The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1901-01-04
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His Educated Bee !
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"I'M A-GOING to tell you fellers
about my eddicated bee, Bizzer." ."
said Uncle Hi. This here bee an !
was out in my gardin that day. !
was there lookin' around an the bee
be was trespassin' onto some O. my
flowers. It's hard to fool a bee on
the weather, but this shower came up
so almighty quick was fooled my
self. First l knew It was crack-crack
all over my head. / put fer the house
and the bee put fer his house, an a
big hailstone cracked him one, as
purity a wing shot as I'd want to
make on a partridge. Down come
Mr.. Bee, bizzin' right across my face.
an fell almost under my feet. He
was sich a big, fne-lookin', intelligent
actin bee that 1 picked up care
full an took him to my house. not
seein' any probability of his gettin' to
his own. The next hailstone would
have finished his cay-reer.
at took some little time for that
bee to git used to me. fed him good
on sugar an water till l got him so
] could handle him. Then / took to
lettin him fly aroun' the room. One
day l found him settin' atop of a
whisky bottle that happened to be
there-I'd been havin' a cold that
week-bizzin' his wings an seemin'
mighty satisfied with the smell Of
the cork. That put it into my head
to try him with little whisky an
sugar an he took to 1t kindly. /
wouldn't give it to him regular, un-
derstand, fer 1t amt no part of Uncle
His makeup to be corruptin' the
beasts of the field with strong drink;
but just a appetizer before meals.
"He never got drunk but once, an
that was excusable, fer was on bit
Of a celebrate myself that time, an
spilled lot of whisky on the floor. I
guess Bizzer must have seed spiders in
his dreams that night, for he was
mighty ashamed of hisself next day,
an it was a week before he'd take his
morning snifter. Wal, with the aid
of that whisky I got him SOS he'd
answer TO his name an come flynn
to me bizzin' his wings like a locus
whenever I'd call him. l could let
him out of the house without fear
that he'd run away. We'd go out fer
walks together an he'd chase flies
or fight with darnin'needles, or go
honey suckin' in the flowers, or may
be stop to pass the time Of day with
some wild bee, but whatever the wild
bees said to him they never got him
to leave me.
"Back he'd come when I called, an
In the evenin' after his nightcap Of
whisky he'd curl up in the corner OF
q little box I fix for him an go to
sleep. There was only one thing
wrong with Bizzer. He was almighty
Jealous. I had a pet chipmunk around
the place, an Bizzer wouldn't endure
that chip. He'd buzz aroun' the chips
head an then he'd light on the end
of chips tail till the poor little crit
ter went Almost loony with fear that
he'd get stung. Lively as the chip
was, Bizzer was a sight livelier. Once
the chip nearly got him while Bizzer
was takin' his MONDAY nip. After that
Bizzer never let him alone, an the
little feller give up the fight an went
out into the cold world to grub fer
nuts like an ordinary chipmunk.
was sorry to lose him, but I'd got
mighty fond of Bizzer, an / wouldn't
have traded him fer 80 of Bill Ever
sole's yaller purps."
"Ef that wonderful bee had ever set
foot on Sarcher," began Bill, pricked
10 wrath, and never got any farther,
for there was a chorus Of protests
against the interruption, and Uncle HI
mildly preferred a request that some
body tell him whether he was telling
this story or Bill Eversole; also that
they tell Bill. That gentleman having
been squelched, the old man continued;
oval. It never occurred to me that
Bizzer was anythin' but a pleasant
companion. l didn't fgger as how he
should be made TO work fer his livin'.
It was enough to just have him aroun'
fer comp'ny. But one day late in
June after Bizzer an me had got
mighty well acquainted a feller come
spookin' aroun' my honeysuckle vines
with big net. He was harmless crit
ter an pleasant spoken, an he had
bottle in his pocket that was somethin
,xtry. He said he was collectin' but
terfies, an If hadn't no objections
he'd like to hunt a few in my gardin.
hadn't none, so he hunted. After he'd
xetched some he come aroun' to me
,ettin' on my doorstep an l asst him
what luck.
"'Pritty good" says he. 4 didn't git
,ne species, though he says. "They
ly too high says he. They don't come
lown much this time O year. I'd give
, quarter apiece fer them fellers,' he
says.
"Then he pulled out his bottle again
md passed it over.
"'Niind eff give a sip 20 my frien'9'
I asked.
Certainly not says he, very polite,
out he looked little huffed when
poured a bit on the doorstep.