St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-06-13
Those Russian Bees.

the evening and went to the Expo
sition, and when they reached there
Hofenstein said Herman, you
know I dakes a great interest in
bees, und last week / sees Simon
Jacobs, vat Lifts in Baton Rouge und
keeps cloding store, und he dells
me dot de bees at the EXPOSITION
vas fine. Ven / lifts in Vicksburg,
Herman, / hat bees all de time, und
ven I goes around dey knows me
shust as veil as dog und ] plays
NIT dem some times und dey don't
bite, you know"
Hofenstein ascertained that the
bee exhibit was near the river end
of the Government Building and
went there to look at them. AS
soon as Herman saw the bees buzz
ing about the hives he halted, and
Hofenstein, noticing his action,
said: "Vat's de matter NIT you,
Herman? w don't you come nit
me 81"
"I dells you, Misder Hofenstein, "
he replied, "dat I don't like to go
we're de bees vas, because venefer
dey sees me dey shust comes und
bites mitout me doing noding, und
vonce ven [ goes to a picnic NIT
Rachel Goldsmith und vile we we're
dalking of certain dings de bees
more as dousand uf dem shumps
upon me und runs me de whole
woods around, und I don't like dat,
Misder Hofenstein."
"Vell, dat shows you know, Her
man, dat you vas afraid uf de bees,
und ven dey find dat out dey don't
hat any respect und dey bites, but
ven you don't vas afraid you can do
angling you wants NIT dem. Now,
[ knows bees efer since I vas a boy
vat haf warts NIT his hand und
plays mables und dose dings, und il
you come I shows you de queen bee
und de king bee und de drone bee,
vat don't do any work, shust like
you, Herman, ven you dink / don't
vas Watching, you know. Desc bee
vat vas here" continued Hofen-
stein, as he approached hive, "vas
de Idalian bee, und desc was de
French, und de next vas de Eng.
lish."
Herman. however, kept away
from the hives and lodged his head
whenever bee few toward him
and Hofenstein, seeing that his
clerk was frightened, smiled with
delight, and going to hive where
there were lot of small black bees
with glistening bodies, that looked
as if they had been just freshly var.
nished, said: Herman, shust
watch und I will let desc leedle bees
crawl my hands und face all ofer
und dey Won't bite, you know
Come, Herman, und vatch,' and, he
pushed his hand among the bee'
with a self satisfied air. The mex
moment the bees swarmed abou
his ears and then backed a couple
of boat lengths and came aheae
under full steam and butted hin
between the eyes and then they
smote him on the nose and neck
and some crawled down his shir
collar and spurred him in botl
tanks and on the spine, while 9th
ers lanced him on the legs and Lift
ed him up in the air and sat hin
down again, and repeated the per
Torrance until Hofenstein rolled
over on the ground yelled for Her
man to come to his assistance
The bees, however, did not appear
to be at all fatigued, and they con
tinued to harpoon him and Jump OF
his back with both feet, until he go
on his hands and knees and prancet
around in small circle. Herman
saw the dreadful predicament tina
his employer was in and yelled
my gracious, Misder Hofenstein
w don't You run from de bee
away ?" Above the buzzing Of tn
insects Hofenstein heard the voic,
of his clerk and concluded that tn,
advice was good, and raising up OF
his all-fours and kicking with on
leg and then with the other like
mule colt, he headed straight to
ward the artificial lake. Herman
saw the danger and ran after hin
and succeeded in clutching Hohen