cy.

When Elizabeth and the Joy came up, school matters being arranged, we
decided, among other things, to evict those bees. There was just one way
to do it, Westbury said, which was to saw through the floor up-stairs
and take them out. He thought there would be some honey. We did not
count much on that; what we wanted was to be rid of the pests forever. I
sent word to our carpenter, and Henry Jones came one morning with his
saws.

In a corner of the upper room where we had heard a great buzzing he
bored a hole through the flinty oak floors. I had the smoker ready and
pumped the sulphur fumes in pretty freely. Then he began to saw. He had
gone only a little way when he said:

"My saw is running in honey."

Sure enough, it was coated with the clear sticky substance, which
certainly did not make it run any easier. By hard work he managed to cut
across two of the wide boards, and through them again, adjoining the
next joist. When he was ready to lift out I pumped a new supply of smoke
into the holes, then rather gingerly we pried up the pieces.

What a sight it was! Covered by a myriad of stupefied bees was layer
upon layer of pure honey, the frightened insects plunging into the
cells, filling themselves with their own merchandise, as is their habit
when alarmed. Lazarus, a small colored assistant whom we had recently
acquired, peered in cautiously (the sulphur fumes being still
suggestive, with a good many bees flying), and I sent him for something
to put the honey in--something large, I said--a dishpan.

But Elizabeth had no great faith in our bee investigations, or she may
have been inclined to discount Lazarus. She sent a porcelain dish, which
I filled with a few choice pieces.

"Tell her this is just a sample, and to send the dishpan."

But still she thought either I or Lazarus was excited, and sent only an
agate stew-pan, which I also filled.

"Take it down, Lazarus, and tell her that we still need the dishpan."

So then at last it came up, and we filled that, too.

We were not through, however. There was a heavy buzzing near the center
of the room, and again we bored and smoked and sawed, and presently
uncovered another swarm, with another surplus stock, this time a
wash-boiler full, most of it fine and white, though some of the pieces
were discolored, showing age. Elizabeth left her occupations and came up
to investigate. Our old house had proven a regular honey-mine. We had
enough for an indefinite pe