
the rheumatism, and 1t had been
SO many years since he was stung
by a bee that he had forgotten what
it 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 If 1t would
cure his rheumatism.
For the small sum of one dime he
contracted with Master Middlerib
for limited supply of bees, hum
ming and buzzing about in the
summer air. Mr.. Middlerib did
not know how to get them; he felt,
however, that he could safely de-
pend upon the instincts and meth
ods of boyhood. He knew that if
there was any way in heaven or
earth whereby the shyest bee that
ever lifted two-hundred-pound
man off the clover could be induced
to enter wide-mouthed glass bot
tie, his son knew that way.
Mr.. NJ. did not tell his son what
he wanted those bees for, and the
boy went off on bis mission with
his head 80 fall of astonishment
that 1t fairly whirled. Evening
brings all home, and the last rays
of the declining sun fell upon Mas
ter Middlerib with a short, wide-
mouthed bottle, comfortably popu-
lated with hot, ill-natured bees,
and Mr.. Middlerib and a dime. The
dime and the bottle changed hands.
Mr.. Middlerib put the bottle into
his coat pocket and went into the
house, eying everybody he met
very suspiciously, 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, he half wished
the experience was safely over. He
wished the imprisoned bees did not
look so hot and cross. With eX.
quisite care he submerged the bot
tie in basin of water, and let
few drops in on the heated inns ates,
to cool them off
AT the tea-table he had great
fright. Miss Middlerib, in the art
less simplicity Of her romantic ma.
ture, SAID:
II smell bees. How the odor
brings up"
But her father glanced at her,
and said, with superfuous harsh.
ness and execrable grammar:
"Hush up! You don't smell
nothing.n
Whereupon Mrs. Middlerib asked
him If he had eaten anything that
had disagreed with him, and Miss
Middlerib said:
"Why, Pal" and Master Middle
rib smiled as he wondered.
Bedtime at last, and the night
was warm and eultry. Under va.
rious false pretences, Mr.. Middle-
rib strolled 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 a death-light.
MIR. Middlerib disrobed slowly
very slowly. When at last he was
ready to go numbering into his
peaceful couch he heaved a pro-
found sigh, so full of apprehension
and grief, that Mrs. Middlerib, who
was awakened by it, said if it gave
him so much pain to come to bed,
perhaps he had better sit up ali
night. Mr.. Middlerib checked an.
other sigh, but said nothing and
crept into bed. After lying still a
few minutes he reached out and
got his botCle of bees.
1t Is not an easy thing to do to
pick one bee out of bottle full
with his fingers and not get into
trouble. The first bee Mr.. Middle
rib got was little brown honey
bee that would weigh half an ounce