The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-27
BEES AND
MATRIMONY
BY NJ. QUAD
Copyright. 1916. b. the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate

Certain persons were always won
dering why Baker did not smile or
| laugh, bat he was born that way and
! couldn't help it,
/ When Mrs Baker died, after many
| years Of quiet life. she left daughter.
Minnie, seventeen years old Minnie
/ was totally unlike her father. She
] saw the humor OF things She was in
clined TO be cheerful and gay. She
had always laughed more or less. and
1 her father had become used to It, as
she had TO bis solemnness.
/ When the mother died the daughter
\ took up the housekeeping. and two
I years had passed when she and Frank
Y williams fell in love. Frank was a
pushing. Industrious young man, and
I he could at least have given her as
good a home as she had. He was |
rather afraid of the solemn faced Ia |
Il Their. but had now and then called at
4 the house and been well received.
Young Williams had opened Il COM
81 mission house. The farmers brought
him in stuff to sell. and he shipped II
! TO the city. When he was receiving
Il or shipping. his goods covered good
Il mart of the sidewalk, but 10 one com
4 planned. one day as Mr. Baker was
strolling about he approached tile com
mission house just as II farmer had
unloaded four biz baskets of eggs.
! There was room for Mr.. Baker 10
4 avoid those eggs. and he would nave
n avoided them but for a big rat. The
81 rodent ran from under the sidewalk
q TO a lumber pile. and Mr.. Baker at
n tentlon was thus distracted Tor the
81 moment. lie walked aleng with ms
* head turned over his shoulder When
SCI his foot struck one Of the baskets anu
Ill bo foil forward with Il crash. As was
III aftorward aseertaned. he broke all his
ri previous records 10y brcakihg twenty
I'd ono dozen of the eggs. When he man
III aged TO eXtricate himself from tlt
81 mess he was covered from head Z
Ri hoo, with the white and yellow yolks
@ of the eggs.
IA The farmer was one that could SCI
& the humor of things, and, though th
81 loss of the eggs would be his he falrl.
H reared with laughter at the ulse'
RAJ No one could remember ever seem
vi Iemuel Baker in temper, but ne wa
EI mad now as he rose up amlo thos
M eggs. Hearing the lauShcr at the 400
"a Young Williams came out OF ms ONO
and. instantly recognizing his prospe
. five father-in-law. he began TO laue
. too.
oyou scoundrels, you villains!' roa
oil Mr. Baker as he stood dripping WI
the yolks.
IT was when he heard the victim
voice that young Williams came fo
ward and expressed his sympathies'
600 away. sir; go away! was shot
al at him. you had those eggs plac
there on purpose to trip me up. 10
at me. My clothes are ruined. Dol
ever enter my house again or
give you lawsuit.
At the back end OF Mr.. BAKERS III
acre lot he had placed three hives
bees. There had been no trouble W
them. and they had paid In money
tbe,r keep. Or, day as the owner
on his front veranda In his shirt slee
looking down the village street
Minnie was upstairs in her 70
grieying over the events which
. cousad n separatiop between the
ers q wandering COW appeared y
the scene She looked over the
fence of Mr.. Bakers lot, and she
cabbages. cornstalks and other Z
tb;ncs TO eat. She also took no
That the fence was old and shaky.
was tempted and yielded. she cras
orer the fence between two OF the
hives and brought them both tumD
down, and the crash was hearu y
block around. The bees went TOT
Mr.. Baker was the next vlctin,
no hurried through the front
ond won't downhill toward the pc
fully flowing river. His yels oro
ont the rest of the population an
Fast as they appeared at their d
~ ootes the bees gave them all
or attention. 1t was hguieu i"'e
that at least 900 people besides
cow received scars to show thal
1S haa tonight calamity and well.
Raker kent on to the river Ann
main and excitement he recon-
that bees and water are enemies
cot rid Of the bees he must nav
aid of the river. He could not
a stroke. and the water was ueei
when he reached the bridge owe
rail he dived. ,n,
The COW had no river to piuhse
and she had to keep on oeiio"i
every jump until she fell eA 1a,,
. As fate would have 1t, young WI
vas at hand to plunge into Tue
~ 70 the rescue of the man VINO h'
~. appeared beneath the surface,
was mostly by his efforts that
vas made. He It was VINO COZ
a.ered a wagon and got MT.
home. and he 1t was who go. =
tor and helped him to extract