The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-07-26
Result of a Turkeys Inqnfsitiveness.

The following story, which is quite
true, tells what happened because one
old turkey gobbler was too curious, and
wanted 10 know, you know.
Never was there more peaceful
scene. The old farmhouse drowsed in
the morning sun; the little breezes had
forgotten to rutfie the leaves the brook
slipped along without murmur; there
was never quack nor a cac&le in the
barn-yard; and everything and every
body seemed to be sound asleep, from
grandma in her rocking-ch to the
grand old shepherd dog winking and
blinking at his post between the bee-
hives.
Then it entered into the mind of an
inquisitive old turkey to explore one of
the bee-hives. Plunging his long neck
into the hole by which the bees enter,
he took survey of their domain.
Whether his glance was considered i'm
pertinent or not we shall never dis
cover, but in some way it awakened
the anger of the bees, who at once be-
gan a savage attack upon him. The
innocent turkeys of the flock who
CHANGED to be near shared the fate of
the guilty gobbler, and it seemed as if
the bees of all the hives agreed to give
the turkeys sound singing. In mo-
ment some of the latter were nearly
covered with bees.
The turkeys were so tortured by the
stings of the bees that they hoped,
Jumped, flew. rolled and made every
kind of noise of which they are capable.
Many other fowls being in the yard the
bees were carried among them by the
turkeys and by them to the dog. He
finally became so panied and enraged
that he jumped as high in the air as his
chain would allow; he rolled, barked.
frothed at the mouth, and it seemed as
if he would become rabid.
The men of the family were all off in
the lots. The large dinner horn was
blown. The man of the house ran
hastily, covered himself with shawl,
CROPPED his way to the dog, cut the strap
! that was around his neck mot waiting
to unbuckle it), and the dog, Shep, ran
| into the kitchen, nearly covered with
bees. "High-wine," made from apple
| juice, was poured over him. This
stupefed the bees for q time, and they
fell to the floor.
1t would be impossible to give any
idea of their numbers, but they were
ntany. The good farmer, his wife and
| the hired woman killed all the bees that
had been on the dog; then Shep was
put in the cellar, where he could get
cool, for his flesh all over was hot with
! stings.
The chickens being covered with
feathers, they did not suffer as much as
the turkeys, but these, having their
heads and necks bare of feathers, were
easy prey. 1t was not long before the
bees had the whole yard to themselves.
One turkey was found nearly dead. 1t
was carried to the piazza, and while
some one was trying to relieve it of
pain and save its life the bees smelled
it and bounced upon it. 1t Tapped its
wings, rolled off the piazza, and was
dead. A bird in the top of a tree near
was attacked, and flew away in torture.
1t being wash-day, the servants tried
to hang the clothes on the line; they
drove them into the house. The farm
er's wife went out and tried to hang up
the clothes; but they attacked her;
they seemed determined to have no
living thing around but themselves. 1t
was almost noon before one piece could
be hung up Tie grass as well as air
was full of bees.
The next day the dog was very sick;
his head and eyes were greatly swollen,
but the probability is that he will get;
well. Only ONE turkey died; the rest
seem to have recovered, but they keep
far from the house and bees. The cat
evidently understood the situation at
the beginning, and ran to an upper
room and hid under the bed.
The panic is happily over, and peace
once more reigns in the farmers yard
-Harpers Young People.