The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-12
HORNET THAT TOOK TO DRINK.
Met q Man. Took 10 bar Habits and Die
the Death OF q Drunkard.
Copyright, 1907, BY William j. Long.

Met q Man. Took 20 Bad Habits and Died
The Death OF n Drunkard.
Copyright, 1907. BY William j. Long.
One bright spring morning q hornet crept
out Of his den at the top Of my window
casing and kept humping his head against
the panes tin l opened the window and let
him out. Perhaps he remembered his
warm quarters, or told a companion. for
when the last sunny days of October were
come, there was a hornet buZzing per-
s~istently at the same window till l opened
1t and let him in.
1t was a rickety old room, though sunny
and very pleasant, which had been used
as a study by generations of theological
| students. Moreover, when the floor was
swept IL was considered clean every whit,
like a boy with his face washed, and no
storm of general housekeeping ever dis
turbed its peace. So overhead, where the
ceiling sagged from the walls, and in dusty
| chinks about doors and windows that no
broom ever harried, a family OF spiders,
some mice, a daddy-lone-legs, two crickets
and n bluebottle fly, besides the hornet,
found snug quarters in their several sea-
sons and a welcome.
The hornet stayed with me c~ontentedly
for a week or more, crawling over the
window panes till they were thoroughly
explored, and occasionally taking a look
through the papers on my table. Onca
he sauntered up TO the n of the PEN
holder l was using and stayed there balanc-
ing himself by his wings, while the greater
part OF a letter was finished. Then he
crawled down over my fingers till he wet
his feet in the ink, whereupon he buzzed
off in high dudgeon to dry them in the sun.
At first he seemed a sociable creature
and ~peaoeable as a bachelor could wish,
but one night when it was chilly he slowed
himself away TO sleep under my pillow.
When 1 laid my hand upon it he objected
to the extra weight and drove me ignomini-
ously from my own bed.
Another night he orawled into q hand
kerchief. When | picked it up 10 Use 1t
he stung me on the nose, not understand
ing the situation. In whacking him of
| broke one OF his legs and made his wings
all awry. After that he would ave nothing
more to do with me, but kept TO his own
window as long as the fine weather lasted.
When the November storms came he
went up TO a crack in the window casing,
whence he or another had emerged in the
spring. and crept in and went to sleep. IL
was pleasant there, and on sunny days
the light streamed brightly into his door
way, waking him out of his winter dreams.
As late as December he would come out
occasionally at midday TO walk about and
spread his wings in the sun. Then q snow
storm came and he disappeared for two
weeks.
One day when a student was sick a tumbler
of medicine had been carelessly left
on the broad window sill just under the
hornets hibernaculun. 1t contained a
few humps OF uga over which a mixture
Of whiskey and glyc'erine had been poured.
The q melted in the sun and a strong
odor Of alcohol arose from the sticky stuff.
That and the sunshine must have aroused
nv hornet guest, for when I came back to
the room there he lay by the tumbler, dead
drunk.
He was stretched out on his side. one
wing doubled under him, a forward leg
curled over his head, and a sleepy, booZy,
perfectly ludiCrous expression on his
pointed face. | poked him with my finger
to see how alcohol affected his temper.
He got un unsteadily, staggered about
and knocked his head against the tImbler;
at which fancied insult he raised his wings
in limp dignity and defiance, buzzinR a
challenge. But he lost his legs and fell
down; and presently. spite OF more pokings,
went of into a drunken sleep.
All the afternoon he lay there. As IL
grew cooler he stirred uneasily, and at
dusk he started up for his nest. II was n
hard null; his head seemed heavy and his
legs shaky. Half way up he stopped on top
of the lower sash to lie down n while.
He had a terrible katzenjammer evil
IDENTIFY. He kept rubbing his head with his
fore legs. After a fall or two on the second
sash he reached tho top and tumbled into
his den to sleep IL on.
One such lesson should have been enough
for him-as it lie for o crow, whom you
can make drunk once, but never twice
but the hornet seemed TO nave something
human in him. Perhaps / should have
put temptation out OF his way. for ] knew
that all hornets are hopeless topers when
they get n chance; that when a wasp dis
covers a fermenting apple II Is all up with
his steady habits; that when a nest OF
yello wjackets discover a cider mill all
work. even the care OF the young, is neg
leoted.
demoralised. But in the interest Of a new
experiment I forgot true kindness and
left the tumbler where IL was.
The next day at noon he was stretched
out on the window sill. drunk again. For
out when the sun shone warmly and going
straight to the fatal tumbler. Then he
paid the penalty Of his intemperanoe.
The morning was very bright and the
ianitor had left the hornets window open.
At noon he was lying OIL the window sill,
drunk as usual. | was Ia a hurry TO take a
train and neglected TO close the window.
Late at night when | came back to my
cold room he was gone He wa not on
the sill, nor on the floor, nor under the win
dow cushions, His nest 10 the casing,
where I had 80 often watched him sleep,
was empty.
Taking a candle, ] went out TO search
under the window. There ] found him in
the enow. his legs curled up close to his body,
frozen stiff with the drip OF the caves
carried him In and warmed him at the
fire. but il was too late. He had been drunk
once too often, When | saw tina he was
dead ] slowed him away In the nest that
he had been seeking when he fell out into
the snow.
tried 10 read. but the book seemed dull.
Every little while ! got up to look at him
living there with his little pointed face.
still dead. At last l wrapped him up and
pushed him further in. out OF sight.
All the while the empty tumbler seemed
to be looking at mo re~pronchfnlly from the
window sill.
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