The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-02-13

what can the answer pc but -
Katharine Hanson, IN 81. Nicholas.
How the Bees Told.
Farmer Metcalf looked out of the |
kitchen door one fine morning, and |
discovered that one of his beehives was
gone.
He kept dozen swarms, or more,
nicely housed in long row of hanging |
hives at the back of his garden. Last
night they were all there. He stood a
moment, gazing at the vacant place in
the row with surprise and indignation.
Then he called his son:
"Martin, somebody has been stealing
our bees |"
The family we're soon out upon the
veranda, all staring at the plundered
apiary, and denouncing the unknown
robber. Who could he bep
Browsing forlornly about the place
where their little house had been, were
several stragglers from the missing
swarm. and Farmer Metcalf knew very
we'll what would calm the bewildered
insects and make their intelligence
serve him to good purpose.
A new hive was promptly hung in the
place of the old one, and some sheets of
| COuiD pun lupO 1hO bCCo FCAy coOh
took possession, and after waiting
twenty or thirty minutes, the farmer
and his son saw committee" of their
number come out and fly straight to
neighboring cornfeld.
OF course they had expected some.
thing like this. Once make robbed
and wandering bee feel at home again,
and it recovers it's wits, and let's you
know at once where its companions in
misfortune are.
Farmer Metcalf and Martin followed
their little guides to the cornfeld, and
quickly found the evidences of last
nights work. The hive lay there broken
to pieces, and crawling over the scatter
ed fragments, and struggling on tle
ground, and climbing the standing corn
stalks, were multitudes of soiled and
honey-smeared bees.
Some we're rubbing their legs and
wings to clean themselves, and now and
then one would rise in the air to fly back
to the house. There were other bees
with legs gone, bees with wings gone,
bees half. buried, paving themselves out
8 of the earth, and bees that lay quite
. still-bees everywhere, and in all con
ditions, living and dead.
. Tracks of broad shoes were seen, and
, signs of hard scuff1e in the soft soil
and among the broken corn. The
thief certainly had not got his plunder
, without paying something for it. 1t
looked as if the little captives had made
a gallant fight, and taken part Of their
:. revenge. It remained now for their
master to complete it-when he found
out the rest of their story.
The remaining testimony was soon
forthcoming. Poking about in the mel.
low dirt with his foot, the farmers son
brought to light the paper in which the
thief had carried his sulphur to smoke
: the bees and stupefy them, SO that ne
a could take their honey. 1t was the back
8 of an old letter, with the name on it
S still clear and plain" Heman Treat.
g A little further search revealed a
handkerchief, probably the one the un-
q lucky honey y-stealer had tried to tie over
i his face, and it bore the same tell-tale
q name Such flat exposure of himself
a was, no doubt, a consequence Of his
g rather excited state of mind after the
evident blunder in managing the bees.
y Heman Treat was one OF Farmer Met
= calf's neighbors, and the discovery OF
. these traces of guilt against him was a
. very disagreeable surprise. To go
directly and accuse him would be still
more disagreeable. Itwas Sunday, too,
!, and that fact made delay more justif-
: able.
8 The farmer and his son walked back
: to the house, carefully concealed the
paper and the handkerchief, and agreed
to keep still about the matter till the
e next morning.
:. In the course OF the day Martin walk
It ed past Heman Treats house, and no
a ticed bees flying in and out at one o.
It the attic windows.
J. Other confirming evidence was dis
:, covered that helped to fasteu the Grim,
q on the man who lived there ; and whel
d Monday morning came, they called {
= constable and made neighbor Treat
:, visit.
: He was in bed sick, his wife tolt
o them, and could not see any one. Bn
IS they replied that their business will
n him was urgent, and must not be pu
: off. and she was obliged to let them in
= They found the man sick enough, t
1t be sure His hands were swollen t.
q twice their natural size, and his hest
/, and face were a sight to behold-in
(. famed like one great blister, and bloat
Is ed so that he could hardly see out of hi
II eyes.
A SCOT badly poisoned working in tn
"a swamp last Saturday." was the way b
?. and his wife accounted for it. 'Twal
I'd likely he had handled poison elder o
ot ivy they always affected him 80.
N The visitors showed deep interest il
the sufferers case, and one of them, re
marking on the peculiar appearance O
his face, applied his thumb and finger
h nail to pimple and pulled out bee
,. sting
d "That's the kind of poison you We beel
n handling" said Farmer Metcalf, "ant
" you'll make nothing by trying to lie ou
% of it..
40 Upon that he produced the pape
~ and the handkerchief, and the theft @
the beehive was charged home to he
% man Treat then and there, without tn
r. trouble of many words.
Va The culprit saw he was caught, an
az confessed his crime. He begged tn
m officer not to put him under arrest, an
nf promised to settle at any price tn
h owner of the bees should demand.
Il Farmer Metcalf did not wish to prose
s us cute his neighbor, and he readily allow
e.. L. I,