. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. even on the sunniest days. Once I had thought to penetrate the re- cesses of that mysterious garden of hers, but a great spotted dog barred my way. I wished the Magic Girl would not return that call; but she only laughed knowingly and invited me to go along and ward off the spooks. Inside the hedge a sun-flecked path beckoned through a lane of bloom to a secluded verandah ; but we chose a by-path that careened gaily round a corner, through another cypress hedge straight into the oddest bit of landscape gardening—so colorful, its flowers totally unrela
. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. even on the sunniest days. Once I had thought to penetrate the re- cesses of that mysterious garden of hers, but a great spotted dog barred my way. I wished the Magic Girl would not return that call; but she only laughed knowingly and invited me to go along and ward off the spooks. Inside the hedge a sun-flecked path beckoned through a lane of bloom to a secluded verandah ; but we chose a by-path that careened gaily round a corner, through another cypress hedge straight into the oddest bit of landscape gardening—so colorful, its flowers totally unrelated, yet so har- monious in ensemble ! Here was vaudeville, drama and grand opera all rolled into one. It was like a huge airdome stage set for the per- formance. Even the strip of lawn just beyond waited for the spectators to stretch themselves, and every- where the hum of bees like the ex- pectant buzz of an audience before the curtain The Devoted Heliotrope ( Photograph by A. B. Coldwelll "Stay right where you are !" a voice called, and our mite of a neighbor emerged from the wings, her snowy hair, divested of its widow's cap, gleaming 'gainst the background of dark-green cypress. "I want you to know my actor ; "That's why we came by the stage entrance," replied the Magic Girl, ad- vancing to meet our hostess, while I, marooned on a cunningly devised rustic seat at rear center of the stage, with groups of hollyhocks and sunflowers to the right and to the left of me, felt like the interlocutor in a minstrel show. Women are all like that. They get together and talk and leave a fellow sidetracked in some conspicuous position. Luckily I had the bees for company. They had followed us and were busy strip- ping off and carrying away on their legs in large quantities the make-up of those selfsame "actor friends," the cheerful coreopsis, a few faithful wallflowers and stocks still blooming, and rows of presumptuous snapdrag- o
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectbees, bookyear1861
