My bees were in excellent condition and I caught another swarm bringing my _______ up to seven hives. I sold one early in July. The hot evening before the purchaser came for the hive I went out at sundown to tack a piece of screen wire over the entrance to the hive. I had on my long gloves but no bee hat, thinking the bees would not fly. I smoked the hive heavily and thought all the bees had gone into the entrance, forgetting that bees sometimes hang under the entrance in hot weather. When I was tacking the screen wire the ________ bees crawled up my gloves and stung me around the low neck of my summer dress. I ran to a fountain sprinkler. The water made my dress cling to my arms and waist, giving the bees more places to sting me. I ran to the back door nearly fainting as I ran. I screamed for mother and Emma the maid. They pulled off my clothes. Mother called Dr. Frank Boogher who was on a baby case. He told mother to put me into a tub of water as hot as I could stand, give me cup of strong hot tea, and pull out as many of the bee stings as possible. I was to stay in the tub until I perspired freely and then every function of my body threw out the poison. The doctor told mother to call him to report my reaction. He was hopeful that I would live, but told her to put me in bed, pull out more stings, and give me a sedative. When he came to see me early next morning he was relieved to see that I had not been stung on the jugular vein. This experience was very weakening. People asked me if I would give up keeping bees. I said I wouldn't as I had been stung because of my stupidity. I had forgotten that bees relieve the heat in the hives by hanging outside and fanning the entrance with their __________. The man came for the stand of bees the next morning. I saw him and got a good sum of money for the bees.

Late in July Mr. Chambers was in St. Louis on business for Governor Hadley. We had a wonderful day together. He came to see me in the evening and we sat in the swing under the big moonlit maple trees. His train to Jefferson City left late in the evening. We discussed many things, particularly our names. I told him I disliked the name Lionel as it was too bookish. He had never liked the name Lucy - so there was the rub. I could not call him Will or Billie or Bill as my brother was called by those names. I told him I would call him "Lion.” He said that I was like a rose, and I said, "Please don't call me "Rosie." He laughed and said that my natural unaffected manner was not like a hothouse rose but the open sweetness of a wild rose. He would like to call me "Sweetheart." This he did for many years, using Lucy only when we were with strangers or at formal gatherings. He kissed my hand when he left for his train. We exchanged letters about once a month.
After that evening I realized that I should stop writing to Mr. Allen in New York whose letters came once or twice a month. I still valued his friendship but knew in fairness I should discourage anything more.

Then came gossip about the Veiled Prophet Ball and the usual guesses as to who would be queen. Sister Belle had hinted to her sisters that her daughter Lucy might be queen. We all got invitations and most of us had new ball gowns. Mine was ready-made as Miss Fisher was too busy to make one for me. It was watermelon pink chiffon, trimmed with a band of wide lace edged with buff-colored feather trimming. This went all the way around the long skirt that dipped into a slight train at the back. The same rather coarse but effective lace edged with the feather trimming formed a bertha around the low round neck partly covering the short puffed sleeves. It was a bit too striking but must have been effective in the ballroom. The ball was in early October at the Coliseum at Jefferson and Washington Avenues. This big building was built over Uhrig’s Cave and was used for conventions and balls. In those days there were not four special maids and a large number of maids - just a. few debutantes who were friends of the queen. It was much less elaborate but exciting and beautiful. The queen relatives were sworn to secrecy. The girls were usually thrilled when one of the men of the court or profits asked her to dance. Lucy with her naturally curly dark hair and good figure was a beautiful queen. Her mother and father were excited and happy over the ball and looked handsome. Sank Norvell, dark and tall, was always an outstanding man in any gathering. He was very helpful to me in discussing my various beaux and was taking a great deal of interest in my present situation. He and I still had an occasional horseback ride together. He had known of father's ban against Mr. Chambers and that it had been lifted. I needed his help. During the long period that I had ridden with him and taken trips with him and his family, there were times that were difficult. He, like many men of middle age, would imagine that his wife did not understand him, etc., etc. At times he would be overly affectionate toward me and tell me about some imagined trouble at home, trying to get my sympathetic response. I quietly reminded him that he was talking about my sister whom I respected and loved. Sister Belle always was her own worst enemy. This I described on a previous page, telling how she had difficulty thanking Lizzie Hough for her luncheon. Sank Norvell was my big brother now, wanting to help me in every way. My brother Billie was no help to me, even asking me why I wanted to marry a man who could not support me.

Again came time to extract honey and put the bee colonies in good condition for the winter. Honey was used for gifts to friends and relatives. We had so much that I sold some.

Artists' Guild was interesting. People liked a group of monotypes I had made in our garden. We had an exhibit of garden pictures painted by a few noted artists. They were large and colorful and true to the types of gardens represented. I promised that I would try to paint a similar picture the following summer. It was exhibited at the Guild, City Art Museum, and two other places. It now hangs on my living room wall.

Charles O'Fallon had an autumn houseparty that Mary and Mattie and I attended as usual. In November I had about a week of sick headache and a miserable time brought on by overdoing and discouraging talks with my father. I wrote to Mr. Chambers that perhaps we should give up all thought of marriage as I was subject to these attacks.