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Hive of Busy Bees - Effie Mae Hency Williams · American Bee Journal

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  Speaker 1: Chapter one of A Hive of Busy Bees. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information, auto volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Rosa Grace Auckland, New Zealand, August two thousand eighteen.
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  Speaker 1: A Hive of Busy Bees by Iffie May Hency Williams.
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  Speaker 1: Chapter one. How it happened the Sun's gone under a cloud,
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  Speaker 1: called Grandpa cheerily over his shoulder as he came into
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  Speaker 1: the dining room. Grandma, following close behind, answered laughingly, why,
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  Speaker 1: my dear, this is the brightest day we've had for
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  Speaker 1: two weeks. But look at Don's face, said Grandpa soberly,
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  Speaker 1: and Joyce's too, for that matter. Glancing from one to
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  Speaker 1: the other children, children said Grandma, kindly, do tell us
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  Speaker 1: what is wrong. No answer, only said Daddy at last,
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  Speaker 1: that they are thinking about next summer. Grandpa threw back
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  Speaker 1: his white head then and laughed his loud, hearty laugh,
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  Speaker 1: you little travel borrowers, he cried, worrying about next summer.
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  Speaker 1: Why the only day before yesterday was Christmas? And by
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  Speaker 1: the looks of the dolls and trains and picture books
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  Speaker 1: lying all over the house. But Grandpa said, Don, in
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  Speaker 1: a small voice, trying not to cry, Samma will be
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  Speaker 1: here before we know it. You said so this morning yourself,
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  Speaker 1: And Daddy says he's going north on a fishing trip.
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  Speaker 1: And so, added Joyce sorrowfully, Dolly and I can't go
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  Speaker 1: to the fir and stay with you as we did
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  Speaker 1: last year, and the year before last, and every year
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  Speaker 1: since we can remember. Joyce looked rather anxiously from one
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  Speaker 1: face to another. Daddy's eyes were twinkling. Mother looked rather sorry,
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  Speaker 1: and so did Grandma. But she knew at once by
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  Speaker 1: the look on Grandpa's face that he understood. He only
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  Speaker 1: nodded his white head wisely. I see, he said, And
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  Speaker 1: some way after that, Joyce felt that it would come
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  Speaker 1: out all right. It did. On the last morning that
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  Speaker 1: Grandpa and Grandma were there, Daddy said at the breakfast table,
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  Speaker 1: quite suddenly, as if he had just thought of it. Mother,
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  Speaker 1: suppose we let the children choose for themselves. You and
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  Speaker 1: I will go to the late next summer and catch
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  Speaker 1: the big fish. But if they would be happier on
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  Speaker 1: the old farm, why, oh, cried Joyce delightedly. Don You
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  Speaker 1: and I might go to Grandpa's house next summer if
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  Speaker 1: we like. How do you know, said Don rather crossly.
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  Speaker 1: Daddy hasn't said that we could. Why he said it
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  Speaker 1: just now, didn't you, Daddy? Not exactly, But that's what
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  Speaker 1: I was going to say, said Daddy, smiling into Joyce's
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  Speaker 1: shining eyes. After that, it wasn't a bit hard to
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  Speaker 1: tell Grandpa and Grandma good bye. Only until next summer,
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  Speaker 1: whispered Joyce when she kissed Grandma for the last time.
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  Speaker 1: Long months followed, but June came at last, one happy day.
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  Speaker 1: The children came home and threw the books down on
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  Speaker 1: the table, and Don raced through the house, singing the
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  Speaker 1: last song he had learned at school. School is done,
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  Speaker 1: School is done. Toss up, captain, have a run, and now,
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  Speaker 1: said mother. That night we must begin to get ready
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  Speaker 1: for our trips. Are you sure, children, that you still
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  Speaker 1: want to go to Grandma's Sure, whooped Don, dancing about
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  Speaker 1: the room, while Joyce answered quietly, do you know, mother,
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  Speaker 1: that nothing could ever change my mind? Very well, said mother.
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  Speaker 1: To morrow we must go shopping for you will need
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  Speaker 1: some new clothes, good dark colored clothes to work and play,
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  Speaker 1: and so Grandma won't have to be washing all summer.
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  Speaker 1: What fun they had in the days that followed. Mother's
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  Speaker 1: sewing machine hummed for many hours every day, and at
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  Speaker 1: last you got out the little trunk and began to
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  Speaker 1: carefully pack away the neatly folded gingham dresses, the blue
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  Speaker 1: shirts and overalls, a few toys, and other things she
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  Speaker 1: knew the children would need. A letter had already been
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  Speaker 1: written to Grandma telling her when to meet them at
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  Speaker 1: the station, and she had written back promising to be
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  Speaker 1: there at the very minute. When the great day came,
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  Speaker 1: the children were so excited they could hardly eat any breakfast.
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  Speaker 1: Mother wisely remembered that when she packed their lunch box
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  Speaker 1: the last minute, they ran across the street to tell
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  Speaker 1: their playmates good bye. When they came back, Daddy had
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  Speaker 1: brought the car to the front of the house and
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  Speaker 1: was carrying out the little trunk. Mother was already waiting
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  Speaker 1: in the car. It was getting their train time, so
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  Speaker 1: Daddy quickly drove off to the station. He bought all
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  Speaker 1: the children's tickets, had the trunk checked, and then he
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  Speaker 1: gave Joyce some money to put onto the new red
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  Speaker 1: purse mother had given her as a parting gift. He
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  Speaker 1: slipped a few coins into Don's pocket too, and the
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  Speaker 1: little boy battled and jingled them with delight. How grown
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  Speaker 1: up he felt. The children were very brave until the
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  Speaker 1: train was on and they knew they must say goodbye.
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  Speaker 1: Joyce could not keep the tears back as she threw
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  Speaker 1: her arms around her mother's neck, but she brushed them
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  Speaker 1: away and smiled. Joyce, do you, mother was saying, I
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  Speaker 1: am expecting you to be very good, brave little daughter,
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  Speaker 1: take care of Don. Remembered to pray every day and
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  Speaker 1: be sure to write to mother. Joyce promised, and then,
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  Speaker 1: almost before the children knew what was happening, they were
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  Speaker 1: aboard the train. The engine was puffing, the wheels were
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  Speaker 1: grinding on the rails, and they were speeding along through
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  Speaker 1: the green countryside. Joyce was trying very hard to be
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  Speaker 1: brave for Don's sake, but a lump would keep coming
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  Speaker 1: in her throat when she thought of mother standing beside
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  Speaker 1: the train and waving her handkerchief as it moved away.
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  Speaker 1: Although Joyce was only twelve, for south, she really began
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  Speaker 1: to feel quite like a mother. To wait old on.
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  Speaker 1: She must try to help him forget his loneliness. Soon
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  Speaker 1: they were looking out the window, and what interesting sights
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  Speaker 1: were whirling past. First there was a big flock of chickens,
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  Speaker 1: then some calves in a meadow, running away from the
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  Speaker 1: train in a great fright. A flock of sheep with
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  Speaker 1: the little lambs follocked on a green hole side, and
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  Speaker 1: a frisky colt coicked up hiss heels and dashed across
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  Speaker 1: the pasture. As the train went by by and by.
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  Speaker 1: In her most grown up way, Joyce looked at the
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  Speaker 1: watch on her wrist. It was just noon, so she
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  Speaker 1: opened the lunch box and dainty sandwiches and fruits soon disappeared,
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  Speaker 1: but they saved two big slices of mother's good cake
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  Speaker 1: to take to Grandma and Grandpa after lunch. The train
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  Speaker 1: seemed to creep along rather slowly, but at last it
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  Speaker 1: stopped at the station where Grandma had promised to meet them,
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  Speaker 1: and sure enough they stood Grandpa with his snowy hair
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  Speaker 1: and his big broad smile. Grandma was waiting nearby in
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  Speaker 1: the car. It was late afternoon when they reached the
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  Speaker 1: old farmhouse, and Grandma soon had supper ready. After supper,
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  Speaker 1: Joyce helped to clear away the dishes, and then the
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  Speaker 1: little trunk was unpacked. Grandma was watching keenly to see
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  Speaker 1: if the children were lonely. Now she said briskly, it's
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  Speaker 1: milking time. Run down the name, children and let the
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  Speaker 1: bars down for the cows to come through the lot,
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  Speaker 1: and we'll give them a good drink of water. Away
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  Speaker 1: scampered Joyce and Don, and soon the cows were standing
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  Speaker 1: at the trough and Grandpa was pumping water for them.
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  Speaker 1: Let us pump, cried Joyce. Fine, said Grandpa. That would
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  Speaker 1: be your job every evening to water the cows. After
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  Speaker 1: that they watched the foaming milk stream into the shiny pails,
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  Speaker 1: and then they all went into the house together. It
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  Speaker 1: was almost dark now, two sleepy children see their prayers,
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  Speaker 1: and Grandma soon had been touched snugly in bed end
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  Speaker 1: of chapter one. Recording by Rosa Grace Aukward, New Zealand,
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  Speaker 1: August twenty eighteen, Chapter two of A Hive of Busy Bees.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recorder. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit libervox dot org. Recalling by Rose of Grace OrCam
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  Speaker 1: New Zealand, September two thousand eighteen, I have of busy bees,
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  Speaker 1: but if he may Hency Williams, Chapter two, The Sting
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  Speaker 1: of the Bee cockadoole Do called Don in a shrill voice,
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  Speaker 1: dancing into his sister's room. Joyce opened her eyes and
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  Speaker 1: looked about her. The bright morning sunlight was streaming in
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  Speaker 1: through the little pink and white curtains. Wh Where am I?
