Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-07-09
WORKING FOR FUN.

| Than just Being Sweet.
1t is really a lovely garden. Never
were there whittier lilies nor bluer vio-
lets, nor more interesting pansies.
But it needs something. l think it is
| bees.
For bees are SO picturesque! And
then the hives!-the hives are as
picturesque as the bees themselves.
Apple-trees without bee-hives under
them are as forlorn as lilies without
bees over them.
So we bought some beautiful hives,
and placed them in the orchard, just on
! the edge of the garden. Soon they be-
gan to be filed with delicious honey in
dear little white cells; but the bees
were nowhere to be seen. Every morn
ing they disappeared, flying far out of
sight, and the lilies and roses were as
| forlorn as ever. We had the credit of
having bees, for everyone could see the
hives and taste the honey, but we did
not have the bees.
| So one morning went out and talked
to them about it.
Dear BEES" said, ''what is it that
you miss in the garden? Every morning
you fly away; but where can you find
whittier lilies, or bluer violets, or more
| interesting pansies?"
"We are not looking for witness, or
blueness, Or interestingness," the bees
| explained 1--WE are looking for honey;
and the honey is better in the clover
| field that is only mile away"
ooh! if that is ALL exclaimed, glad
ly, pray don't have the honey on your
minds"
I'VE DON'T they said. eve carry it
in little bags"
81 mean, don't mind about the
honey"
Certainly not; how could we, when
we haven't any minds?"
But please don't feel obliged to hunt
for honey. 1 don't care at all for honey;
that isl / added, hastily, as p slight
buzzing made me fear that perhaps
had hurt their feelings, II like you. you
know, for yourselves alone, not for
what you can give me. The honey is
delicious, but we can buy it very nice
at the grocer's. If you like honey for
yourselves will buy some, and fill the
hives for you, 80 that you needn't work
at all. if you will only stay in the gar
den and hover over the lilies, and-and
DE picturesque.
They promised to try. And they did
try. Whenever I looked from my Ii
brary windows, I could see them prac-
ticing their lowering, and they really
lowered extremely well. Satisfied that
my garden was at last complete, l gave
up watching it and devoted myself to
literary work. Every morning seated
myself at the desk and wrote rapidly
till noon. But one day l was inter-
| rupted by a bee.
He had flown in at the window.
Perching himself on the lid of the ink
stand, he waited awhile; then at last he
asked quietly:
'Whv are you not out of doors this
beautiful morning? The garden is
lovely; can not see" and he glanced
critically at the vases about the room
81 can not see that these lilies here are
any whittier, or the violets any bluer, or
the pansies any more interesting than
those out there. And we miss You. A
garden really ought to have people
walking about in it. That is what
gardens are for. 1 don't see why we
must be out there to be seen, when
there is nobody to see u.s."
But, dear bee, / am not looking for
flowers this morning; / am writing"
''And what are you writing?"
GA sonnet
'Are there no sonnets to be had at the
stores?"
'.Oh, yes! Shakespeare's and Millions,
and Words1vorth's, of course"
sAnd are your sonnets better than
Shakespeare's?"
..{VI,,, Of oorrSa
s"Then let your sonnet go. Come out
| in the garden with us, and on the way
home I'll buy you sonnet at the store;
a Shakespeare sonnet-the very best in
the market"
s'But, you see l want to try making a
sonnet of my own"
every we'll: let me see you try"
took up the pen again, and was soon
absorbed in my rhymes and rhythm
Indeed, I had quite forgotten that the
bee was there, till he stirred uneasily
and finally sighed.
Are you not happy in the garden?" l
| asked.
'Not very"
But why not? Haven't you all the
| liberty you want?'
mo; we have every liberty except
the liberty we want"
:sAnd that is -
s"The liberty to work. We find that
| it isn't lilies; it isn't clover; it isn't
| honey; it's making the honey that we
| like. It isn't even making the honey
for you, that we care so much about;
| because, you see, you don't like honey;
it's just making it"
81 don't understand can't see how
anybody can really like to work"
''But we do. Suppose you finish your
sonnet, while try to think over few
arguments to present to you later"
So again took up the pen, and again
l was soon happily absorbed, and had
entirely forgotten the poor bee, till I
heard him say YEARLY:
ut doesn't seem to be very easy to
write sonnet"
NO l exclaimed, enthusiastically,
lit isn't at all easy. That is the charm
of it. Anybody can write some kind of
verse, but very few people can write
sonnets. There are great many rules
for making sonnet; you can only have
just so many lines, and just so few
rhymes and the sentiment must change
in just such a place, and very few peo-
pie have che patience for it. Even
Shakespeare did not keep to the severest
style of sonnet
''And are you trying to obey all the
rules?"
yes"
''Why?"
why, for the FUN of it. 1t is so in