Miss Minnie And The Bees
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Minnie was a young lady of the town, and she had been born in it. She lived with her parents on Main Street; they were both dead now — old Mr. Minnie died about thirty years ago, and his wife just before he did.
They left their house to Miss Minnie when they went away, but she never took much interest in it. It seemed so empty without them that after a while she didn’t like being there very well at all. So one-day last year she sold the place for $1,000 and bought this farm down here where I live.”
“Why,” said Tom, “that’s a good deal more than you could get anywhere else around! What made her want to buy out here?”
“Well,” replied Nan, “I guess you know as much about people as anybody does. You see, before my folks moved into town we used to have bees up here in a big hive on top of our barn roof. My father kept bees because he thought if anything happened to him mother would need some money right off, and he wanted her to be able to keep the house till she got old enough to work again.
But one night while Dad was working late in the shop he came home too tired to go up to the bed, and he fell asleep sitting by the fire. He must have dropped over sideways, for the next morning Mother found him lying face down on the floor beside the stove.
That was forty-five years ago last June, and ever since then, no one has bothered to take care of those hives. Besides, there are always lots of wild bees flying around here anyway, so what is the use of keeping any? Well, Miss Minnie saw the hives standing up there last fall when she drove past the house, and she asked me how much they were worth.
Of course, I told her I couldn’t tell exactly, but that if she brought them down to the store and let us look at ’em we might find out pretty soon. We measured each one carefully, we figured up its weight, and finally, we put together an average price per pound.
Then we wrote it all down and sent word to Miss Minnie to come along and pick up her check. When she came back from town yesterday afternoon she stopped here first. She looked at the hives, and she talked to me about my bees for quite a long time.
Finally, she paid me the whole amount of her bill, and then she thanked me for taking such good care of them during all these years. Afterward, we sat down on the front porch steps until twilight, talking about things that happened when I was little. At last, she said: ‘Tommy, do you think there will ever be another war?’
‘No,’ I answered. ‘There won’t be.’
She shook her head sadly. ‘I don’t believe there’ll ever be another war unless somebody makes one. There isn’t going to be any peace between nations as long as men can hate one another. If there wasn’t hatred among human beings, I suppose wars wouldn’t happen.
But somehow or other every nation seems to feel that it has a right to rule the world and force everybody else to obey. Now, Tommy, you’re a boy, and boys aren’t supposed to understand things like that, but I’m not afraid to say what I really think. The trouble is, nobody wants to give up power.
Every country thinks it ought to be the only one that rules, and so they fight and kill each other till there’s nothing left alive except rats. That’s why I’ve decided to try and make people love instead of hate. Maybe if I succeed, someday there won’t be any more wars.’
Then she turned toward the door and called: ‘Good-by, Tommy!’ As she walked slowly across the yard towards the gate, she paused once and looked back through the screen of trees to where we stood watching her. Her eyes met mine, and she smiled faintly.
‘I hope you two children will grow up to be friends,’ she said softly. Then she went away, leaving behind her a sweet memory which will remain with me forever.”
After dinner that evening Nan and Tom sat down side by side in the parlor and began to talk about their plans for the future. “Now,” said Nan, “we have plenty of room to ourselves, and we don’t mind having company. Why shouldn’t we invite some of the girls who live near us to spend the summer here?
We can have a really nice time, and maybe you’d better start looking around for some new borders. How would you like to have your own stable full of horses?”
“That sounds fine!” exclaimed Tom. “We haven’t had any horses to ride for three years now. And I wonder if there would be enough room for me to build a garage, too?”
Nan laughed merrily. “Of course there is! We’ll just move some of the sheds out of the way. By the time school opens next month we should have everything fixed up nicely. Then you can bring all the cars and trucks and motorcycles over here and park them under cover. It would be fun to have a motor race track right here in the backyard. Wouldn’t it, Tom?”
“Yes, indeed!” agreed Tom. “And I’ll bet we could sell tickets to raise money for the high school band trip this year. You know, Nan, I was thinking yesterday how much nicer it might be if we lived on the ocean shore. Do you remember when we used to go camping at Seaview Beach every summer before the war started? Oh, those were happy times!”
