The daily morning Alaskan., 1902-02-19
The ScriDDling Bees

have ever known was that or the vil- lago cure with whom as little boy at school | used to spend my vacations.
 Such fine cabbage beds. bordered with crisp green lettuce, and all so carefully weeded. raked and swept
 They were watcred morning and evening before sunrise and after sun set from an old sandstone fountain. green with mosses and water cress, from which escaped by thousand llt. tie holes threads of crystal and tiny singing rivulets.
 Sarrasln. the gravedigger, held the office of gardener. At first this Idea was offensive to my childish mind. The grass seemed to smell of death and the currant bushes to taste of the ceme- tery.
 But in a short time forgot about this, as there was rarely death In the village. Sarrasin often remarked that his title of gravedlgger was more a Joke than anything else.
 At the top of the garden. back of the ulu louhAalhs Ndo 1 heAANN ehAP VI land, rather a lonely sort of place. where NJ. le Cure used to pass every moment not occupied with the duties of his sacred office.
 From a distance l could watch him in company with the grayedlgger, al' ways moving about in an excited man. ncr and making the most remarkable gestures. They forbade my approach,
 'M. le Cure does not want you" Sarrasln said. "There are only bee hives there"
 In truth these mysterious hives filled the garden with buzzing bees. dartlng here and there the liyelong day. lntox' lcated apparently with pollen from the heart of the hollyhocks.
 But why was | forbidden to look at the hives?
 Al what strange work were the bees engaged In the company of a priest and a gravedlgger?
 One afternoon NJ. le Cure and Sarra' sin were called quite distance away to bury an old woman. Thus left alone, could not control my curiosity another moment With beating heart went straight to the forbidden ground back Of the fountain. TSere l found a plot of dry. sandy soil, plant ed with rosemary. lavender and every variety of herb. all giving a graylsh tint and giving forth a delicious odor as they crackled underfoot. A thick cloud of bees. shining like gold In the sunlight. indicated the corner where the hives were located. for SarraslL had not lied to me-hlvcs there were Indeed. but what hives!
 Picture 10 yourself m odd array Of boxes, propped up one against another and only held In their places by a mir acle of equilibrium; long boxes, archcd boxes, boxes looking like fabulous monsters with arms and beaks! They were all pierced with holes through which the bees went in and out as tranqullly as though their homes were ordinary hives. but thls fact did not reassure me. and. terrified by the un. natural appearance of lt all fed back to the peaceful vegetable garden
 Ten years later a chance walk took me again Co the village. found the cure broken tn health and much older In appearance. The gravedigger was dead. The little garden was almost a wilderness of herbs. but in the dis tance heard. as In former days. the hum of bees. This recalled my ad venture. and resolved to make q clean breast Of it
 On questioning the old cure he began Co laugh and insisted upon showing me his hives There they were ln the same lonely little strip of land behind the fountain. all having the same odd shapes which had startled my childish eyes years before.
 Tt Is an Idea of mlne." said the cure "l have worked over It for twenty years. It has cost me quite a sum of money and a great deal Of time. but still hope for success"
 Can you guess what the old man was working for and what had turned hls hair prematurely white2
 will bet ten to one that you must give lt up.
 He was determined to make his bees write In letters of honey. "Vlye Fem pcreur" It was for this end they had slipped tne dew Of morning. dartlng hither and thltber In the green valley, gorglng themselves with pollen and gathering liquid amber An, if the bees had knownl But the bees did not know.
 In hls office of cure the old priest had always had a certain amount of am bitlon and In the evolution of what he called his idea had nourished the most chlmerlcal hopes The thirteen letters once completed. he intended to nail them. yellow as the sunshine and em. broidered in the fine hexagonal cells, on a board, the front of which should be carved to represent the Arc de Trl- omphe. This achievement should be exhibited in Paris, and the emperor could not do less than accord him a medal and make hlm an honorary can on.
 But what endless trouble he had to arrive at this result These implsh bees were so caprlclous! Certain let ters displeased them - no one knew why. The inhabitants of an l. or an F. would find their winding. twisted