The Bee-man of Orn: And Other Fanciful Tales

Frank Richard Stockton

1888年1月 · IndyPublish.com

電子書

193

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評分和評論未經驗證瞭解詳情

關於這本電子書

In the ancient country of Orn, there lived an old man who was called the Bee-Man, because his whole time was spent in the company of bees. He lived in a small hut, which was nothing more than an immense bee-hive, for these little creatures had built their honeycombs in every corner of the one room it contained, on the shelves, under the little table, all about the rough bench on which the old man sat, and even about the head-board and along the sides of his low bed. All day the air of the room was thick with buzzing insects, but this did not interfere in any way with the old Bee-Man, who walked in among them, ate his meals, and went to sleep, without the slightest fear of being stung. He had lived with the bees so long, they had become so accustomed to him, and his skin was so tough and hard, that the bees no more thought of stinging him than they would of stinging a tree or a stone.

One day, there stopped at the hut of the Bee-Man a Junior Sorcerer. This young person, who was a student of magic, necromancy, and the kindred arts, was much interested in the Bee-Man.

"Do you know," he said, when the Bee-Man came out of his hut, "that you have been transformed?"

"What do you mean by that?" said the other, much surprised.

"You have surely heard of animals and human beings who have been magically transformed into different kinds of creatures?"

"Yes, I have heard of these things," said the Bee-Man; "but what have I been transformed from?"

"That is more than I know," said the Junior Sorcerer. "But one thing is certain -- you ought to be changed back."

關於作者

Frank Richard Stockton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 5, 1834. In 1868, he started working for the magazine Hearth and Home, where he wrote fairy tales as well as stories and articles on a variety of subjects for adults. In 1874, he became the assistant editor of Saint Nicholas Magazine and worked there until 1878 when he was forced to resign due to failing eyesight. He continued to write by dictating to his wife or a professional secretary. His first fairy tale, Ting-a-Ling, was published in The Riverside Magazine in 1867 and his first book collection was published in 1870. His works include The Lady or the Tiger, The Griffin and the Minor Canon, The Bee-Man of Orn, The House of Martha, and The Lost Dryad. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 20, 1902 at the age of 68.