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  Speaker 1: She asked? Leepoliceeing Don standing there? Where are you? Cried
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  Speaker 1: Don merrily, Why on the farm? Of course, don't you
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  Speaker 1: hear that old rooster telling you to get up? There?
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  Speaker 1: He is, he added, pulling aside the curtain. He is
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  Speaker 1: stretching himself and standing on his tiptoes. Grandpa says, he's saying,
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  Speaker 1: welcome to the farm. Donn and Joyce, do hurry and
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  Speaker 1: get up. We must go out and help Grandpa do
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  Speaker 1: the marking. Half an hour later, Grandma called the two
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  Speaker 1: hungry children in to breakfast. After that, they were busy
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  Speaker 1: and happy all the morning long. Joyce helped Grandma to
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  Speaker 1: wash the dishes and tidy the house, and Don followed
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  Speaker 1: close at Grandpa's heels as he did his morning's work
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  Speaker 1: about them. He felt very grown up. Indeed, when a
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  Speaker 1: neighbor came by, and Grandpa told him he had a
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  Speaker 1: new hand. After dinner, Grandma satil down for her afternoon snap.
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  Speaker 1: Grandpa went howp a neighbor was some work, and so
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  Speaker 1: the children were left alone. They began to run races
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  Speaker 1: and the wide grassy space in front of the old farmhouse,
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  Speaker 1: but they made so much noise that soon Joyce said,
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  Speaker 1: I'm afraid we will wake grandma. Don we'd better be quiet.
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  Speaker 1: Let's go to the orchard, said Don. We can be
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  Speaker 1: as noisy as we like there and she won't even
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  Speaker 1: hear us. So away they scampered to plain the shade
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  Speaker 1: of the old apple trees. But Grandma's nap was not
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  Speaker 1: to last long, for soon she was awakened by a
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  Speaker 1: scream from the orchard. Hurrying out, she found Joyce dancing
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  Speaker 1: up and down with her hand pressed tightly over one eye.
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  Speaker 1: Don stood watching her with round, frightened eyes. He could
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  Speaker 1: not imagine what had happened to make his sister act
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  Speaker 1: like that, but Grandma knew away. Back in the orchard,
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  Speaker 1: Grandpa had several hives of bees. Joyce had gone too
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  Speaker 1: near one of the hives, and a bee had done
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  Speaker 1: the rest. Grandma did not say much. She took the
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  Speaker 1: little girl's hand and led her back to the house.
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  Speaker 1: Soon Joyce was lying on the couch and Grandma was
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  Speaker 1: ringing cold water out of a cloth and gently placing
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  Speaker 1: it on her eye. Before long, the pain was gone,
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  Speaker 1: but the eye began to swell, and soon she was
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  Speaker 1: not able to see out of it at all. It's
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  Speaker 1: all my fault that we went to the orchard, said Don,
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  Speaker 1: looking sober. No, what's mine, said Joyce. I was afraid
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  Speaker 1: we would wake Grandma. Well, laughed Grandma. I guess it
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  Speaker 1: was mine because I forgot to tell you about the bees.
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  Speaker 1: When it was time to get ready for bed that night,
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  Speaker 1: Grandma bathed the swollen eye again. I wish there were
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  Speaker 1: no bees, Grandma, said the little girl. Suddenly. Why you
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  Speaker 1: like honey, don't you, dear, asked Grandma. Yes, I like honey,
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  Speaker 1: but I don't like bees. They sting. So bees are
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  Speaker 1: very interesting and hard working little creatures, said Grandma. And
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  Speaker 1: if they are let alone, they will not how many
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  Speaker 1: one I didn't mean to bother them, said Joyce, but
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  Speaker 1: one stung me. That's so, said Grandma. That they had
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  Speaker 1: certain rolls and you must have broken one them. A
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  Speaker 1: bee's sting is the only thing she can use to
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  Speaker 1: protect the hard against intruders. And the bee that stings
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  Speaker 1: you always dies. That surprise, she has to pay to
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  Speaker 1: do her duty. Oh, said Joyce, I'm sorry I went
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  Speaker 1: to neer, But please, Grandma, tell me some more about bees.
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  Speaker 1: There are lots to learn about them, said Grandma. They
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  Speaker 1: live in queen little houses caught hives. They have a queen,
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  Speaker 1: and if she is stolen or dies, they will not
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  Speaker 1: go on working without her. Only one queen can live
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  Speaker 1: in each house, and when a new queen is about
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  Speaker 1: to come out of her south, the old queen gathers
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  Speaker 1: her followers and they swarm the queen bee lays the eggs,
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  Speaker 1: and when the eggs hatch, the harve is so full
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  Speaker 1: of bees that it cannot hold them all. As soon
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  Speaker 1: as they find another queen, some of them must move out.
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  Speaker 1: When the bees are swarming, they always take good care
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  Speaker 1: of their queen. Sometimes they settle on a lumb of
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  Speaker 1: a tree, and while they are there they keep their
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  Speaker 1: queen covered so no one can find her. They send
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  Speaker 1: out scouts to find a new home, and as soon
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  Speaker 1: as it is found, they all move there. Sometimes and
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  Speaker 1: par finds the queen and puts her in the hive.
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  Speaker 1: Then she makes a sort of drumming noise, and the
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  Speaker 1: other bees follow her inside. Was it the queen bee
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  Speaker 1: that stung me, asked Joyce. No, the queen never uses
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  Speaker 1: her sting, except when in battle with another queen bee.
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  Speaker 1: But the other bees take care of her, even if
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  Speaker 1: they must die for her sake. There are different kinds
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  Speaker 1: of bees in the hive. Drone bees cannot sting, and
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  Speaker 1: they will not work. They are lazy fellows. In the fall,
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  Speaker 1: they are all killed, so that during the long winter
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  Speaker 1: months they cannot eat the honey which the workers have gathered.
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  Speaker 1: Bees are busy all the time. On sunny days they
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  Speaker 1: gather honey, and on cloudy days they make little wet
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  Speaker 1: saws on which to store the honey. That's why they
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  Speaker 1: say busy as a bee, said Joyce. It means busy
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  Speaker 1: all the time. I didn't know there was so much
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  Speaker 1: to learn about bees. I have been thinking about another
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  Speaker 1: kind of bee, said Grandma. Do they sting like the
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  Speaker 1: bees in the orchard, asked Joyce, with a little shiver.
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  Speaker 1: These stings are much sharper, answered Grandma, and the pain
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  Speaker 1: nasts much longer. There is a heive full of these bees,
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  Speaker 1: and they are always very busy, but at his beetime.
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  Speaker 1: Now wait till tomorrow night, and perhaps I shall tell
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  Speaker 1: you about one of them. Ten minutes later, Don fell asleep,
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  Speaker 1: wondering what the strange though to bee was like, and
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  Speaker 1: hoping it would never sting him as the crossbee had
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  Speaker 1: stung Joyce, end of chapter two. Recording by Rose of
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  Speaker 1: Grace Auckland, New Zealand, September twenty and eighteen. Chapter three
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  Speaker 1: are a hive of busy bees. This is a LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All libervox recordings through in the public domain. For more
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit libervox dot hag recording
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: by Rose of Grace Auckland, New Zealand, September twenty and eighteen.
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  Speaker 1: A hive of busy bees. But if you may Heincy Williams,
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  Speaker 1: Chapter three, be obedient. I have something to show you,
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  Speaker 1: said Grandma. After breakfast the next morning, come with me.
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  Speaker 1: I will look a carve, exclaimed on a moment later.
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  Speaker 1: Isn't he cute? Cried Joyce. See how wibbly his legs are.
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  Speaker 1: What's his name? Grandma? Grandpa says He's not going to
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  Speaker 1: bother naming him when he has two bright grandchildren here
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  Speaker 1: on the farm, answered grandma' smiler. Does he mean that
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  Speaker 1: we can name him, asked Joyce. Yes, replied Grandma. He
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  Speaker 1: means just that. Oh, Don, cried Joyce. What shall we
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  Speaker 1: call him? I think Bruno was a nice name, said Don,
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  Speaker 1: so away, we'll call him Bruno, agreed Joyce. I wonder
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  Speaker 1: if he would let me pet him, said Don, gently
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  Speaker 1: touching the calf on his small white nose. The little
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  Speaker 1: fellow tossed his head and wobbled over to the other
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  Speaker 1: side of his mother. The children laughed merrily, and they
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  Speaker 1: were so interested in watching the little creature that Grandma
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  Speaker 1: had to leave him and go back to her work.
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  Speaker 1: The hours passed by very quickly and very happily. Here
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  Speaker 1: were so many new things to do. Of course, Joyce
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  Speaker 1: had to write a long letter to mother, telling her
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  Speaker 1: about the sting of the bee, the new little calf,
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  Speaker 1: and many other interesting things. Late in the afternoon, the
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  Speaker 1: children remembered about the cows, and they thought they would
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  Speaker 1: pump the trough full of water ahead of time. It
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  Speaker 1: was such fun that they kept on pumping until the
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  Speaker 1: trop overflowed, and the ground around it was all muddy.
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  Speaker 1: After supper, they let down the bars for the cows
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  Speaker 1: to come through. The cows had just gone as drink,
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  Speaker 1: and when Don slipped in the mud and fell backward
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  Speaker 1: right into the trough, he copped and splashed about trying
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  Speaker 1: to get out, and Joyce got a good drenching when
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  Speaker 1: she tried to help them. Grandpa had to come to
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  Speaker 1: the rescue and fish him out, and then they all
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  Speaker 1: had a good laugh, even Don. The children could not
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  Speaker 1: watch the milking that night because they had to go
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  Speaker 1: to the house and put on dry farms. Later in
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  Speaker 1: the evening, they reminded Grandma that she had promised to
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  Speaker 1: tell them a story. They drew their cheese close to hers,
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  Speaker 1: and she began. It was to be a story about
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  Speaker 1: a bee, wasn't it. Well, this bee has a sharp
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  Speaker 1: sting and it goes very deep. I hope it will
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  Speaker 1: never sting, meaning, said Joyce. I hope not to Grandma.
