Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-08-25
Extraordinary
BumblebeGS


a basket of eggs across the counter
and called for can Of baking powder
three cakes OF soap and pound Of
chewing tobacco.
The patch OF hay land OF the dea-
cons down by the creek was never
falling source of excitement at Rural
Vile. In the last five years in cutting
that one piece of hay the deacon had
had seven runaways, torn three NOW
ing machines to pieces, Killed two
horses. caused the death Of one man
and crippled two others.
But dag my cats If ii amt Jest
hatchery such good hay that ! cant
come to considerin' lettin' II stand,
said the deacon every year, when the
clover in the bottom grew tall and
rank
Bumblebees were what gave the
deacons patch Of hay land its noto-
riety. They were no ordinary humble.
bees, but of larger breed known
among the farmers as the pig yellow
legged variety" Tom Wieks, who
worked for the deacon, said he killed
/ three of the bees one morning and got
enough honey off their hind legs to
last his family for q week. But Tom
was such liar that a great deal of
dependence could not be put in what
he said.
There was a peculiarly about those
bumhlebees Of the deaeon's. Some
days they wouldt fight at all. The
moving machine could cut the hay
above their nest and they wouldn't
stir and probably the next morning a
team couldn't drive over the hill until
they would be after it in feather and
war paint.
The men who worked for the deacon
feared those bumblebees worse than
Apache Indians. When the cry of
burnblebees was raised everyone
dropped his work and ran for shelter,
One year "Rube' Chisohm was NOW
| ing for the deacon. He had cut a half
a day and the bees hadn't bothered.
| He came ont In the afternoon, hot
summer day, when hardly leaf
| stirred or a blade of grass ratified, He
| struck band of the bees out for blood,
| Before ''Rnbe' hardly realized what
he had run into, one eye had swollen
shut and the light of day was fast
| closing from the other. "Rube" was
baldheaded and, of course he took of
/ his hat to fight the bees. When they
| saw the shiny bald spot they wanted
| no better target With shrieks and
yells and oaths, fighting as he ran,
! Rube" made for pond near the hay
field He plunged head first into the
/ water but those bees were not to be
| foiled in any such manner as that
They made angry dabs az the ripples
! and waited, getting angrier every min
ute They kept "Rube' going down
4 and up Tor breath until finally he
stayed down too long. Poor "Rnbe. ,
The autopsy revealed that he had been
| stung 1889 times, 723 OF which were
| on the top of his head
Fighting bumblebees is about as
unsatisfactory as an encounter with a
| buzz-saw and not half as uncertain as
/ TO the final outcome the deacon used
TO say. The man acquainted with bum
/ blebees offered no resistance, but
| ducked and ran when the first angry
| hum was heard. OF late years the only
| way the deacon could get anyone to
work in that hay field was by provid
ing heavy canvas sleeping bags for the
! men to crawl into until the bees would
quiet-down and return to their nests
Two years ago the man who was run
| ming the moving machine had to lie in
a sleeping bag on that hay field for
| two hours in the middle Of hot after.
moon.
The bees made sudden changes in
the appearance of that hayfield. Where
all was industry, the hum of the NOW
| ing machine, the click of the rake and
1 the banter of the men at the stack
blending IN the wavy heat lines OF a
Summer afterncop, in few minutes
cOead become havoc and confusion.
The horses madly scampered for the
| shelter of trees or sullenly stamped
and paved at their tormentors, their
driver scrambled into the shelter of
his canvas bag. the boy on the rake
disappeared ia a badger hole and only
| the heels of the men at the stack were
visible as they buTsowed into the hay.
But the men had their fun with the
bees. There was young man from
the city who boarded at the deacons
one summer. He was very fond Of
honey and wished TO take a stand Of
bees back to his suburban home. After
the bees had been on a rampage one
afternoon and had quoted down he
happened to come out into the hay
field Now was his chance to get
stand of bees. he was told by the hay
makers. The mouth Of jug contain
ing little water had a strange fas-
cination for bees on summer after
noon. They would forget everything
and rush in the open jug if it was
placed near their den. Visions OF
honey ia his own backyard caused
the city man to start with the water
jug for the bees home. The audacity
Of the man astounded the bees and
they never stirred until he set the jug