Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1917-03-02
HE CUT A
BEE TREE
:
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1916, ny the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.
By M. QUAD

"'Zeb, this is my day fur readin' the
Bible but have lost my spectacles
somewhat an can't find EN- jist now.
Wouldn't you like to read a chapter
fur me?'
II don't feel like readin' nuthin','
replied. I've got a mean streak ON
me an hain't fttin' to read to any
body. I'm wishin' this mawnir' that
l VAS sumbody's dawg.'
'Mebbe you'll feel better with the
Bible in your hand she coaxed. But
it was no use. felt meaner and
meaner, an l waved her back to, the
cabin. After a few minits mo it
struck me that l would go up On the
side of the mOuntings an cut down
a bee tree that l knowed Of l had
bin to it three or TO times, an as it
was a big boiler tree l was shore that
it held a heap O. honey. l 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 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 |
shOuldered the ak an whistled to my
dawg an walked away widout another
word.
at 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 one could see when
| got to the tree. l knOWed they were
thar. however, an l 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 a heap O. honey thar
| would go back to the cabin an git
washtub to hold it. Mebbc | wouldn't
feel so mean then an l would ak the
wife to cum back wild me an help
carry the tub.
lift had bin hot mawnin' the bees
would have cum buZzin' wild the fust
stroke of the ak, but as it was l didn't
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 great
cloud. | reckOned it was FIVE minits
befo' the fust bee lighted on me. He
wasn't mad. an he didn't sting. Then
could count a 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 tightin
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 vars 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
down the back of my neck. an some
crawled up the legs of my trousers.
I had to call up all my grit to keep
| from yellin'. When l looked ahead
an thought they might be wild me fur
hours an hours I wanted to cry like a
boy.
You see, sub, l couldn't expect any
man to be wanderin' through the
woods, an, as fur my wife, she was a
| hn1 CHI cd IN
search fur me she would not know
whar to look. l figgered it out an
reckoned l 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 l 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 a coon or a 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 skeered an moved away. l reck
Oned it was half an hour arter this
when l heard soft footsteps an was
never so happy in my life when heard
|
| me:
"'Zeb, was lookin' fur you, an
found you some time ago. You seen
to be in a bad FIX
"T am replied, AN what am
gwine to do about it?
"'Zeb, have you got over your mean
ness? Is it all gomez
Livery burned bit Of It.
"'Well, I was here befo' an seer
jist how you was fixed. l brung VI
wild me this time big torch, an as
soon as I kin strike a match 1 viii
light it. I have sprinkled it over
with kerosene an am gwine to Gun
Vlus to you an hold it out so that thu
bees will git the fumes an drop of
dead. Don't you go to movin' round
much or 1 may set your clothes afire
You had better shut your mouth pretty
tight, fur sprinkled on some sulphur
as well as kerosene.