The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-01-09
said; "Why, pa!' and Master Middlerib
,,,;lal az hn wondarel


The house Until everybody else was in
bed, and then hel sought his room.
He turned the night lamp down until
it's feeble rays shone dimly as a death
light.
| Mr.. Middlerib.disrobed .slowly1-very
slowly. When at length he was ready
to go numbering into peaceful couch,
he heaved profound sigs, SO full of
apprehension aud grief that Mrs. Mid
dlerib, who was awakened by it, said il
it gave him 50 much pain to come to
bed, perhaps he had better sit up all
night. Mr.. Middlerib checked another
Sigh, but said nothing and crept into
bed. After lying still few moments
he reached out and got his bottle of
bees.
1t was not an easy thing to do to
pick one bee out of the bcttleful with
his fingers, and not get into tfonble.
| The fist bee Mr. Middlerib got was a
little brown honey bee that woulLn
weigh half an ounce If yon picked him
up by the ears, but, if you lifted him
up by the hird leg, would weigh as
much as the last end of bay mule.
Mr.. Middlerib could not suppress a
groan.
whats the matter with you?''
sleeoily asked his wife.
It was very hard for Mr.. Middlerib
to say he only felt hot, but he did it.
He didn't have TO lie about it either.
He did feel very hot indeed. About
eighty-six all over, and one hundred
and ninety seven on the end Of his
thumb. He reversed the bee, and
pressed the warelike ter,ninue of it
firmly against his rheumatic knee.
It didn't hurt 80 badly az lie thought
it would
It didn't hurt at all
Then Mr.. Mddlesib remembered
thnt when the honey bee stabs human
foe it generally leaves it harpoon in the
wound, and the invalid knew that the
only thing this bee had to sting with
was doing its work at the end OF his
thumb
He reached his arm ont from under
the sheet, and dropped this disabled
atom of rheumatism liniment on the
carpet. Then, after a second of blank
wonder, he began to feel around for
the bottle, and wished he 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 some time he forgot all about the
bottle ana its remedial contents. and
left it lying uucorked in the bed, hee
tween himself and his innocent wife.
In the darkness there had been a quiet
but general emigration from that bot
| tie. The bees, their wings cIoggled
with the water Mr.. Middlerib had
poured upon them to cool and traLduil-
iza them, were crawling aimlessly about
over the sheet. While Mr.. Middlerib
vas feeling around for the hottle, his
ears were suddenly thrilled and his
heart frozed by wild, piercing scream
from his wife.
"Mufder?" she screamed, murder.
Oh. help me! Help. help!'
Mr.. Middleslb sat bolt upright III
bed. His hair stood on end. The
night wn3 YARN, but he turned to ice
in minute.
"Where in thunder" he said, with
pallld lips. as he felt all over the bed
in frenzied haste-"Where in thunder
are them internal bees?'
And large "bnmbls, y with sting
as pitiess as the finger of scorn, just
then climbed up the inside of Mr..
Middlerib's night SHIRT, until it got
squarely between his shoulders and
then it felt for his marrow, and he SAID,
calmly:
"Here is one of them"
And Mrs. Middlerib felt ashamed of
her feeble screams wien Mr.. Middlerib
threw mp both arms, and, with howl
that made the windows rattle, roared:
Take him off'l Oh, land of Scott,
somebody take him off"
And, when little honey bee began
tickling the sole of Mrs. Middlerib' S
foot she shrieked that the house was
bewitched and Immediately went into
spasms.
The household was aroused by this
time. Miss Middlerib and Master
Middlerlb and the servants were pour
ing into the room, adding to general
confusion by bowling at random and
asking irrelevant questions, while. they
SuHcu do tHC VI a illuil u AittlC Oll
in years arrayed in long night shirt,
paving fiercely at the unattainable
spot in the middle of his back, while
he unnatural, wierd, wicked looking
| Jig by the dim, religious light of the
night lamp. And while he danced and
howled, and while they gazed and
shouted. navy blue wasp that Master
Middler;b had put in the hottie for good
measure and variety, and to keep the
menagerie stirred up. had dried 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 working gait,
he fred himself across the room, and
to his dying day Mr.. Middlerib- will
always believe that one of the servants
mistook him for a burglar and shot him.
No one, not even Mr.. Middlerib him
self. could doubt that he was, at least
for the time, most thoroughly cured
Of rheumatism. His own boy could