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  Speaker 1: The boy and girl and my story were stung severely,
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  Speaker 1: but it was all their own fault. As you shall see.
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  Speaker 1: Anna and her brother lived nearer pond, and when the
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  Speaker 1: cold weather came, it was great fun to skate on
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  Speaker 1: the ice. Oftentimes they would slide across it on their
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  Speaker 1: way to s One morning, as your mother buttoned their coat,
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  Speaker 1: she said, don't go across the ice this morning. Children.
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  Speaker 1: It has begun to thawn and it is dangerous. No,
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  Speaker 1: we won't, they promised. When they reached the pond, Willie said,
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  Speaker 1: why see, Anna, how hard in fick the ice looks.
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  Speaker 1: Come on, let's slide across it. Instantly, the bee began
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  Speaker 1: to buzz about Anna's ears. Don't do what, said the bee.
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  Speaker 1: It's dangerous, you promised mother, we'd better not, Willy, said
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  Speaker 1: Anna quickly. We promised mother, you know, But mother, I'll
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  Speaker 1: never know, said Willy. But you promised, buzzed the bee again.
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  Speaker 1: Mother thought the ice was thawing, added Willie. She won't
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  Speaker 1: care when she knows it isn't. You may do as
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  Speaker 1: you like, Anna, but I ain't going to slide across
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  Speaker 1: right now. When Nana saw her brother startling across the pond,
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  Speaker 1: she followed in spite of the bed. But they had
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  Speaker 1: gone only a little way when the ice began to
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  Speaker 1: crack and then to go away under them. Anna turned
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  Speaker 1: and hurried back to the bank, but Willie had gone
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  Speaker 1: too far. She saw him go down in the icy water,
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: and she ran to the road, screaming at the top
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: of her voice. A man was passing by it that moment.
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: He picked up a board and ran to the pond
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: as fast as he could, and he reached it just
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: in time to save little Willie. Dragging the lad up
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: onto the bank, he called loudly for someone to come
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: and help her. Two or three men came running, and
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: they worked over Willie until at last he opened his
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: blue eyes and asked faintly where am I? Then they
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: took him home to his mother. She thanked God for
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: saving the life of her disobedient boy, but the danger
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: was not yet past. For many weeks, Willie was a
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: very sick little boy. When at last they carried him downstairs.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: He lay on the sofa day after day, pale and quiet,
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: sadly changed from the merry rump and Willie of other days.
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: The springtime came, but it was a long time before
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: he could go into the woods with Anna to hunt
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: for wild flowers, or say in his toy boats on
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: the pond. There was no more school for Willie that year,
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: as Anna trushed off alone day after days, he seemed
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: to hear again and again the buzzing of the bee
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: about her ears. Sus you promised, mother, I heard it
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: so plainly, she would say to herself, and must be
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: my conscience. But I wouldn't listen, and I almost lost
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: my brother. The old farmhouse kitchen was very quiet for
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: a moment after Grandma had finished her story. Nothing was
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: heard but the ticking of the old fashioned clock. I'm
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: so glad it didn't happen quite, said Joyce at last.
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: What was the bee's name? Grandma? Be obedient, answered Grandma.
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: It has sometimes stung boys and girls so deeply that
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: the hurt has never been healed. But said Grandma cheerily,
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: this bee will never bother you if you listen to
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: us first, little buzz we will, Grandma, we will, cried
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: the children as they drifted off to the land of dreams,
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: end of chapter three. Recording by Rose of Grace Auckland,
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: New Zealand, September twenty eighteen, Chapter four of a half
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: of Busy Bees. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: recordings are on the public domain. For more information or
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by those
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: of Grace in New Zealand, November twenty and eighteen. I
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: have a busy bee's But if he may hint see Williams,
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: chapter four, be honest. It seemed to Don that he
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: had just fallen asleep when he heard Grandma's cheery voice
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: calling breakfast. He dressed as quickly as he could, but
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: when he got downstairs, all the others were waiting for him.
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: After breakfast, Joyce dried the dishes for Grandma, and then
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: she helped with the sweeping and dustin. Don helped Grandpa
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: to Greece's wagon and lawyer some hardness, and he handed
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: staples to Grandpa, where he mended some broken places on
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: the fence. The children were kept busy until dinnertime, but
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: in the afternoon they were free to do anything they liked.
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: To day, they decided to play house in the orchard,
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: so they got out some of the things that mother
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: had packed on the little trunk to fix up their house.
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: But Don soon grew tired of that sort of play.
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: Let's play hard and seek. He said, all right, answered Joyce,
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: I'll run and hide. Will you count to one hundred? Away?
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: She ran, and Don began to count just as he
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: said ninety five, she ran to the chicken door or
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: was standing open. She stepped inside. Now there was something
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: in the chicken house that Joyce did not expect to find.
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: One of Grandpa's pigs was there, rooting around in the
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: loose drawer. The pig was not looking for company, and
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: he was so frightened that he ran toward the door.
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: Pow Maut. Joyce, standing just inside, was in his way,
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: and as he ran against her, she was lifted off
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: her feet and thrown onto his back. Mister Piggy dashed
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: wildly out of the chicken house. Just outside the door
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: was a large, shallow pan full of water, which Grandma
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: kept there for the chickens. Joyce fell off the pigs
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: back into the pan of water, and then she rolled
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: over in the dirt. Don stopped counting when he heard
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: her screams, and Grandma came hurrying out. Poor Joyce. What
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: a sight she was, and she was so frightened that
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: it took Grandma quite a while to quiet her sobs.
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: But a bath and a change of clothes made the
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: little girl feel quite like herself again. That evening, when
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: Grandma came up from the milkon she found the children
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: on the porch waiting for another story. Very well, said Grandma,
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: I shall tell you a story to night about Bee Honor.
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: Many years ago there lived three little boys, Joe, Henry
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: and Charles. They all started school at the same time.
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: For a long while, they kept together in their classes,
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: and they were very good friends. But when they were
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: about fourteen, two of the boys, Joe and Henry, began
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: to go out nights, and it was always late when
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: they got home. Charles stayed at home in the evening
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: and studied his lessons for the next day, as he
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: had always done. Of course, the difference soon showed up
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: in their schoolwork. Charles always knew his lessons, while Joe
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: and Henry fell far behind. When examination time came, the
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: boys begged Charles to help them. No, said Charles firmley,
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: I will never do anything like that. My mother says
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: that father wanted me to be honest, and I mean
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: to be Oh, said Henry. Your father has been dead
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: a long time and your mother will never know. I say,
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: there's no harm in giving a fellow a lift in
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: his examinations, grumbled Joe. It would be cheating, said Charles quietly,
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: or helping you too, and that would be just as bad.
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: And with that he turned to his own work and
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: began to write diligently. Of course, Charles passed all his
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: examinations with honors, and of course Joe and Henry failed.
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: After that, the boys tormented Charles and every way they could.
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: They called him mother's honest little darling, and when they
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: saw him coming, they yelled, go home and hang on
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: to your mother's apron string. Mother knew by Charles's sober
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: face that something had gone wrong. What is it, son,
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: she asked, and Charles told her what had happened. She
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: told him how glad she was that he would not
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: do wrong, and how proud his father would be or
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: such a son. I shall never be ashamed of you,
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: she said, as long as you were perfectly honest. Sometimes
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: you will find it rather hard, but just wait a
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: few years and you will see that it pays. Charles
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: had been almost discouraged, but mother's words made him feel
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: quite strong and brave again. The next time he saw
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: the boys, his honest blue eyes looked straight into their faces,
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: unashamed and unafraid. They dropped their eyes and hurried away
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: as quickly as they could. They did not bother Charles again,
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: for the principal had heard of their actings and had
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: punished the severely. When school was out, the boys began
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: to think about doing something to wear a little money.
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: Henry was passing the drug store one day when he
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: noticed a sign on the window Boy wanted a plying person.
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: He went into the store at once and asked for
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: the job. The druggist took him to a little room
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: back of the store. Here, he said, is a chest
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: of nails and bolts. You may sort them. The boy
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: worked for a while, and then he said to himself,
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: what a queer job this is. He went back into
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: the store and said to the druggist, if that is
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: all you have for me to do, I don't believe
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: I want the job. Very well, said the druggist, that
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: is all I have for you to do. Now. He
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: paid Henry for the work he had already done, and
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: the boy went home. The druggist went back to the
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: little room and found bolts and nails scattered all over
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: the floor. He put them back in the chest, and
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: then he hung his sign in the window again. The
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: next day, Joe passed by and saw the sign, and
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: he too went in and asked for the job. The
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: druggist took him to the little room and showed him
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: the chest of nails and told him to sort them.
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: When the boy had worked on a little while, he
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: went back to the druggist and said, those rusty old
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: nails are no good. Why don't you let me throw
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: them all the way? I don't like this kind of
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: job anyway, all right, said the druggist, and he paid
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: Joe for what he had done and let him go.
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: As he put the nails in bolts back in the chest,
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: he said to himself, I'm willing to pay more than
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: this to find a really honest boy. Later, Joe and Henry,
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: sauntering down the street together, saw the same sign in
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: the window. Boy wanted a plying person. Guess he doesn't
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: want a boy, very dad, said Joe. That's no job
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: sorting those old, rusty things. Did he find anything in
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: the chest besides bolts and nails, Henry, I'm not telling
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: everything I found, said Henry with a laugh. Joe looked up,
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: puzzled in a little alarmed. Now I wonder he began,
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: but broke off suddenly and started to talk about something else.