“They certainly were,” replied Nan. “But it doesn’t matter where we live—as long as we are together. Besides, I want to see something besides the sea. I wish we could travel around Europe and Asia and Africa and South America. I’d like to visit all the great cities of the Old World and then come home again to our little house in the woods. Isn’t that romantic?”
Tom nodded eagerly. “You mean it, don’t you?” he asked.
“Oh yes, I do!” declared Nan. “It’s my dream, and I’m going to make it come true. Someday soon we’ll take off for foreign parts, and you and I will explore strange lands and meet exciting people. Just wait until we get settled into our new life here, and then let’s begin planning.”
The following day Tom brought his car from the garage and parked it beside the shed nearest the barn. He hooked up the trailer hitch and towed several loads of lumber and building materials to the site where he planned to erect the garage.
While he worked, Nan helped him unload the supplies and set them aside. They spent most of the afternoon working side by side, and when darkness fell they returned to the house. After supper, they talked idly for an hour, and finally, Nan yawned and stretched herself comfortably upon the sofa.
“Well, dear,” she remarked, “it looks as though we’d better call it a night. Don’t forget, tomorrow morning we’re going shopping.”
“All right, Mother,” replied Tom. “I’ll be ready in a minute. Good-night!”
He kissed her goodbye and hurried upstairs to change his clothes. When he came down again, Nan was sitting alone in the living room reading a book. She glanced up quickly and smiled happily as she caught sight of him coming toward her. “There you are!” she cried. “Come sit down beside me. I’ve been waiting for you.”
For a few minutes, neither spoke. Then Tom took Nan’s hand and held it tightly. “Mother,” he murmured, “you look so beautiful tonight. Are you sure you aren’t tired after all these weeks of hard work?”
“Not very,” answered Nan. “In fact, I think I am getting stronger every day. But what really makes me feel well is being able to help you. I love you, Tom, more than anything else in the world. Sometimes I almost hate myself because I didn’t marry you sooner. If only—”
She stopped suddenly and shook her head sadly. “No, I won’t say another word,” she told Tom. “I promised Father never to speak of it again. In spite of my foolishness, I still believe that someday God will grant me the happiness I deserve. Now tell me what you’ve done today while I rested.”
Tom sighed deeply and gazed fondly into her bright blue eyes. “Nothing special,” he confessed. “Just moved a couple of sheds out of the way, and set up a tent to use as a workshop. Tomorrow I hope to finish digging the foundation and start putting up walls.”
“Good!” said Nan. “Then maybe we can move the furniture back inside the house tomorrow evening. I’m looking forward to seeing your workroom. What kind of tools did you buy with the money Dad left you?”
“A lot of things,” replied Tom. “Most of them were small items, but I also bought a big electric drill that should last us years. And I got two power saws; one for cutting wood and the other for metal. I haven’t had any experience using either of them yet, but I plan to learn fast. There isn’t much point in having such fine equipment if I can’t put it to good use.”
“That sounds sensible,” agreed Nan. “Now that we have electricity, why shouldn’t we try to build up a business that will provide us with an income?”
“Why not?” responded Tom. “We might as well turn this place into a real home. We’ve already cleared away all the brush and stumps, and now we need to plant some trees and bushes to screen the garden behind the house.
Maybe we ought to paint the outside of the house too, just to give it a cheerful appearance. It would be nice to show off the new garage, wouldn’t it? You know, there are lots of ways we can improve our surroundings without spending much money at all.”
Nan chuckled softly. “Yes, indeed! That reminds me—tomorrow I want to go shopping. Do you suppose you could find time to drive over and pick me up before lunchtime?”
“Of course!” exclaimed Tom. “But remember, I mustn’t stay long. I promised Mr. Peterson I’d return his truck by noon.”
“Don’t worry about that,” assured Nan. “If I shop till I drop, I’ll probably fall asleep on the sofa anyway. Besides, I’d rather spend the whole day with you than run around town trying to hunt up bargains. Come along, then, and let’s get started.”
