do! Drum on pans and pails. Make all the noise you can, so they will alight.
That’s the way Carrie Barnes did when her bees swarmed. Her mother and
all the rest drummed on tin pans.”

Hal went to the barn for a new hive, and the children got pans and pails
and went to drumming with sticks. The house-maid got an old stove-pipe and
laid it across a broken cart-wheel and she drummed, making more noise than
all the rest.

“Oh, what a racket!” said Hal, as he dusted the hive and wet the inside
with sweetened water.

What the bees thought of the noise I do not know, but they soon began to
settle upon a raspberry-bush. I really think they went there because their
queen led them, but the house-maid thought it was because of the noise they
made.

While the children saw that the dark bunch grew larger and larger on the
raspberry-bush Hal put his father’s bee-veil over his hat, buttoned his coat to
the chin over it, and then drew on long gauntlet gloves.

“Now I’m ready for the bees,” said Hal.

“J wish I had a veil,” said Ruby.

“Tm going to crawl into this gunny-sack,” said little Ned, “and look
through the holes.”

Then all the little children pulled gunny-sacks over their heads, arms and
hands, and ran up close to the bees while Hal was hiving them.

Hal worked very gently. He pried up the bush. Taking hold of the top
of it with one hand he put the other hand under the roots and lifted the whole
mass of bees over the hive. He gave ita quick shake, which dropped the most
of them into the hive.

With great care and delicate touches he brushed the bees away from the
edge of the hive and replaced the cover.

“] don’t believe I have killed three bees,” said Hal, delighted with his
success. ‘‘I believe we should have lost that swarm if it had not been for you,
Hal,” added his mother.

“You mean if we hadn't drummed on the pans,” cried the house-maid.

When Hal’s father came his boy tried to look sober as he said: ‘‘Papa,
the bees swarmed two hours ago!”

His father looked at him a minute, adding: “And you have hived them?”

“Yes, sir,” said Hal, with sparkling eyes.

“You have done a good thing,” replied his father, proudly.

His father gave him that hive of bees, from which he has raised many

others.
—Mrs. O. HowaRD.