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: A few days later, Charles passed by the drug store
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: and saw the sign in the window. He went in
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: and told the druggist he would like to have the job.
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: Joe and Henry friends of yours, asked the druggist, looking
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: at him sharp. Oh no, sir, replied Charles quickly. We
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: used to be good friends, but something happened between us
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: that I don't like to tell, and they wouldn't have
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: anything to do with me afterward. I'm glad to hear that,
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: said the druggist. I rather think you're the boy I want.
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: For two or three hours, Charles worked steadily now and then,
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: whistling a snatch of two. Then he went to the
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: druggist and said, I have finished the job you gave me.
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: What shall I do next? The druggist went to the
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: little room to see how Charles had done his work.
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: The boy had found some boxes lying about, and he
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: had placed the bolts in one, the nails and another,
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: and the screws and a third. And see what I found,
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: exclaimed Charles. It was lying under those old crooked bolts
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: on the bottom of the chest. And he handed the
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: druggist a five dollar gold piece. The druggist took the
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: money and said, with a smile, naw, you may place
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: the bolts and screws back in the chest, just as
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: you have them arranged in the boxes. After he had
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: done that, Charles was sent on a few errands, and
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: then he was dismissed for the day. A few days later,
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: the druggist gave Charles a key and said, you may
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: come early in the morning and open the store and
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: do the sweeping in dusting. At the end of the
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: first week, when Charles received his pay envelope, he found
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: the five dollar gold piece along with the week's wages.
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: One morning, not long afterward, when Charles was sweeping the floor,
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: he found a few pennies lying near the counter. He
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: picked them up and made them on the shaft and
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: told the druggist about them. Another day he found some pennies,
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: a diamond, two nichols. These too, he laid on the shaft,
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: telling the druggist where he found them. About a month later,
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: when he was sweeping one morning, he found a bright,
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: shiny new dollar. How he did wish he might keep
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: it for him south the druggist would never know it,
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: whispered a tiny voice, But just at that instant, be
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: honest began to buzz around his ears. Don't forget what
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: mother told you said to be She said she would
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: never be ashamed of you as long as you were
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: perfectly honest. Charles turned the shiny dollar over and over
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: in his hand. The bee kept on buzzing. Never do
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: anything that will make your mother ashamed of you. Be honest,
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: Be honest, yes, said Charles, at last, I will. He
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: laid the dollar up on the shout, and when the
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: druggist came in, he told him about it. The druggist
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: smiled and patted him on the shoulder. You are an
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: honest boy, was all he said. And at the end
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: of the week, Charles found the shiny dollar in his
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: pay envelope beside his usual wages. A few weeks later,
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: the druggist began to give Charles large sums of money
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: to take to the bank for him. I have found
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: that I can trust you, my boy, he would say.
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: Charles worked in the store all that summer, and when
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: school opened again, he helped the druggist mornings and evenings.
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: His tired mother did not have to take in so
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: many washings now, for Charles always gave her his money.
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: At the end of the week, after he had finished school,
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: the druggist gave him a steady job in the store
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: with good wages. Charles, said the druggist. One day. Do
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: you remember the day he sorted bolt and nails for me?
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: Indeed I do, answered Charles. How glad I was to
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: find work that day so I could help my mother
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: a little. And I shall never forget how surprised I
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: was when I found a five dollar gold piece at
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: the bottom of the chest. I put it there on purpose,
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: said the druggist. I wanted to find out what sort
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: of or you were, you did, exclaimed the astonished boy. Yes,
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: and when you brought it to me, I was pretty
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: sure that I had found an honest boy. But I
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: wanted to be able to trust you with large sums
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: of money, so I tested you still further. And if
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: pennies and nickols and a diamon on the floor, and
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: last of wall a dollar, when you picked them all
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: up and laid them on the shelf and told me
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: about them, I knew then that I could safely trust you.
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: I should like to ask you, said Charles. Suddenly, was
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: there a gold piece lying in the bottom of that chest?
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: When Joe and Henry sorted the nails too, Yes, said
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: the Druggers. Each of them found a gold piece there,
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: and each of them kept it form the south. So
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: you lost ten dollars, exclaimed Charles. Yes, lost ten dollars
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: hunting for an honest boy, But it was worth it,
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: for I found one at last. Is that the end
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: of the story, asked Joyce's grandma. Pause, Not quite, said Grandpa,
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: who had been listening. Tell them what happened to Henry
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: and Joe. Oh? Yes, I must not forget to tell
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: you about them, said grandma. Soon after Charles started working
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: for the drug Henry was caught stealing some things from
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: a department store. He was arrested, but his father paid
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: the fine so he was allowed to go free. But
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: his dishonest habits soon got him into trouble again. He
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: broke into a house while the family was away and
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: stole some money. He was sent to a reformatory for boys,
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: and he had to stay there a long time. After that,
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: he could never keep a job long, for he was
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: so dishonest that no one could depend on him. Joe
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: did not get into so much trouble in his boyhood,
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: but after he became a man he forged a check
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: and was sent to the penitentiary. How much better it
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: would have been, said Joyce thoughtfully, if Henry and Joe
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: had only listened to the bee in the first place. Yes, indeed,
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: said Grandma, I have often thought of that, for I
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: am sure the bee talked to them as well as
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: to Charles. Maybe, said little dom softly. They didn't have
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: a grandma to tell them how to be good. Maybe not,
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: said Grandpa, smiling as he rose to take the little
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: fellow into bed. Didn't they even change into good men,
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: asked Joyce. I'm afraid not, answered Grandma. That's the saddest
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: part of the stormy They felt the sting of the
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: bee as long as they loved. End of chapter four.
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: Recording by Rose of Grace Auckland, New Zealand, November twenty
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: and eighteen, Chapter five of A Hive of Busy Bees.
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All libervox recordings are in
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: visit libervox dot org recording by Rose of Grace Auckland,
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: New Zealand, February twenty nineteen. A hive of busy bees.
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: But if he may Hintsy Williams, chapter five, be truthful.
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: Every day Joyce and Don went out to meet the Mayorman.
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: And how glad they were this morning when he brought
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: them a letter from mother. Mother and Daddy were having
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: a good time at the lake, and deals a picture
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: of Daddy smiling at them as he held up a
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: day's catch of fish. What a string of fish, exclaimed
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: Grandpa when they showed it to him, And what fine
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: big ones they are. I wish, did Don that we
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: could go fishing, gree Grpa. Grandpa whispered something in his ear,
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: and the little fellow began to dance about and clap
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: his hands. What is it, asked Joyce, excitedly. Only that
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: we're going fishing tomorrow, said Grandpa. We'll start out bright
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: and early in the morning, take our lunch to spend
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: the day at the river. Joyce and Grandma were busy
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: all morning about the house, and in the afternoon they
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: baked cookies and got the lunch as nearly ready as
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: they could for the trup Grandpa and Don went out
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: to the garden to do bait. They soon had a
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: canful of worms, and then Don found a larger can
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: and filled that too. When Grandpa said they had a knife,
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: Don covered the worms with loose stirt and set the
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: cans out in the shed. Then they got out the
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: fishing tackle. Late in the afternoon, Grandma called the children
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: and asked them to catch a chicken for her so
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: she could get it ready for their picnic lunch. The
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: children asked if they might pick off the feathers they
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: had watched Grandma dought so many times. They thought it
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: would be an easy job, but when they tried it,
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: they found it was not so easy after all. They
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: turned the chicken round and round, picking first in one
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: place and then in another. It took them a long
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: time to get all the feathers off. Then Grandma cut
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: up the chicken and put it in a crop and
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: took it to the spring house to keep it cool.
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: I will fry it in the morning, she said. How
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: quickly the day passed by. It was already time to
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: do the evening chores. Grandma was trying to teach the
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: brown and white calf to drink milk from a pail.
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: Grandpa was busy in the barn, so she called the
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: children to come and help her. The calf was kept
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: in a lot near the orchard. I want you to
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: drive him to the corner of the fence for me,
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: said Grandma. Then I will try to coax him to
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: drink the milk. But the little creature was not so
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: easy to manage. As soon as they had driven him
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: into the corner, he would back away and off he
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: would go again across the lot. After this had happened
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: several times, Don said, just wait, Grandma, when we get
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: him into the corner again, I will hold him there.
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: So the next time, he grabbed the calf about the
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: neck and jumped on his back. Instantly, the calf turned
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: and galloped across the lot. When he reached the father's side,
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: he turned again and Don rolled off in the soft grass.
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: Just then Grandpa came to the rescue. He drove the
• 31:58
  Speaker 1: calf to the corner and held him there. Grandma coaxed
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: him to drink from the pail. We must go to
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: bed early to night, said Grandpa, as they started for
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: the house. We want to reach the river by the
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: time the sun comes up. But you'll tell us the
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: story first, won't you, Grandma asked Don. Yes, said Grandma,
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: as she sank into her comfortable old rocken chair in
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: the kitchen. About another bee, asked Joyce, which one be truthful?
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: Answered Grandma. Boys and girls who will not listen to
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: him often come to grief, as the boy did. That,
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: I shall tell you about Little Milton lived on a farm.
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: His father had a number of mules which he used
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: and plowing his fields. Two of the young mules were
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: very old tempered. Milton's father was very careful to keep
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: the little pigs and calves out of their way, for
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: fear the mules would pour them to death. When Milton
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: was almost nine, a little baby brother came into his home.
