The Washington critic., 1886-11-24

| down." said Uncle True; guess | can
reach them with long. handled spoon"
Then he equipped himself In hat
draped with mosquito netting to his
waist, long iron spoon and preserv-
ing kettle, and started skyward. Mrs.
True took a favorable sight. seeing po.
sition in the back yard.
Uncle True peered cautiously into
the chimney.
"1ts iamb.full o. suthin'," he told
Aunt True; must be a powerful big
swarm"
Sure they are smoked out enough,
Joshuay."
"Ob,. yes, they're quiet; none O.
them amt going out or coming in.
There's leetle buzzing, but that
don mount to nothiug-no more'n n
hens hutterin' when her heads
chopped off p
While doing two thing at once. -
specializing how much sweetness
such a-colony could produce, and
thrusting in the spoon-Uncle True's
elbow started brick down the chin
ney. Tn an instant that powerful
swarm" darted up right into Uncle
Trues face as he peered intently over.
With howl of fright he dropped the
kettle. II rolled and bumped the
length of the roof, then bound of,
striking the ground just where Aunt
True stood moment before.
This woke the Baskinses like an
electric shock. They sat up In bed be-
wildered and frightened. Then hear.
ing the clatter of Uncle True's boots
down the slope Of the roof Baskins said:
'1ts probably cyclone; we haven't
had the equinoctial yeti The only
thing that'll save us is to get out of the
house and away from the ,reesl"
AS the Basllinses fled out of the back
door, Uncle True, wishing only to dis.
tance the bees, suddenly dropped
among them, in their back yard, and
rolled over groaning. Perhaps they
took him for some strange being tip.
ped off another planet by q freak of the
cyclone; at any rate they did not recog-
nize him In his "bee protector, for as
the prone figure Topped its hands
wildly skyward and gasped for speech,
Baskins shouted:
run, all on ye! Make for the open
field"
"Run" they did, fast and far, scream.
ing till the neighborhood was aroused.
AS the Baskinses crowded through
the gate that opened into large field,
the elder Baskins looked back to see If
the house had gone over. To his sur
prise 1t remained apparently firm, not
even the chimneys had started. He
noted also how still the trees were, and
what perfect morning 1t was.
"Surely this Is no cyclone he said,
and at once ordered a halt while he
went back to reconnoitre. His atten.
was at once called to the groans of
Uncle True, who was being helped
over the fence by his wife. The former,
seeing through his thick veil that it
was Mr.. Baskins, called out
1--WE he'd q terrible fall, neighbor
Baskins; | think I've broke my back.
I'll never fix chimney again !"
With that he was ushered into the
house and the door slammed behind
him.
AS Mr.. Basitins gazed upon the roof
Of the house and saw many bees flying
angrily around the chimney, the ab.
sence of several bricks, long spoon
and iron kettle on the ground. dilap.
idated patch of buckwheat in his neigh.
boris yard, the truth gradually dawned
upon him.
"Come back" he shouted to his
family; "its no cyclone-only another
of Old True's experiments.
AS Joshua True sat bolstered up in
his armchair before the fire, it seemed
as if every one who passed the house
looked at the chimney and smiled
Even the boys paused on the way to
school, explaining to some new conner:
"Old Truc's home run down the roof. !"
Bert, also, although innocent, was
| punished for the sins of his parents,
for his playma,es called him "Honeyl"
This was more than Uncle True
could bear he decided to move away
and start anew among strangers. II
was some days before his wife could
be persuaded to go, but at last she
said
"We'll go, Joshuay, but" shaking
her long forefinger at him, which
meant she was in earnest, "don't you
let me hear anything more about ex.
periments. y Helen Pearson Barnard
in the ROetOn rroypller