Smyrna times., 1889-10-02

the awful consciousness came to him that
he would be obliged to tell lie in order
to escape a whipping. Like a thief in
the night he sneaked down the steep hill
side up which he had climbed so cheerilv
in the morning, and five minutes later
entered the shanty. So downcast wss he
and SO furtive in manner that his moth
er's attention was attracted to him. Just
at this moment big humble bee wearing
a black velvet vest with yellow stripes
blundered into the room.
care ye sick, Mickey?' said his mother,
solicitously.
mo; I'm not sick, MOTHER" said little
Mike, ''but me toe is hurtin' me-"
'Well, what makes ye act so quare?"
This was uttered in such tone of So
licitude and with so kindly a look that
like Mixes eyes began to overflow as his
mother try to "shoo" the humble bee
out of the room.
''Im glad you're not a wicked little
by, Mickey, like thin Doolans," con-
tinued Mrs. Finn. eff ye were I'd be
thinlin' that humble bee ud be afther
stingin' ye. Shure that's fwhat humble
bees does be doin'-stingin' little bys
fur their sins!''
Slap went the end of Mrs. Finn's tassel
against the wall and away sailed the bee
out Of the window like an animated
jewel of jet and amber.
Little Mike was oppressed with fears.
The haunting consciousness of wrong
doing weighed him down like the guilt
of murderer. He felt a great load
taken off his conscience when the humble
bee flew out of the window, for he be-
lieved implicitly that the insect had
flown into the shanty for the purpose of
stinging him because he had played
hockey. He busted himself about the
yard, milking the goat and chopping
wood. He was so unusually Jealous in
this work and so quiet that his mothers
suspicious were awakened.
"Faix," said she, ''Pm afeerd me little
b'ys been up to mischief, he's actin that
quare. Shure, he has berry stains on his
face, an thare's no berries at school.
Musha, I'm afther thinkin' he was play
in hookeyp
just then Mickey came into the shanty
with another armful of wood. His
mother looked at him closely, unobserved
by the boy, and saw that his knees were
stained with grass juice and that to the
back of his jacket clung some tell-tale
pine needles But she kept her own
counsel and awaited developments, salts
fed that Mickey would confess his guilt.
Another armful of wood had been
thrown under the stove, and little Mike
looked up to catch the expected approv-
ing glance of his mother, when Mrs.
Finn cried in alarm:
'Luk out, Mickey; hero comes the
humble bee fur YEP
Again the fears of the boy were awak-
ened, and turning quickly he struck a
frantic blow at the bee. This evidently
angered the insect, for it avoided the
blow, flew over the boys head and stung
him on the back of the neck. Having
punished the truant and satisfied its
vengeance the humble bee flew out of
the door. As Mrs. Finn bound handful
Of mud upon the swelling wound little
Mike looked in his motheEs face, and,
with trembling voice full of remorse
and pain, said in a hoarse whisper:
"M-m-m-otherp
"Yis' Mickey" said Mrs. Finn, know
ing that the time of confession had
come. The boy continued with quiver-
ing lips:
II know why the bee s-s-tung me. Be
kase bekase - mother-I-I-I was
Observation-Disclosures
AS he hid his face in his mothers dress
she stopped over him and her lips touch
ed the bronzed, berry stained face in the
fond kiss of forgiveness. As her warm
breath dried the brine upon his cheek
the humble bee was sucking honey from
blue and white morning glory which
hung like an infant bell over the door
way.-Ernest Jarrold in New York Even
ing Sun.