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: His name was Marian. Milton loved the baby deaily and
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: never grew tired of playing with him. Their father bought
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: a fence around the yard. They were careful to keep
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: the gates of the fence closed so little Marian could
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: not wander away, especially after the two well tempered mules
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: were put out past them the lot just back of
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: the late one afternoon, Milton was helping his father in
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: the back clock. Daddy had to go and do something else,
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: So he left the boy to finish the job. As
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: soon as you have finished the daddy, you may go
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: to the house, but be sure to latch the back
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: yard gate. Daddy did not get home until after dark, Milton,
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: he said, Did he latch the gate when he came
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: in this afternoon? Milton knew he had forgotten, But he
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: thought to himself, if I tell the truth, I shall
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: have to go out and natch the gate now. And
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: I am afraid of the dark. Aloud, he said, yes, Daddy,
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: I did Are you sure, asked Daddy, yes, did Milton again.
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: The little boy suddenly heard a bee buzzing in his ears.
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: Tell the truth, Milton, tell the truth, But he said
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: to himself, it won't match if the gate stands open
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: all night. I will latch at the first thing in
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: the morning. And so he soon forgot all about it.
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: The next morning, right after breakfast, Multon's mother sent him
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: on an errand Marian was still asleep. Who's Marian, asked Milton.
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: When he came back. He woke a little while ago,
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: said mother. After I gave him his breakfast, I let
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: him go out there to play at such a bright morning.
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: Instantly Milton thought of the gate, and he went to
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: look for Marian. A moment later, he heard his father
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: cry out on alarm, and looking toward the pastor where
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: the two young mules were kept, he saw little Marian
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: just inside the fence. Daddy ran toward the baby as
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: fast as he could, but he was just too late.
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: One of the mules could Marian, and he fell over
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: in a little heap. The mules, seeing Daddy coming, ran
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: toward the other end of the pasture. Daddy picked up
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: the limp little body and carried it to the house.
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: The baby lay so still that at first they thought
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: he was dead. Milton was terribly frightened, and he cried
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: almost all day, for he knew this dreadful thing had
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: happened because he did not latch the back yard gate,
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: and because he had told Daddy a lie about it.
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: Poor little Marian was taken to the hospital. His spine
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: had been injured, and it was many many months before
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: he could sit up, and never again was he able
• 34:48
  Speaker 1: to run about like other children. It was a long
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: time before mother and Daddy found out how the baby
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: came to being the pastor with the mules. But one
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: day after little Marian had been brought home. Milton told
• 34:59
  Speaker 1: Daddy the whole dad story. I'm very sorry, said Dady kindly,
• 35:03
  Speaker 1: when he had finished. I wish you had told me
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: the truth. I wouldn't have sent you out alone in
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: the dark sun. I would have gone out and etched
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: the gate myself. It was almost more than Milton could
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: bear to help. His father talked to him so sadly
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: and yet so kindly. The sting of the bee went
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: deeper and deeper as he watched his power faced little
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: brother day after day. Always after that, he was careful
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: to listen to the bosom of little bee truthful, two
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: very sober children, see good night to Grandma, just as
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: the clock struck half past eight, end of chapter five.
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: Recording by Rose of Grace Auckland, New Zealand, February twenty nineteen.
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: Chapter six of A Hive of Busy Bees. This is
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: a loberox recording. All lover of oox recordings are in
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: visit liberovox dot org. Recording by Rose of Grace Auckland,
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: New Zealand, February twenty nineteen. A Hive of Busy Bees,
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: but if you may Heincy Williams, chapter six, be kind, Don,
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: said Grandma, shaking the little sleeper. It's time to wake up.
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: Don turned over, rubbed his eyes, and with a deep size,
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: setting back to sleep. Here here, cried Grandma, shaking him again.
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: Do you want us to leave you at home all alone?
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: We're going fishing to day. Instantly Don was wide awake.
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: He bounced out of bed and began to dress as
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: quickly as he could. In five minutes, he was in
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: the kitchen, but Joyce was there ahead of him, helping
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: Grandma to pack the lunch basket. Don was so excited
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: that Grandma could coax him to eat only a few
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: bites of breakfast. He was the first one in the car,
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: ready to start for the Ribber. The sun was just
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: peeping over the holes when they drove into a pretty
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: shady nook on the bank of the Ribber. This is
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: always a good place to fish, said Grandpa. They stopped
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: under a tree whose great spreading branches leaned fire out
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: over the water, and soon they were untying the fishing
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: poles and baiting their hocks. I'll give a nickel to
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: the one who catches the first fish, said Grandpa. Suddenly,
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: Don's cork began to bob up and down on the water.
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: Joyce felt a strong pull on her line too. Almost
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: at the same instant, each of them lifted a fish
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: from the water. Grandpa took the little perch from donsok
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: and a catfish from Joyce's, and with his big, hearty life,
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: he gave them each a knuckle. The hours passed so
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: quickly that before the children knew it, it was time
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: for lunch. But when Grandma spread out the chicken and
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: sandwiches and cookies and lemonade in the shade of the
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: big tree, they found that they were as hungry as beers.
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: After lunch, Grandma lay down on the shade and tried
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: to take a nap while the others went back to
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: their fishing. But the fish did not bite so well
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: as they had done in the morning. They had already
• 37:36
  Speaker 1: caught a great many fish, so they decided to go
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: home early. Grandpa had been stringing the fish one by
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: one as they had caught them, and he had let
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: the lion hang down on the water. Now when he
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: lifted it out, the children were delighted to see how
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: many fish they had caught. This is a longer string
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: of fish than Daddy has on the pitch too, cried Don.
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: We cannot use so many fish ourselves, said Grandpa. We
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: shall have to share it with the neighbors. When they
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: reached home, Don helped Grandpa to clean the fish. Grandpaskin
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: the catfish, and Don scraped the scales from the perch.
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: When they had finished, Don had fish scales all over him,
• 38:10
  Speaker 1: even in his hair. But this trouble was all forgotten
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: at supper time, when Grandma set a large platter of
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: fish on the table. Grandpa said it tasted better than
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: the fried chicken. In the evening, the children came to
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: Grandma for the usual story. They sat down on the
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: porch with the soft summer dusk gathering about them. I
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: shall tell you a story to night, began Grandma, about
• 38:31
  Speaker 1: a bee that every child should listen to and obey.
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: Its names be kind. James and Richard lived near each other,
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: and they were playmates. One day they were flying their
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: kites in a vacant lot when they saw a dirty
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: little puppy. Richard began to stamp his feet and try
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: to scare it, but as he could not chase it away,
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: he threw stones at the poor little tongue. A stone
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: struck the puppy on his head and hurt him very badly,
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: for he began to turn round and round, whining and
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: howling pitifully. Richard laughed as if he thought a great joke.
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: Shame on you, cried James, for treating a poor little
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: puppy like that. You're a sissy, said Richard. Or you
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: wouldn't care. You may call me what you please, said James,
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: But I shall never hurt a poor little dog that
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: can't help himself. Maybe he's lost. With that, he lifted
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: the little creature in his arms and carried him home.
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: The puppy's head was bleeding where Richard had struck him
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: with the stone. James washed the blood away and gave
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: the little dog something to eat, talking to him kindly
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: and peating him all the while. When his father came
• 39:29
  Speaker 1: home that evening, he told James that the puppy showed
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: marks of being a very good dog, and that if
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: the owner never came, he might keep him for his own.
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: James was delighted. He named the dog Rets and at
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: once began to teach him to do all sorts of tricks.
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: Rex learned to walk, on his hind feet, sit up
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: straight and bear for something to eat. Play dead dog,
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: roll over chase's tail in, runs for a hoop. In
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: a few months, Rex had grown to be quite a
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: large dog. By this time, James had taught him how
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: to swim, and when the boy would throw stick into
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: the water and say go get a ret, the dog
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: would bring it back in his mouth. All the boys
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: in the neighborhood liked Rex, and he liked them all
• 40:05
  Speaker 1: except Richard. Whenever he came around, the dog would growl
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: and show his teeth. Two years later, one warm Saturday
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: afternoon in April, James called Rex and started for the pond. Oftentimes,
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: fishing parties visited this pond, so a number of small
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: boats were tired among the willows fringing ashore. On this
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: particular afternoon, Richard and his little brother Harry had also
• 40:26
  Speaker 1: gone to the pond, and Richard untied one of the
• 40:29
  Speaker 1: boats to take a ride. Of course, he had no
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: right to use a boat that did not belong to him,
• 40:34
  Speaker 1: but he thought that no one would ever know. Just
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: as James came around a comfort willows, he saw the
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: little boat tip over, and Richard and Harry fell on
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: at the deepest place in the pond. James knew they
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: could not swim, so he began to call for help
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: as loudly as he could. Rex ran back and forth, whining,
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: looking first at James, then at the boys in the water. Suddenly,
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: a happy thought struck James. Pointing to the two boys,
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: he said, go get them res Immediately, the dog jumped
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: into the water and began to swim toward the boys.
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: He soon had Harry's collar between his teeth and was
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: swimming back to shore. James helped Harry to his feet,
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: and then, pointing to Richard, he said, go get the
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: other one. Richard had gone down the second time when
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: Rex reached him, but as he came up to the
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: surface of the water, the dog caught him and began
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: to swim back. It was a hard task as Richard
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: was heavier than Harry, but at last Rex brought him
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: safely to shore. All this time James had been calling
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: for help, and now Sevra men came running toward the pond.
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: They began working with Richard, and after some time he
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: came back to consciousness. Who got me out of the water,
• 41:35
  Speaker 1: he asked, As soon as he could speak. Rex answered James.
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: Teas rolled down Richard's face as he said brokenly. Just
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: think I almost called him when he was a little puppy.
• 41:45
  Speaker 1: I know one thing, I'll never do such a thing again.
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: Everybody petered and praised Rex for what he had done.
