The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1879-02-20

How many tails has navy "cat"?
how many lives the foe OF the rat2
How many syllsbles has this ine2
How many lines has this poem ane7
: That can the answer be but -
Katharine Hanson, in st. 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 a 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 were soon out upon the
veranda, all staring at the plundered
apiary, and denouncing the unknown
robber. Who could he be-?
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
comb put into it. The bees very soon
took possession, and after waiting
twenty or thirty minutes, the farmer
and his son saw q committee" OF their
number come out and fly straight to a
neighboripg 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 cornheld, 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 the
ground, and climbing the standing corn
stalks, were multitudes of soiled and
honey-smeared bees.
Some were 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
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 scuf1e in the soft soil
and among the broken corn. The
thief certainly had not got his plunder
without paying something for it. It
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, 30 that ne
could take their honey. It was the back
of an old letter, with the name on it
still clear and plain" Heman Treat. I"
A little further search revealed a
handkerchief, probably the one the un-
lucky honey-stealer had tried to tie over
his face, and it bore the same tell-tale
name Such fiat exposure of himself
was, no doubt, consequence Of his
rather excited state of mind after the
evident blunder in managing the bees.
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 60
directly and accuse him would be still
more disagreeable. It was Sunday, too,
and that fact made delay more justia-
able.
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
next morning.
In the course of the day Martin walk
ed past Heman Treats house, and no.
ticed bees flying in and out at one of
the attic windows.
Other confirming evidence was dis.
covered that helped to fssten the crime
on the man who lived there !; and when
Monday morning came, they called a
constable and made neighbor Treat q
| visit.
He was in bed sick, his wife told
them, and could not see any one. But
they replied that their business with
him was urgent, and must not be put
off. and she was obliged to let them in.
They found the man sick enough, to
be sure. His hands we're swollen to
twice their natural size, and his head
and face were sight to behold-in-
famed like one great blister, and bloat-
ed 30 that he could hardly see out Of his
eyes.
"Got badly poisoned working in the
swamp last Saturday" was the way he
and his wife accounted for it. Twas
likely he had handled poison elder or
ivy they always affected him 30.
The visitors showed deep interest in
the sufferers case, and one of them, re-
marking on the peculiar appearance of
his face, applied his thumb and finger
nail to a pimple and pulled out bee-
sting
"That's the kind fpoison you'v been
handling" said Farmer Metcalf, "and
you'll make nothing by trying to lie ost
Of it,"
Upon that he produced the paper
and the handkerchief, and the theft of
the beshivs was charged home to He
man Treat then and there, without the
trouble OF many words.
| Tho cul,,rik aaw ha was cauoht and