The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-13
AHONEY VENTURE IN CUBA.
ATTEMPT OF AN AMERICAN TO
WORK OUT n brilliant IDEA.

bFo" mis- heets " w Seoe
thing 10 Say About It and Said It.
The Havana steamer was so near to sailing
that the last whistle was blowing and those
OF the passengers who had friends on board to
see them of were growing nervous
Now YOU will be ca fried away II you don't
hurry" one of the women said to a good'na-
tured looking old gentleman who had been
wishing her n pleasant voyage, and apparently
PAID no attention to the whistle.
80 much the betterl' he exclaimed. 'Thon
It will only lie taking this steamer instead Of
tho next one. Two no business uDthere In this
cold weather anyhow. They have driven me
out Of Cuba once, but I don't stay out, and you
will see me there in ten days or two weeks"
The old gentleman was of in Rooi time.
after the way OF such-leisurely people. and as
the vessel drew out from her dock he stood
looking at her regretfully. as II he Wished him
self back on her deck.
"I'm half sorry | didn't let her carry me
away" he said, turning to THE SUN man, who
was still close beside him.
did you shy that you had been driven out
OF Cubai" no was asked.
"Oh. ycsi" he laughed: "driven clean out
| a; least my business failed, and l had 70 get
| out for want OF funds. No, the Spaniards had
nothing to do with II. nor the Cubans either.
1t failed-well. ! may say it failed through
natural-causes
II was in business up here in Orange coun-
tv several years age land still am. for that
matter) when l discovered that l had that
grand American complaint, q weak lung. So
! went to n doctor to save myself from going
further. But l had to go further after ALL"
You must get out of this climate the doc
tor said, and go far enough South to find hot
wcather-not warm, but hot. And don't you
come back here before next June
That came like a-what is 1t they say? Like
a thunder clap out OF n clear sky. How could
l 90 away for months and leave my business
and all my employees Everything would go
to smash"
How many employees have your" THE SUN
man asked.
WELL" he answered. thonghtfully. :'it's q
hard matter TO say exactly. But never less
than 10000"
Twenty thousand! The man must be either
a disguised railway ompany or an accom-
plished fabricator.
You see.' he went on, II am in the honey
business, and my employees are all bees; all
but two or three. who are men and boys.
Well, I got out the map and found that l
couldn't find warm weather, or hot Weather,
nearer than the West Indies. So l decided on
the south side of Cuba. Not for any particu-
lar reason: l just decided on It.
We'll. left a good man In charge of my
bees, and OFF / started in the steamer for the
south side OF Cuba. for that place that has so
many names; ST. Jago, or SaLtiago. or San
tiago de Cubl. or whatever you like to call 1t.
The town that was once the capital. you know.
Fine OLD town. too. only a little rusty. When
| landed there | knew I'd struck hot enough
weather. for II It had been any hotter I should
hav We shrivelled. Then / did Just as I had been
told. I hunted up n good doctor who spoke
English, and asked his advice.
Don't stay down here on the coast said
he: and don't take any medicine. Get up IN
the highlands, and In q month or two you
won't know you ever had a lung. Ten dollars
THAT sounded natural and sensible. and I
followed his advice. Cuba is a good country
TO traYel IN. you know, II you are handy with "A
horse or n mule. and l haven't been n farmers
boy for nothing. ] got q mule and was soon
up in the mountains. You can't go n mile out
OF Santiago in any direction with out striking
either mountain or salt water. I found q
banana planters family who took me to board,
and soon learned enough OF their ,inzo to talk
n little, and had q good time with them.
Sure enoagh, what the doctor told me was
true. In q few weeks | didn't know whether /
had any lungs or not. for they gave mo no
trouble. | was out doors all day. but always
in at night. and began to turn brown from
the sun and strong coffee. They live on cof-
. upNh tl4ClV. di'u anu JcThtC DteI.
I was a great hand for providing around on my
mule, and I struck some queer places. mostly
abandoned-not on account OF the war, but old
coffee estates given IN years AGO.
I'VE were on a plateau eight or ten miles
back; but most OF the old plantations were
right on the edge OF the mountain. running 3
ways down the side. There was one In par
ticular that ! took a great shine to; big old
stone house, partly In ruins; grounds so big
you couldn't tell where they began or ended;
and n view. V!ew2 Why, friend, you could
alt on tho front porch OF that old house and
look across the water and on a clear day see
the mountains OF Jamaica Every day is clear
down there mostly. 80 YOU could see them all
Ing At them. so that II ANYBODY asked me
whom got home whether I'd been to Jamaica.
could say No: but I've seen it.
"As | was saying. the grounds OF that place
SO full of flowers YOU. could pick a bouquet
garden TO begin with, and when the people
left the wind scattered tho seeds, and they
spread, there being no cold ever to Kill them.
great idea came to me. just came like a flash.
VIM !, for See.s Whv, lis The he sr " I honey
erS, in bloom every month in the year! Loot
a. these orange blossoms, banana buds, euaya
things. Up home tie flowers bloom only six
months in the he ysar, and tho other -, ely my
llttle fhscals Ito ldle ana eat up hnlt the money
they've made. But they're industrious by ma
tnre, and down here they'll work all tho year
round. Instead OF one crop a year they'll
give me two; maybe three or four. Twice ms
much honey, anyhow, rs l eyer get from them
In the North. This is the place FOR my bees.
a d I'll make money and save my lungs at thu
same time
Nov. wasn't that an Idea2 I ask YOU.
friend. as q man and n Christian. whether the
thing don't look reasonable" and fair2 Flowers
s y mouths r. the year. ton pound. OF honey;
honey. Amt that right"
AMI did 1t turn out sor' THE Sun re-
porter asked.
Wait tI!l tell you" the old gentleman an
swered. II nursed that Idea like a mother:
1t worried mo to think | couldn't go homo till
J Jhn to bring ny bees down; s3mneD9dy else
body thought OF It. before? Anyhow, ! keps
my own counsel. and Just sawed wood. had
several months TO make my preparations in.
and everything was done quietly. made, up
my mind to have tina, old place with the view
or Jamaica II l could get II, largely on nc
count OF the flowers, When ] went down into
the towE and hunted up the old don who had
al.n 500 - IL - - a .y - nuttn I1f