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: Richard's father bought a beautiful new collar for him, but
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: although the dog had saved Richard's life, he never would
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: have anything to do with him afterward. He could not
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: beget how cruelly the boy had treated him in his puppyhood.
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: Then he promise to get a puppy for me soon,
• 42:06
  Speaker 1: said Don. I shall name him Rex, after the good
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: dog in the story. And I'm quite sure, said Grandma,
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: that he'll always be as kind to him as James
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: was to Rex. But I know a little man that
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: will be asleep in about five months. Hustle him off
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: to bed, Grandpa, or you'll have to carry him up stairs.
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: Don said a sleepy good night, and sure enough, five
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: minutes later he was fast asleep. End of chapter six
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: recording by Rose of Grace Auckland, New Zealand, Feby two
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: thousand nineteen. Chapter seven of Ahive of Busy Bees the
• 42:42
  Speaker 1: They LibriVox recording all libervox recordings are in the public domain.
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: For what information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: Recording by Rose of Grace Aukland, New Zealand, March two
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: thousand and nineteen a half of Busy Bees, But if
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: he may Hintcy Williams, Chapter seven, be polite. When the
• 43:01
  Speaker 1: children came down to breakfast in the morning, they found
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: that Grandpa had eaten his breakfast and had gone out
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: to bold a pig pen behind the barn. John hurried
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: out to help him, and Joyce went to the spring
• 43:10
  Speaker 1: house to do the churning for Grandma. The little girl
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: plunged the dasher into the thick cream, lifted it, and
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: plunged it again until her arms ached. At last, the
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: dasher began to look clean, and tiny particles of golden
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: butter clung to it, and she knew that the butter
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: had come. Then she took the butter pedal and the
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: bowl and called them in the spring. Just as she
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: had seen Grandma do. She lifted the butter from the
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: churn with the peddle and began to work it to
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: get the mulk out. She had watched Grandma do this
• 43:35
  Speaker 1: many times and It had looked very easy, but she
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: found it quite another thing when she came to doing
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: at herself. When she had worked for some time, she
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: had a solid roll of butter. She salted it and
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: worked it some more, and then she called Grandma to
• 43:47
  Speaker 1: come and see it. I could not have made better
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: butter myself, said Grandma. So Joyce said something new to
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: write about in her next letter to mother. After dinner,
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: the children went to the orchard to play. They found
• 43:58
  Speaker 1: an antle, and it was very imp resting to watch
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: the answers they worked. One aunt was carrying a bread
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: crumb several times larger than herself, and the children were
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: watching eagerly. The old turkey gobbler came strutting toward them,
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: but they did not notice. Joyce was bending over watching
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: the industrious little ants, when suddenly the gobbler perched upon
• 44:15
  Speaker 1: her back and began to beat her with us wings.
• 44:18
  Speaker 1: Grandma screamed, Joyce. It was a comical sight that Grandma
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: saw when she came to the door Beale's Joyce running
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: toward the house, with the gobbler after her, and Don
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: coming behind. The gobbler was right at Joyce's heels when
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: suddenly the little girl dodged behind a tree and began
• 44:31
  Speaker 1: to go round and round at keeping the tree between
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: her and the gobbler. At last, Don found a stick
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: and chased him away. When Grandma had comforted Joyce, she
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: explained that it was the little girl's redress that the
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: gobbler didn't like. Joyce declared that she would never wear
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: that dress again while she was on the farm. She
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: never did, and so the gobbler did not bother her anymore.
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: At bedtime, the children were ready for their usual story.
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: They clambered up onto the arms of the old rocker
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: on the porch while Grandpa sat down on the step.
• 44:58
  Speaker 1: What do we hear about to night, asked Grandpa. I
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: believe I like to hear the stories as well as
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: Don does. All boys are alike bigin little, said Grandma
• 45:05
  Speaker 1: with a smile. My story this time is about be polite,
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: oh said Don. I know a little bit about politeness.
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: I learned it at school. Politeness is to do and
• 45:15
  Speaker 1: say the kindest thing in the kindest way. The politeness
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: means kindness, doesn't it, Grandma asked Joyce. Yes, and more
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: than that, replied Grandma. A polite person is never rude.
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: The story is about two children who were stung by
• 45:27
  Speaker 1: bee polite just once, but they never forgot it. Daisy
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: and Dan were twins. When they were babies, their mother
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: took them from their home in the east to live
• 45:36
  Speaker 1: in a far western state. They could not remember their grandmother,
• 45:39
  Speaker 1: who still looked back in the old hometown. All they
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: knew about it was what their mother had told them,
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: and she often wrote long letters and sent them lovely presents.
• 45:48
  Speaker 1: One day they received a letter from Grandma saying that
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: she was coming to spend a few weeks with them.
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: They could hardly wait for Thursday to come when she
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: was to arrive at the station the train will do
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: at six o'clock in the evening, and mother I promised
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: the twins that they might go to meet Grandma after school.
• 46:03
  Speaker 1: She sent them to the store to buy some things
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: for supper, and she gave them ten cents to buy candy. Now,
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: there were some children living in the neighborhood who were
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: very rude. For this reason, the twins were never allowed
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: to play with them. But to day, on their way
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: to the store, they meet these children and they all
• 46:18
  Speaker 1: went on together. They crossed a vacant lot where there
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: was a pile of crushed rock. Near the rock pile,
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: they meet an elderly woman carrying a small satchel. She
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: spoke kindly to them, but one of the boys answered
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: her very rudely, and then stuck out his tongue at her.
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: The lady turned to him and said, my boy, you
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: need someone to teach you how to be a gentleman.
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: Oh do, I said the boy roughly, and picking up
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: a stone from the rock pile, he thrilled at you.
• 46:42
  Speaker 1: Another lad did the same, and still another. Now the
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: twins had been taught to be polite, especially to old people.
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: Just now little Bee Polite began to buzz about them.
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: But when children are in bad company, it was always
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: hard for them to hear the small voice of conscience.
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: For a moment, they stood and watched the boys throw
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: rocks at the old lady, and then they began to
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: throw them too. No matter how hard she tried, Daisy
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: could not throw a stone straight, but Dan had a
• 47:07
  Speaker 1: better aim, and he threw a rock which struck the
• 47:09
  Speaker 1: old lady's hand. When the twins reached the store, there
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: were several customers ahead of them, so they had to
• 47:15
  Speaker 1: wait their turn. It was nearing supper time. When they
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: came out of the store with their bundles. The rude
• 47:20
  Speaker 1: boys had waited outside for them all that time, and
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: the twins gave them some of their candy. When Daisy
• 47:25
  Speaker 1: and Dan reached home, they were much surprised to find
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: a visitor. There. It was the old lady whom they
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: had treated so unkindly. Mother was crying as she bathed
• 47:33
  Speaker 1: the hand that had been hurt by Dan's rock children.
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: She said, this is your dear grandmother who has come
• 47:38
  Speaker 1: to see you. She came on an earlier train that
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: she expected, and she inquired the way and walked out
• 47:42
  Speaker 1: from the station alone. Some rude children treated her very
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: unkindly on the way. You'll have to be very good
• 47:49
  Speaker 1: to her to make up for it. Well, well, said Grandma, kindly,
• 47:52
  Speaker 1: is this Daisy and Dan? I should never have taken
• 47:55
  Speaker 1: them to be my grandchildren. The twins expected her to add,
• 47:59
  Speaker 1: so your other norse children who threw stones at me,
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: but she did not say it, and Daisy and Dan
• 48:03
  Speaker 1: hurried out of the room as quickly as they could.
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: So the good times the children had expected to have
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: with their grandma were spoiled. On the very beginning after
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: that whenever they went into the room where she was,
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: they felt very uncomfortable. I don't understand why the twins
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: acts so strangely, said Mother one day, as she and
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: Grandma sat mending together. I'm really ashamed of them. They
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: had planned to do so many things to make you
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: happy during your brother, but they seemed to keep away
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: from you all they can. Daisy, who was passing outside
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: just under the window, heard every word distinctly. Her heart
• 48:34
  Speaker 1: pounded like a hammer, and she held her breath to
• 48:36
  Speaker 1: hear what Grandma would say. Grandma went on mending without
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: saying a word. Dear Grandma, she won't tell on us
• 48:42
  Speaker 1: for throwing stones at her, said Daisy to herself. Then
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: I'll tow That's what I'll do, she added with a
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: sob An instant later, Mother was surprised to see the
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: little girl dash into the room or teas running down
• 48:52
  Speaker 1: her cheeks. She threw herself down by the chair and
• 48:55
  Speaker 1: laid her head in her mother's lap. She was crying
• 48:57
  Speaker 1: so hard that for a moment she could not speak.
• 49:00
  Speaker 1: There there, little girl, said mother, what has happened? Tell
• 49:03
  Speaker 1: mother all about it. Then Daisy told the whole story.
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: When she had finished she threw her arms around Grandma.
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: I'm so sorry, do you, Grandma? She cried. Just then
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: Grandma looked up and saw Dan standing there. He had
• 49:15
  Speaker 1: come in so softly that no one had noticed. Grandma
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: held out her hands to him, and he burst into tears.
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: It was my fault, lots more than daisies, he sobbed.
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: I threw a stone before she did, and besides, it
• 49:26
  Speaker 1: was my stone that hit your hand. Grandma talked to
• 49:29
  Speaker 1: the twins for a long time. Then, in her own
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: quiet way, she told him that children who were in
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: bad company were almost sure to do wrong themselves, and
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: that polite boys and girls usually grew up to be
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: the best men and woman. I know that such a
• 49:41
  Speaker 1: thing will never happen again, she said, kissing them both.