***
As soon as Nan finished dressing, she went downstairs to the kitchen. As usual, Tom was busy preparing breakfast. The table was laid, and the dishes were washed and dried. Mrs. Pendergast had prepared a large pot of coffee, which was steaming gently in the sink. Nan poured herself a cupful and sat down to eat.
“Here’s something extra hot for you,” she announced. “Mr. Peterson gave me a thermos full of his latest blend. He says it’s especially strong and delicious.”
The aroma from the pot made Tom hungry enough to gobble down everything on his plate. “Is that roast beef?” he asked eagerly. “It smells wonderful.”
“Oh, yes,” replied Nan. “And here are some fresh biscuits. They’re warm and soft like they used to be when Grandma baked them.”
When Tom had finished eating, he rose slowly to his feet. “I guess I’d better hurry,” he said apologetically. “I don’t want to keep Mr. Peterson waiting.”
“Go ahead,” urged Nan. “You can bring the car right up to the front door. I’ll wait until you come back.”
“Thanks,” said Tom. “I appreciate it.”
He kissed her goodbye and hurried out the back gate. Nan watched him walk across the yard toward the road. A moment later he disappeared around the bend. She smiled happily and sipped her coffee.
After finishing their meal, Nan returned upstairs to change clothes. Then she took a quick shower and brushed her hair. When she came down again, she found Mrs. Pendergast busily cleaning up after dinner.
“Where is everybody?” inquired Nan.
Mrs. Pendergast glanced at her watch. “They should be coming through the woods any minute now,” she answered. “Tom has gone to meet Mr. Peterson. They both wanted to see each other before going to bed.”
“So I heard,” commented Nan. “What do you think of Tom?”
“I am pleased to hear that he seems so happy,” replied Mrs. Pendergast. “His father was a good man. But I fear that he was never able to make Tom feel truly loved. His mother died when Tom was only five years old.
In those days, people often lived alone together, but no one ever considered marriage, since there was little chance of children being born. So Tom grew up feeling unloved and unwanted, even though he knew that his parents cared for him very much indeed.”
“Did Tom tell you what happened between himself and his stepfather?” asked Nan.
“No, he did not,” admitted Mrs. Pendergast. “But I believe that he will confide in me eventually. Now, if you please, may I continue my work?”
“Certainly,” agreed Nan. “I’m sorry to interrupt your chores.”
She waited patiently while Mrs. Pendergast wiped the table and put away leftovers. Soon Tom arrived, driving his father’s pickup truck. As soon as he parked beside the house, Nan and Mrs. Pendergast descended the steps and walked quickly across the lawn to greet him.
“Hello, Mother,” greeted Tom. “How’re things?”
“Fine, thank you,” answered Mrs. Pendergast. “I trust that you have enjoyed your visit with us.”
“Very much,” Tom replied. “Thank you for inviting me to stay overnight.”
“Not at all,” insisted Nan. “We were glad to see you. And we’ve been looking forward to this afternoon’s outing.”
“Well, then,” said Tom, “let’s go. It’s almost two o’clock already.”
Nan led the way into the house, where Mrs. Pendergast continued her clean-up efforts. Once inside, they joined Tom in the living room.
“Now, Tom,” began Nan, “you know how much I enjoy spending time with you. You also know that I love to shop, and today promises to be a perfect opportunity for me to show off our beautiful new store.”
“Sure,” said Tom. “Sounds great.”
“Then let’s get started,” suggested Nan. “If you would kindly help me pack an overnight bag—”
“Wait just a minute!” interrupted Tom. “Why don’t you take me along? We can stop by the supermarket first thing tomorrow morning, and pick up whatever you need.”
“That won’t be necessary,” said Nan. “In fact, it might prove rather difficult. If you insist upon accompanying me, we must leave immediately. Otherwise, we’ll miss Mr. Peterson’s boat ride.”
“All right,” said Tom. “Whatever you say. Just give me a few minutes to gather my stuff and load the car.”
Nan handed him a large duffel bag. “This should hold most of what you’ll need,” she explained. “Just throw in a couple changes of clothing and some toiletries. Don’t worry about food; I packed plenty for lunch.”
The End