Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1912-08-29

stantly SET him down 10 De what
in truth he was "A wondering.
drinking, reckless adventurer, who
qualities, mixed up with few
that, II not absolutely redeeming.
served to diminish the disgust in
which he might otherwise have
been held by all decent people. In
the meanwhile, the bee-hunting, in
which all the spectators took so
much interest went on. AS this is
process with which most OF our
readers are probably unacquainted
it may be necessary to explain the
modus operandi, as well as the APP
pliances used.
The tools OF Ben Buzz, as Gers
HON had termed these implements
of his trade, were neither Very
numerous nor very complex. They
were all contained in small
covered wooden pail like those
that artisans and laborers are ac-
customed to carry for the pur-
poses OF conveying their food from
place to place. Uncovering this
leBourdon had brought his imple-
ments to view, previously to the
moment when he was first seen
by the reader. There was a small
covered cup Of tin; a wooden
box; a sort Of plate, or platter,
made also OF wood; and a COM
mon tumbler, OF very inferior,
greenish glass. In the year 1912,
there was not pane, nor vessel,
Of clear, transparent glass, made
in all America! Now, some of the
most beautiful manufactures Of
that sort, known to civilization, are
abundantly produced among US, in
common with a thousand other art
icles that are used in domestic
economy. The tumbler OF Ben Buzz,
however, was his countryman in
more senses than one. 1t was not
only American, but il came from
the part of Pennsylvania of which
he was himself native. Blurred,
and of a greenish hue, the glass
was the best that Pittsburg could
then fabricate, and Ben had bought
it only the year before, on the
very spot where it had been made.
An oak, of more size than usual,
had stood a little remote from
it's fellows, or more within the
open ground Of the glade than
the rest of the "oIchard." Light
ming had struck this tree that very
summer, twisting off its trunk at
height of about four feet from
the ground. Several fragments OF
the body and branches lay near,
and on these the spectators now
took their seats, watching atten-
lively the movements Of the bee
hunter. or the stump Ben had
made a sort of table, first level
ling it's splinters with an axe, and
on it he placed the several imple-
ments of his craft, as he had need
Of each in succession.
The wooden platter was first
placed on this rude table. Then
leBourdon opened his small box,
and took out of il piece of
honey-comb, that was circular in
shape, and about an inch and
half in diameter. The little COW
cred tin vessel was next brought
into use. Some pure and beauti-
fully clear honey was poured from
it's spout, into the cells Of the
piece Of comb, until each of them
was about half filled. The tumbler
was next taken in hand, carefully
wiped, and examined, by holding
it up before the eyes OF the bee
hunter. Certainly, there was little
to admire in it, but it was suf-
ficiently transparent to answer his
purposes. All he asked was, to be
able to look through the glass in
order to see what was going on
in it's interior.
Having made these preliminary
arrangements, Buzzing Ben-for the
sobriquet was applied to him in
this form quite as often as in the
other-next turned his attention
to the velvet-like covering Of the
grassy glade. Fire had run over
the whole region late that spring,
and the grass was now as fresh,
and sweet and short, as il the
place were pastured. The white
clover, in particular, abounded, and
was then just bursting forth into
the blossom. Various other flowers
had also appeared, and around
them were buzzing thousands OF
bees, These industrious little ami
mails were hard at work, loading
themselves with sweets; little fore
seeing the robbery contemplated
by the craft OF man AS leBourdon
moved stealthily among the
flowara and their humminU WIS.,