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: So now it was all forgiven and forgotten, but the
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: twins could not forget. Two or three weeks later Grandma
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: went home. She still wrote letters and sent presents, just
• 49:52
  Speaker 1: as if nothing had ever happened. But for many years,
• 49:55
  Speaker 1: long after Days and Dan had grown up, every time
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: they thought of there de you, grandmother, they felt the
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: done of their rudeness and cruelty to her. Joyce want
• 50:03
  Speaker 1: the teas out of her rise as she threw her
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: arms around her grandma's neck. I could never treat you
• 50:07
  Speaker 1: liked that, dear Grandma, she cried. Neither could, I said
• 50:11
  Speaker 1: Dan soberly, because on her good night, end of chapter seven.
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: Recording by Rosa Grace Aukland, New Zealand, March twenty nineteen.
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: Chapter eight of A Hive of Busy Bees. This is
• 50:28
  Speaker 1: a libervox recording. All lover box recordings are on the
• 50:30
  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information, AUSO volunteer, please visit loubervox
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: dot org. Recording by Rose of Grace Orkland, New Zealand,
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: March twenty nineteen. A half of busy Bees. But if
• 50:42
  Speaker 1: you may Hintsy Williams, Chapter eight, be gentile In the morning,
• 50:47
  Speaker 1: another letter came from Mother Daddy and I are getting
• 50:49
  Speaker 1: lonesome for you, she wrote. We're having a better time
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: than mother and Daddy are laughed on. If they had
• 50:54
  Speaker 1: come with us to Grandpa's they would not have been
• 50:56
  Speaker 1: so lonesome, would they. Joyce, I should say no, Answeryce.
• 51:00
  Speaker 1: The days go by too fast for that, And besides,
• 51:03
  Speaker 1: something was always happening. If it's nothing else. The old
• 51:06
  Speaker 1: turkey gobbler chases me around the tree. Don and Grandma
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: laughed heartily, and Joyce doing it. Grandma had promised to
• 51:12
  Speaker 1: make some cookies this morning, so with Joyce on one side
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: of her and Don on the other, she mixed up
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: the dough and rolled it out on the large board.
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: Then she got some cutters from the pantry and cut
• 51:22
  Speaker 1: out the cookies and all sorts of shapes. There were
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: different kinds of animals, a bird for Joyce and a
• 51:27
  Speaker 1: queer little man for Don. His eyes, nose, and mouth
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: were made out of raisins, also the buttons on his vest.
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: Then she put the cookies in the oven to bake.
• 51:36
  Speaker 1: When they were done, and Grandma took him out, Joyce's
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: bird stuck to the pan and its tail came off,
• 51:40
  Speaker 1: and Don's man had grown so fat that he had
• 51:42
  Speaker 1: burst one of the buttons off his vest. A long
• 51:45
  Speaker 1: time ago, when the children's mother had been Grandma's little girl,
• 51:48
  Speaker 1: she had lived on this very farm. In those far
• 51:51
  Speaker 1: off days, she had planted a lilac bush and a
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: cluster of prickly pear. Grandpa did not like the prickly pear,
• 51:57
  Speaker 1: but he had let it grow all these years because
• 51:59
  Speaker 1: his little girl had planted it isn't the grass nice
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: and soft, Tea, said Don. It feels just like a
• 52:04
  Speaker 1: velvet carpet. Watch me turn somersaults on it. With that,
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: he began to turn somersaults, going in the direction of
• 52:10
  Speaker 1: the prickly pear. Joyce called him to be careful, but
• 52:13
  Speaker 1: it was too late. He came down right in the
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: middle of the captus plant. The long thorns peaced to
• 52:18
  Speaker 1: night sharp needles, and although he tried to be brave,
• 52:20
  Speaker 1: he could not keep back the tears. There was nothing
• 52:23
  Speaker 1: to do but pull out the thorns one by one,
• 52:25
  Speaker 1: and it took Grandma quite a while to do that.
• 52:28
  Speaker 1: And although Don turned many somersaults afterward, he was always
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: careful to keep away from the prickly pear. When story
• 52:35
  Speaker 1: time came, Grandma, gently rocking back and forth, began, I
• 52:38
  Speaker 1: shall tell you tonight about a bee that is very
• 52:40
  Speaker 1: necessary to have him home, and it is also very
• 52:43
  Speaker 1: much needed by those who have anything to do with animals.
• 52:47
  Speaker 1: Its name is bee. Gentle. Have you ever noticed how
• 52:50
  Speaker 1: gentile Grandpa is with all his animals. Yes, I have
• 52:53
  Speaker 1: noticed it, said Joyce. And the horse was loving for
• 52:55
  Speaker 1: it too. Whenever he goes to the pastures, they trot
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: up to him and begin to knows about his pockets.
• 53:01
  Speaker 1: He usually carried something in his pockets to give them,
• 53:03
  Speaker 1: said Granma. He has raised all his horses from little colts,
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: and he has always treated them kindly. Some men think
• 53:09
  Speaker 1: they must treat animals roughly to make them obey, but
• 53:11
  Speaker 1: that is not some Jake and Jeannie were a brother
• 53:15
  Speaker 1: and sister who loved each other dearly, but they were
• 53:17
  Speaker 1: quite different in disposition. All the animals about the place
• 53:21
  Speaker 1: were afraid of Jake, for he treated them roughly and
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: sometimes beat them. But they loved Jenny because she was
• 53:26
  Speaker 1: gentle with them. The dog would follow her about, and
• 53:29
  Speaker 1: the cat would curl up on her lap and pert
• 53:30
  Speaker 1: south to sleep. When she went to the pasture, the
• 53:33
  Speaker 1: horses would trot up to her and rub their noses
• 53:35
  Speaker 1: on her shoulder. She often gave them lumps of sugar
• 53:38
  Speaker 1: or other dainties that horses like. No matter how wild
• 53:41
  Speaker 1: or shy they were with others, Jenny could always catch
• 53:43
  Speaker 1: them easily. Of all the horses in her father's pasture,
• 53:47
  Speaker 1: Jennie loved beast, a beautiful swift foot of mere called Fanny.
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: Sometimes she would ride about the country on Fanny's back.
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: But as gentle as the mayor was with Jenny, she
• 53:55
  Speaker 1: was afraid of Jake and would not let him catch
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: her in the pasture would be much better, Jenny would
• 54:01
  Speaker 1: often say to her brother, if you would not treat
• 54:03
  Speaker 1: the animals so roughly, see how easily I hand off Fanny,
• 54:06
  Speaker 1: just because I am always gentle with her. Oh, Jake
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: would answer with a laugh. That is all right for
• 54:11
  Speaker 1: a woman, Jenny, but a man, you know, must show
• 54:14
  Speaker 1: his authority. Very early one morning, Jakee's father came into
• 54:17
  Speaker 1: his room. Jake, he said, shaking the boy, wake up, son,
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: Mother was taken very ill in the night. Catch Fanny
• 54:23
  Speaker 1: and go for the doctor as quickly as you can.
• 54:25
  Speaker 1: The hired man was sleeping in the next room, and
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: he heard what Jade's father said. He also got up
• 54:30
  Speaker 1: and dressed and hurried out to the pastor to help
• 54:32
  Speaker 1: Jake catch the mayor. The two were gone quite a while.
• 54:35
  Speaker 1: At last they came back to the house and Jake said,
• 54:37
  Speaker 1: I can't catch Fanny, father, she has jumped the ditch
• 54:40
  Speaker 1: a dozen times. What should I do? Try again? Said
• 54:43
  Speaker 1: his father. I can't leave mother long enough to go
• 54:45
  Speaker 1: to the pasture, and she must have helped soon. Just
• 54:48
  Speaker 1: then Jenny came in. I will catch Fanny for you, father,
• 54:50
  Speaker 1: she said, and hurried out to the pasture. Fanny, Oh Fanny,
• 54:54
  Speaker 1: she called, and the beautiful creature turned her head and
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: trotted toward her. But an instant later, to Jenny's surprise,
• 55:00
  Speaker 1: she galloped away across the field. Glancing behind her, Jenny
• 55:03
  Speaker 1: saw Jake and the hydeman coming up the lane. She says,
• 55:05
  Speaker 1: you come, and called Jenny. That's why she won't let
• 55:07
  Speaker 1: me catch her. Go back to the house and wait,
• 55:09
  Speaker 1: I'll bring her to you. Jake and the man went back,
• 55:12
  Speaker 1: and Jenny went further onto the past to corner Fanny,
• 55:15
  Speaker 1: Oh Fanny. Instantly, the may turned and trotted toward her.
• 55:19
  Speaker 1: She came close, and when Jenny gave for a lump
• 55:20
  Speaker 1: of sugars, she rubbed her nose against the little girl's shoulder. Quickly,
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: she put the bridle on the men and led her
• 55:25
  Speaker 1: through the lane to the barn. Then she harnessed her
• 55:27
  Speaker 1: and hutched her to the bug and called to Jake.
• 55:30
  Speaker 1: The boy hurried out, looking rather pale and worried, and
• 55:32
  Speaker 1: as he stepped onto the baggy, Jenny stroked to me's neck,
• 55:34
  Speaker 1: saying gently, Now go along, do you, Fanny, and do
• 55:37
  Speaker 1: your beast for mother. Fanny rubbed her nose against Jenny's
• 55:40
  Speaker 1: shoulder again, as of to say, I will little must,
• 55:43
  Speaker 1: just you may depend on me. Then, as Jake lifted
• 55:45
  Speaker 1: the rain, she trotted down the rider at a rapid gate.
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: Jake found the doctor just sitting down to breakfast. When
• 55:51
  Speaker 1: he heard the boy's story, he did not stop to week.
