The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-03-10
HE CUT A
BEE TREE
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1916. BY the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

said to me:
Zeb. this is my day fur readin' the
Bible. but have lost my spectacles
somewhat an can't find 'em jist now.
wouldn't you like to read chapter
/ fur me-!
don't feel like readin' nuthin'.' I
replied I've got a mean streak on
me an hain't fittin' to read to any
body. rm wishin' this mawnir' that
| vas sumbodys 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. AFTER a few minits mo- IL
1 struck me that | would 20 up on the
side of the mountings an cut down
+ bee tree that ! knowed of. had
bin to it three or fo' times. an as II
was big heller tree was shore that
II held n heap o honey. | could sell
that honey fur cash in town.
/ Il sharpened up the AK an was
-frNHN ~ INV Z VA " utu VIC NOulID
/ 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 | don't know. But
its all wickedness. Zeb. Everybody
orter respect the Sabbath day an keep
1t holy
My meanness was so mean that
shouldercd the AK an whistled to my
dawg an walked away widout another
word
1t was in the month of September
an thar had bin frost the night befo
The chill of the mawnin kept the bees
at home, an not a one could see when
| got 10 the tree. knowcd they were
thar, however, an pulled off my coat
an went L. work was goin to have it
fall across Il big log and split itself wide
open. If thar was heap o honey thar
would 20 back to the cabin an cit a
waShtub 10 hold IT, Mebbe | wouldn't
feel SO mean then an | would aX the
wife to cum back wild me an help
carry the tub
IF II had bin hot mawnin' the bees
would have cum buZZin wild the fust
stroke Of the AK. but as 1t was didn't
see marry an inSeck till arter the tree
fell She split open jist as hoped fur.
an then about Il million of those bees
cum cut at once. Mebbc they didn't
see me nj fust an that was the reason
they sailed round an round in n great
plpnH I rnfEnnnl mi 10
I hefo' 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 quart OF the
pcsky yarmintS had settled on me-
"Mehbc you know 'nuff about bees.
stranger. to know that when they set
tie on YOU you mustn't 20 to fightn'
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 EN-. settled down on me out OF be-
/ wilderment
stranger. | may live TO he hun
1 dred vars old. but III never be in any
wuss situation The weight of those
insecks must have bin twenty pounds
or over an some of them crawled
down the back of my neck. an some
crawled up the legs of my trousers.
| 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
boy.
You see, sub. | couldn't expect any
man to he wanderin through the
woods. an. as fur my wife. she was
mile away. an had she wanted to
search fur me she would not know
whar to look. ! liggered it out an
reckoned was in fur the whole day.
~ full hour had gone by an the
long rest when | heard sumthin
movin' through the brcsh Ii might
be bar who had smelled the honey
an was comm fur his share of II. or
Ii might bc n coon or woodcock.
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 skccrrd an moved away reck-
oned il was half an hour arter this
when heard soft footsteps an was
never so happy in my life when heard
the voice of the ole woman sayin' To
me:
FEB. | was lookin' fur you. an
found you some time ago You seem
10 be in a bad fix.
- am, replied. an what am
gwine TO do about it,
'''Zeb. have you got over your mean
ness: Is it all gomez
Every burned bit of it
"Well was here befo' an seen
jist how you was fixed ! brung up
wild me this time hi: torcs. an as
soon as kin strike match | will
light it have sprinkled 1t over
with kerosene an am gwine to cum
clus to You an hold it out so that the
ba ft,raoc n drn.. nn