The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-11-16

gum t'es growing ~ The margin Of The
w,tsr resched halfway ~ the fsce Of the
bisT, and rcasd the tsp of this tree Lee
observed great nsbl Of bees. The tree,
u appeared, vas "bee tree"
Lee ws'ched the iusects with interest,
for b. Vas himsslf hcc-k,eper In part
per,hip sith Fred Armstrong, who lived on
the Acjoiolns farm, te was operating an
spisry. which had Erosn from siI to t~en.
~ colonies, and had already produced .
pleasant little bank-Aocount.
Lee saw ths, the nest Of the bees ~as not
In the tree II Vas 10 The blun tssl which
was brushed b. the drsd branches. Bu. 90
be cosld not see the actual entering place,
be Il Ok % bic coat and began to climb the
tree.
BE had to 90 to the very top, bat he saw
what he ~autsd. Tue stroughold Of the
bees WAS In nssure Of the rock, with sp
entrance rot four inches In diameter. Below
liza p' oj-ctirg ledge made, ~ Il were. .
door-sis p about foot wide, and this shelf
Was covered sith bees, alightlrg or crawl
log about.
II vas evidently very nc I've and popu-
lous colony II might veil cont,in hundreds
Of pounds Of honey and wax. But before
Lee could make further observations he
was stupg on the wrist, and ,lid turrk dly
10 the ground.
The next day he brought Armstrong to
look At the place. The rmsllnes. Of the ep-
trance WIS awk~srd, for they could neiih-
er get IT the bees nor take oat the combs
without breaking them. Bot the rck WAS
30 cracked that !, looked 80 II piece might
be pried III 10 eplAree the operiag, which,
Lee thought, could tssily be reached from
the top Of the tree.
Three days hler the boys returned TO
the bluh, equipped with = email, sharp iron
bar, IN sx, AID defensive armor Of gause
veils and cotton gloves reaching to the
elbow, IS well ~ . bee-smoker loaded with
. potent mixture Of green tobacco leaves
and hickcry bark They did not Intend to
get the honey on this visit. Altar eularg-
ing the entrance, It would. be better to a.
low the insects day or two to grow quiet.
Fr d agreed to undertake the work aloft
and he put m his gloves and veil, put the
bar in bis pocket, and lighted the smoker,
which be slung round bis neck. Thep he
went up the tree, while Lee watched from
below.
The ledge sssrmed with bees. A deep
hum came from the dark hole, and the
warm fragrance Of honey and wax. But
he found that Lee had miscalculated the
distance between the treetop and the ledge.
The branches would not bear him, and he
could not reach the opening. He could not
come within three feet OF it, and he threw
his weight on that side OF the tree and tried
to sway the trunk Z little.
Be- carefull That trees rotten called |
Lee, from below.
Blu. the trunk bent forward far enough |
for Fred to grasp the Jagged edge Of the
grsniye, and to get one knes upon the
ledge.
He clung there against the spring Of the
tree, boldiug to the rock with bis left hand,
while with bis right hand he drew the iron
har and began to pry At . crevice beside
the sperture.
At the first click Of the iron bsr the bees
we're upon him, coming like tiny arrows
againft bis veil. He unslung the smoker
and poured smoke Into the hole, checking
the attack temporarily.
1t was ticklish work, clipsiug at once to
the tree and the ledge, but the fragment Of
rock gave way under the crowbsr. It NOV.
ed. With strong effort be disloged 1t,
and 1t fell.
II left tho opening . tribe larger. A
cloud Of bees rose like pun Of dense
smoke, and almost at the same moment
there was or raekl from the dead tree
trunk, . yell Of di,may from Lee, and the
tree snapped OF about elk feet below the
ledge, and went crashing down.
Fred never knew why he did not 70 with
II. He caught instinctivelv at tho granite.
dropping smoker ard bar, and threw hin.
self forward ppm bis knee. BE found him.
sef 'itt,ng on the ledge, with his legs
dangling over forty feet Of space, and
cloud Of desperately infuristed bees round
lis head.
He glanced a. the stump Of the tree.
measuring the distance. " WAS too far to
reach. too far 10 j1mo. The dead branches
wopld snap II he fell among them. Yet
the cliff WIS tcc prc'pircus /, be scaled,
ei her above or below Tim, ard the few
branches growing in the crannies were too
weak to offer h"pe.
The air about HE face was darkeued with
the nying insec's, and Fred involuntarily
quaied before their fury, although he did
not think that they could &c, 1t him. They
settled on the esuxs Of his veil In scorer,
In bur dreds, till the stun ngeed heavily
with tieir weight and became ~ opaaue ~
leather, ard half dozen burpiug stabs on
bis legs Asd body showed ttat they bad
managed to get under bis clothing. Sod
denly be felt sharp thrust on his cheek,
then another. he bought the veil must
have sasged agsinst the skip, but to his
horror be felt the bees cn~lipg on hls
cheek. The thin suaze had ripped. pro.
tably in weak spot, under the weight Of
the quart or Two ~ bees.
Fred had the m,forfu' --'or bee-teep.
er--to be quick yand ssve,,l, al cted by
stiogs, and be could ftel his face puiiIrg up
slready. He closed his eyes tight to pro.
tsct them - far ~ possible. The he's we're
back rpon him in myrisds, and when they
we're once dr. the veil 1t wss impossible
TO brush them cot.
tn smali Of the bees nsu,ested the Dor,
and he grew d'.zr ard faint He rsilsd
from this 10 swnmepi, hut Bunb lt,,Iess-
ness cvercsme hu. he thought he beard,
q . unt.e nj se,nn N. |