Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-05-24
HE CUT A
BEE TREE
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1916. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.
By M. QUAD


said to me:
"Zeb, this is my day fur readin' the
Bible, but l have lost my spectacles
somewhar an can't find 'em list now.
wouldn't you like to read a chapter
fur meT
don't feel like readin' nuthin',' ]
replied. I've got a mean streak on
me an hain't fittin' to read to any.
body. I'm wishin' this mawnir' that
1 vas sumbody's dawg.'
Mebbe you'll feel better with the
Bible in your hand she coaxed. But
1t was no use. felt meaner and
meaner, an waved her back to the
cabin. Arter few minits mo- il
struck me that l would go up on the
side of the mOuntings an cut down
a bee tree that / knowed of. l had
bin to 1t three or fo' times, an as it
was big holler tree l was shore that
1t held heap O. honey. 1 could sell
that honey fur cash in town.
Il sharpened up the ak an was
about to move off when the ole woman
cum out ag'in an said: Zeb, you are
goin' to wander in the woods on the
Lawd's day, an jist what you're goin'
to do with that ak I don't know. But
It's all wickedness, Zeb. Everybody
orter respect the Sabbath day an keep
it holy
My meanneSS was so mean that I
shouldered the ak an whistled to nv
dawg an walked away widout another
word.
1T was in the month of September,
an thar had bin a frost the night befo'.
The chill Of the mawnin' kept the bees
at home, an not a one could see when
l got to the tree. 1 knowed they were
thar, however, an 1 pulled off my coat
an went to work. was goin' to have it
fall across big log and split itself wide
open. If thar was heap O. honey thar
l would go back to the cabin an git
washtub to hold it. Mebbe l wouldn't
feel so mean then an would ak the
wife to cum back wild me an help
carry the tub.
IF 1t had bin hot mawnin' the bees
would have cum buzzin' wild the fust
stroke of the ak, but as it was didn't
see marry an inseck till arter the tree
fell. She split open jist as hoped fur,
an then about a million of those bees
cum out at once. Mebbe they didn't
see me at fust an that was the reason
they sailed round an round in a great
cloud. l reckoned it was five minits
befo' the fust bee lighted on me. He
wasn't mad, an he didn't sting. Then
another an another came, an befO'
could count hundred a quart Of the
pesky varmints had settled on me.
"Mebbe you know huff about bees,
stranger, to know that when they set
tie on you you mustn't go to fightin'
back. If you keep mighty quiet they
will all leave when they git ready an
no harm will be done to you. These
bees, an thar seemed to be thousands
Of 'em, settled down on me out of be-
wilderment.
stranger, l may live to be hun
dred ya'rs old, but I'll never be in any
wuss situation. The weight of those
insecks must have bin twenty pounds
or over, an some of them crawled
crawled up the legs of my trousers.
I had to call up all my grit to keep
from yellin'. When I looked ahead
an thought they might be wild me fur
hours an hours wanted to cry like a
boy.
You see, sub, couldn't expect any
man to be wanderin' through the
woods, an, as fur my wife, she was a
mile away, an had she wanted to
search fur me she would not know
whar to look. 1 figgered it out an
reckoned 1 was in fur the whole day.
"a full hour had gone by an the
bees had settled down on me as if fur
long rest when 1 heard sumthin'
movin' through the bresh. 1t might
be bar who had smelled the honey
an was comm fur his share of it, or
it might be coon or woodcock. I
dared not turn my head to see if could
make out what caused the noise, but
by an by, whatever animal it was, it
got skeered an moved away. I reck.
oned it was half an hour arter this
when I heard soft footsteps an was
AS'SA oO hoPpy III Auy lie Wueu uedTO
the voice of the ole woman sayin' to
me:
"'Zeb, was lookin' ful you, an 1
found you some time age. You seem
to be in bad fix
81 am,' l replied, 'aA' what am I
gwine to do about it?'
"'Zeb. have you got over your mean
ness? Is it all goneY
Every burned bit Of It.
"'Well. I was here befo an seen
jist how you was fixed l brung up
wild me this time big torch, an as
soon as I kin strike match I will
light it. have sprinkled it over
with kerosene an am gwine to cum
clus to you an hold it out so that the
bees will git the fumes an drop of
dead. Don't you go 10 movin' round
much or l may set your clothes afire.