Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1917-02-23
BEES AND
MATRIMONY
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.
By M. QUAD

Minnie, seventeen years old. Minnie
was totally unlike her father. She
saw the humor of things. She was in
clined to be cheerful ana gay. She
had always laughed more or less, and
her father had become used to it, as
she had to his sOlemnness.
When the mother died the daughter
took up the housekeeping, and two
years had passed when she ana Frank
Williams fell in love. Frank was
pushing, industrious young man, and
he could at least have given her as
good a home as she had. He was
rather afraid of the solemn faced ia
Their, but had now and then called at
the house and been well received.
Young Williams had opened a com
mission house. The farmers brought
him in stuff to sell, and he shipped it
to the city. When he was receiving
or shipping, his goods covered a good
part of the sidewalk, but no one COM
planned. One day as Mr.. Baker was
strolling about he approached the com
mission house just as a farmer had
unloaded four big baskets of eggs.
There was room for Mr.. Baker to
avoid those eggs, and he would have
avoided them but for big rat. The
srodent ran from under the sidewalk
to lumber pile, and Mr.. Bakers at
tentiOn was thus distracted for the
moment. He walked along with his
head turned over his shoulder when
his foot struck one of the baskets, and
he fell forward with a crash. AS was
afterward ascertained,, he broke all his
previous records by breaking twenty
one dozen of the eggs. When he man
aged to extricate himself from the
mess he was covered from head to
heel with the white and yellow yolks
of the eggs.
The farmer was one that could see
the humor Of things, and, though the
loss of the eggs would be his, he fairly
roared with laughter at the upset.
No one could remember ever seeing
Lemuel Baker in a temper, but he was
mad now as he rose up amid those
eggs. Hearing the Laughter at the door,
young Williams came out Of his office,
and, instantly recognizing his prospec-
tive father-in-law, he began to laugh
too.
"You scoundrels, you villains !" roar
ed Mr.. Baker as he stood dripping with
the yolks.
1t was when he heard the victims
voice that young Williams came for
ward and expressed his sympathies.
Go away, sir; go away!" was shout
ed at him. "You had those eggs placed
there on purpose to trip me up. Look
at me! My clothes are ruined. Don't
ever enter my house again or 1 will
give you lawsuit!
At the back end of Mr.. Bakers half
acre lot he had placed three hives Of
bees. There had been no trouble with
them, and they had paid in honey for
their keep. One day as the owner sat
on his front veranda in his shirt sleeves
looking down the village street and
Minnie was upstairs in her room
grieving over the events which had
caused a separation between the low
ers wandering COW appeared upon
the scene. She looked over the back
fence of Mr.. Bakers lot, and she saw
cabbages, cornstalks and other good
things to eat. She also took notice
that the fence was old and shaky She
was tempted and yielded. She crashed
over the fence between two Of the bee
hives and brought them both tumbling
down, and the crash was heard for a
block around. The bees went for her.
Mr.. Baker was the next victim, and
ehe hurried through the front gate
and went downhill toward the peace
fully flowing river His yells brought
out the rest Of the population, and as
fast as they appeared at their doors
or gates the bees gave them all prop
er attention. 1t was figured later on
that at least 200 people, besides the
COW, received scars to show that they
had fought CALAMITY and well. Mr..
Baker kept on to the river. Amid his
pain and excitement he recollected
that bees and water are enemies. To
get rid of the bees he must have the
aid of the river. He could not swim
stroke, and the water was deep, but
when he reached the bridge over the
rail he dived.
The COW had no river to plunge into,
and she had to keep on, believing at
every jump until she fell exhausted.
AS fate would have it, young Williams
was at hand to plunge into the river
to the rescue of the man who had dis
appeared beneath the surface, and 1t
was mostly by his efforts that a rescue
was made. He it was who comman-
deered wagon and got Mr.. Baker
home, and he it was who got the doc
tor and helped him to extract almost
numberless stings.
And who was 1t that rubbed and
bandaged and sat through the hours
of many a long night when the doctor
became worn out? Who was it who
spoke sympathetic but cheering words
to the man in bed and speaking at only
long intervals? 1t was young Will
liams, Of course. He took charge of
the case after the doctor had made
two visits, and he let his business go
hang to render good for evil Three
weeks had passed, and the bees vic
tim could at last swing his legs out Of