Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1880-12-17
What a few Hornets Can Do.

There is an old woman on Catharine street
who delights TO ind case that all the doc
tors have filled to cure and then 20 TO work
with herbs and roots and strange things
and try to effect at least an Improvement.
few days ago she got hold of girl with
stiff neck, and she offered an old negro
named Uncle Tom Kelly fifty cents to go to
the woods and bring her hornets nest
This was to be stepped in vinegar and applied
to the neck. The old man spent several
days along the Holden road, and yesterday
morning he secured his price and brought it
home in basket When he reached the
Central Market he had few little purchases
TO make, and after getting some tea at gro
Gerry he placed his basket on barrel near
the stove, and went out 10 look for beef
bone.
y was duh day for trade The grocer
say by the stove rubbing his bald head Ills
clerk stood = the desk i,afshcfiig accouhis,
and three or four men lounged around talk
ing about the new party that is to be founded
on the ruins of Democracy. 1t was serene
hour. One hundred and fifty hornets had gone
toroost in that nest for the winter. Thegenial
atmosphere began to timber them up One
old veteran opened his eyes, rubbed his legs,
and said IL was the shortest winter he had
ever known in all his hornet days. A second
shook off his lethargy, and seconded the mo-
ton, and in five minutes the whole nest was
alive, and its owners were ready to sail out
and investigate You don't have to hit
hornet with the broadside of axe 10 make
him mad. He's mad all over all the time
and he doesn't care a picayune whether he
tackles a humming bird or an elephant.
The grocer was telling one of the men
that he and General Grant were boys to-
gether, when he gave sudden start of sur
prise. This was followed by several other
starts. Then he jumped over barrel of
sugar and yelled like a Pawnee. Some
smiled, thinking he was after funny eli
max, but II was only minute before n
solemn old farmer jumped three feet high,
and came down TO roll over n job lot of wash
boards. Then the clerk ducked his head
and made q rush for the door. lie didn't get
there. One of the other men who had been
looking up and down 10 see what could be the
matter, felt suddenly called upon ogo home.
lie was going ut the rate OF forty miles an
hour when he colidcd with the clerk, and
they rolled on the floor There was no use
TO tell the people in that store to move on.
They couldn't tarry, 10 save em. They all
felt that the rent was too high, and that they
must vacate the premises. A yell over by
the cheese box was answered by war
whoop from the show case. A howl from
the kerosene barrel near Inc hack door was
answeredhy Wild gestures around the show
window
The crowd went out together Uncle Tom
was just coming in with his beef bone. When
II larger body meets n smaller one the larger
body knocks into the middle of next week.
The old man laid around in the slush until.
everybody had stepped on him all they
wanted 10, and then he sat up and asked;
"lIev dey got dc fab all put out yit?"
Some Of the hornets sailed out doors TO
fall by the wayside, and others waited
around ON top Of barrels and baskets and
jars 10 be slaughtered. 1t was half an hour
before the last one was disposed of, and then
Uncle Tom walked in, picked up the nest
and said
"Mcbbc dis will cure dc stiffness in dat
gals neck just dc same, but | tell you Pzc
got banged, an bumped, an sot down on till
It will take hull medical college all winter
long to git me so | kin jump off street
kyar- Detroh Free Press