The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1908-10-02
THE BUMBLEBEE CURE
By MARION MILLS MILLER
Copyright, by shortstory pub. Coz

"tuly'HNt years dBO lutIt hNtu
in a village of southern Ohio two boys
SO coupled in every condition Of
youthful existence, whether Of mis-.
chief or measles, that the whole neigh
borhood, including their respective
parents, made no distinction between
them. II is true that the Engclharts
and the "Waterses" possessed sepa-
rate, though adjacent, homes but
"Dolph and Dicky" were present in.
differently at either of the places at
meal and bed time, or were shrewdly
absent from both when work was to
be done. If Mrs. Engelhart ran out
OF "risin and called for Dolph to
run to the brewery at the other end
or the town for a "settin'" of lug
yeast Ii was almost certain to hap.
pen that both Dolph and the jug were
missing, gone off with Dicky Waters"
on some extended expedition to the
fields. Or If Mr.. Waters beheld the
destruction wrought among his EARLY
Rose potatoes by the new pest, the
Colorado beetle, and came glowering
to the house for Dicks assistance I'm
buggin the vines"--a back. breaking
task, consisting i'm crushing the
beetles and their eggs between wood.
en- paddles-he was sure to be
riled' beyond even a deacon's endur-
ance by the doubly exasperating news
that both Dicky and the paddles had
Joined Dolph and the jug in an outing
that promised to end only at dusk.
For Dolph and Dicky were invet.
crate bumblebee fighters, and the jug
and raddles were their only fcient
armament With the former they bot
tied the flying squadron of their yel
low-banded foes, and with the latter
they smashed" the stray guerrllas
Fastening home to the conflict The
boys cruised around clover field,
poking at the fence corners, until
they discovered a nest of bumblebees
Then they set the open jug, half
filled with water, foot or so in front
OF the entrance, gave the nest Wig.
orous thrust or two, and retired with
their paddles about rod away, to
look out for strays, and watch the
infuriated home guards proceed to
bottle themselves, according TO
the tactics long subsequently made ia.
nous by n Spanish admiral
After the last efficient warrior had
been jugged, the boys proceeded to
rifle the nest.
Last of all, they poured out the
contents Of the jug in a sunshiny spot,
In order that the bedraggled bees
might revive and refill the looted nest,
10 be rifled again by the boys later in
the season. After one bee fortress
had been sacked I'm this systematic
fashion, Dick would go prospecting
for another, while Dolph made a trip
for more water to the nearest stream
or farmhouse, usually much great.
er distance than the hated Journey
from his home to the brewery
In this fashion they spent the long
summer day, returning at dark with
only an occasional sting upon which
their parents could logically base an
injunction upon the pastime.
But one morning Dicks father, who
SO rarely threatened that Dick had
never dared to disobey him, quietly
assured the bee.hunter that If the po
tato bugs did not receive their full
share OF attention that day from him
and his paddles, the latter instru
ments would be turned against his
own person in a fashion that he
would long remember, so Dick went
to work with dismal face, which
was soon lightened up, however, by
Dolph's appearance upon the scene
and his offer of assistance.
For awhile it was pleasure to
smash the hard-winGed beetles and
"squush" their soft.bodied progeny
now beginning to hatch from the
neglected eggs, but the potato rows
seemed endless, and the bending pos
ture of the bows began to grow intol