• 55:53
  Speaker 1: He rode right back with Jake, and and a short
• 55:55
  Speaker 1: time he was at the mother's bedside. She was indeed
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: very well. If I had been a little later, said
• 56:00
  Speaker 1: the doctor in a low tone, I could have done
• 56:02
  Speaker 1: nothing for her at all. When Jake heard that, he
• 56:05
  Speaker 1: went into the kitchen, sank down on a chair, and
• 56:07
  Speaker 1: leaning his head on the table, he sobbed like a child.
• 56:10
  Speaker 1: Jenny found him there a little later. She stood there
• 56:12
  Speaker 1: beside him, gently stroking his hair. Jake, she said, at last,
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: very softly, don't cry any more, because God was very
• 56:18
  Speaker 1: kind to us and didn't yet it happen. But just
• 56:21
  Speaker 1: think what might have been if I hadn't been able
• 56:22
  Speaker 1: to catch Fanny this morning. Don't you think it would
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: pay to always be kind to the animals. Jake nodded,
• 56:28
  Speaker 1: he could not trust himself to speak. The sting of
• 56:30
  Speaker 1: little bee Gentle went very deep. Never again was Jake
• 56:34
  Speaker 1: crawl to animals. He tried hard to make friends with Fanny,
• 56:36
  Speaker 1: but she would have nothing to do with him. She
• 56:38
  Speaker 1: remembered how roughly he had treated her in the past,
• 56:41
  Speaker 1: being only a horse. She did not understand that he
• 56:43
  Speaker 1: never would do so again. How glad Genny must have
• 56:46
  Speaker 1: been so joyce that she had treated Fanny kindly because
• 56:49
  Speaker 1: Fanny brought the doctor. The doctor saved her mother's life,
• 56:52
  Speaker 1: and besides edded graanma softly. People are always glad when
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: they know they have done right. End of chapter eight.
• 56:59
  Speaker 1: Recorded by Rosa Grace Auckland, New Zealand, March twenty nineteen.
• 57:09
  Speaker 1: Chapter nine of A Hive of Busy Bees. This is
• 57:11
  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 57:15
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 57:20
  Speaker 1: Recording by Rosa Grace Auckland, New Zealand, May twenty nineteen,
• 57:25
  Speaker 1: A five of busy bees. But if you may, Hency Williams,
• 57:28
  Speaker 1: Chapter nine, be helpful. What are you going to do
• 57:32
  Speaker 1: with that row passed on as Grandpa came from the
• 57:34
  Speaker 1: shed with a coil of rope on his arm. Come
• 57:37
  Speaker 1: with me and you will find out, answered Grandpa, and
• 57:39
  Speaker 1: you may call Joyce two if you wish. Don ran
• 57:42
  Speaker 1: to the house to get Joyce, and soon the two
• 57:44
  Speaker 1: came back together. They followed Grandpa down the lane toward
• 57:47
  Speaker 1: the pasta where he kept as pigs. The children kept
• 57:50
  Speaker 1: asking her what he intended to do, but he would
• 57:52
  Speaker 1: only answer, wait and see. Grandpa had a good many
• 57:56
  Speaker 1: growing hogs and ten little pigs. He opened the pasta
• 57:59
  Speaker 1: gate and called to then, and they all came out
• 58:01
  Speaker 1: into the lane, grunting and squealing. Then he coached them
• 58:04
  Speaker 1: toward the pigpen that he had been building. He closed
• 58:07
  Speaker 1: the gate, and, turning to the children, said now if
• 58:09
  Speaker 1: you watch me, you will see what I intend to
• 58:11
  Speaker 1: do with the rope. When the children were both safe
• 58:14
  Speaker 1: on the other side of the fence, Grandpa climbed into
• 58:16
  Speaker 1: the pig pen and coiled the rope a number of
• 58:18
  Speaker 1: times in his hands. Then he cast it from him
• 58:21
  Speaker 1: and it fell over one of the little pigs. He
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: drive it in and the pig was caught. Then he
• 58:25
  Speaker 1: lifted him and placed him in the pen. How the
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: little fellow squealed, and how hard the old hogs tried
• 58:30
  Speaker 1: to get to him. Some of the larger ones started
• 58:32
  Speaker 1: toward the fence, where Don and Joyce were perched on posts.
• 58:35
  Speaker 1: Grandpa laughed to see how quickly the children scrambled down. Now,
• 58:39
  Speaker 1: said Grandpa, you see why I wanted the fence between
• 58:41
  Speaker 1: you and those hogs, don't you If they could get
• 58:44
  Speaker 1: to you, they might tear you in pieces, for they
• 58:46
  Speaker 1: want to take care of the little pigs. Grandpa coiled
• 58:49
  Speaker 1: the rope again, caught another of the little pigs, and
• 58:52
  Speaker 1: then another and another, until all ten of them were
• 58:55
  Speaker 1: in the pen. Then he opened the gate and turned
• 58:57
  Speaker 1: the others back into the pasture. Grandpa, I had caught
• 59:00
  Speaker 1: the pigs so easily only once or twice had he
• 59:03
  Speaker 1: had to try a second time. I don't see how
• 59:05
  Speaker 1: you could catch them when they are running away from you,
• 59:07
  Speaker 1: said Don. I couldn't catch them if they were standing still.
• 59:11
  Speaker 1: Perhaps not, said Grandpa. But I can catch you if
• 59:14
  Speaker 1: you try to get away from me. Just try it.
• 59:17
  Speaker 1: At that Don began to run as fast as he could,
• 59:19
  Speaker 1: but he had not gone far when he felt the
• 59:21
  Speaker 1: rope slip over his shoulders and heels lifted off his feet.
• 59:24
  Speaker 1: What's fun, shouted Joyce. Now try it on me. Grandpa
• 59:27
  Speaker 1: spent quite a while, catching first one and then the other.
• 59:30
  Speaker 1: Joyce was the hardest to catch, for after a few times,
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: she learned how to dodge the rope. Why did you
• 59:35
  Speaker 1: put those little pigs in the pen, asked Don, following
• 59:38
  Speaker 1: close at his heels. They you getting in the corn field,
• 59:41
  Speaker 1: answered Grandpa, and eating too much of my corn. But
• 59:44
  Speaker 1: can't you keep them out, asked Don. No, said Grandpa,
• 59:47
  Speaker 1: for when I mend one place in the fence, the
• 59:49
  Speaker 1: little pigs are sure to find another place big enough
• 59:51
  Speaker 1: to squeeze through. So the only way I can keep
• 59:53
  Speaker 1: the mouth is to pin them up. Don you may
• 59:56
  Speaker 1: carry water for the little pigs, and they will need
• 59:58
  Speaker 1: plenty too, because it is so warm. That pleased On,
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 1: and he began at once to fold the trough which
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 1: Grandpa had placed in the pen. That evening, Grandpa and
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 1: Grandma and the children sat on the porch listening to
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 1: the chirp of the katy DIDs and the call of
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 1: the whipper walls. Grandma said, Don, what kind of bee
• 1:00:15
  Speaker 1: will you tell us about? To night? Be sleepy and
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 1: go to bed, said Grandpa, with a wink at Grandma.
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 1: The children laughed, No, said don I don't want to
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 1: hear about that bee. Not yet. All right, said Grandma.
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 1: We'll have our story first, but we must begin right away,
• 1:00:29
  Speaker 1: because it was almost bedtime. The bee I am thinking
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 1: about to night comes often to us, all especially to
• 1:00:34
  Speaker 1: little children. Once there was a boy named Alfred who
• 1:00:38
  Speaker 1: was the only child in his home. He was very
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 1: selfish and often he was determined to have his own way,
• 1:00:43
  Speaker 1: but he had his good points too. Alfred lived in
• 1:00:46
  Speaker 1: the country and during the Christmas holidays he visited a
• 1:00:49
  Speaker 1: friend of his who lived in the city. Then his
• 1:00:51
  Speaker 1: friend in turn visited him during the summer vacation. As
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 1: soon as his company came, Alfred thought it was quite
• 1:00:58
  Speaker 1: too much for his mother to ask him to how
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 1: he forgot how very well she had been and how
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: frail she still was. Indeed, it was hard for him
• 1:01:05
  Speaker 1: to think of anything but having a good time with
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 1: his friend. The two boys had planned to spend a
• 1:01:10
  Speaker 1: certain day at the creek fishing. Of course, they were
• 1:01:13
  Speaker 1: eager to start as early as they could. That morning,
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 1: after they had gathered together everything that they needed for
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 1: their trip. They went out to the kitchen and found
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: Alfred's mother packing a lunch for them. Alfred, she said,
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 1: I wish you would help me a little with the
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 1: work before you go. I am afraid that I shall
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 1: not be able to do it all alone. Would you
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: mind stopping long enough to wash the dishes and clean
• 1:01:32
  Speaker 1: up the kitchen for me. Alfred began to pout, but
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: his mother continued, I really wish you were not going
• 1:01:38
  Speaker 1: fishing to day. Your father will be away all day,
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 1: and I would rather not be left alone, for I
• 1:01:42
  Speaker 1: do not feel as well as usual. But I will
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 1: not keep you if you'll wash the dishes before you go, now, mother,
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 1: said Alfred angrily. Why you ask me to do that
• 1:01:51
  Speaker 1: when you know I want to get started early. If
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 1: I have to wait half the day, I don't care
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 1: to go at all. Just then the bee began to
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 1: bouzz about our freadzeas help your mother, Help your mother,
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 1: it said, but Alfred did not pay any attention. Let
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 1: the dishes go, he cried, I don't care whether they
• 1:02:07
  Speaker 1: are either washed or not, and picking up the lunch,
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 1: which his mother had packed so nicely for him, he
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: started toward the creek. He did not even look back
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 1: to say good bye. The boys found fishing very good
• 1:02:18
  Speaker 1: that day. They caught a fine string of trout ate
• 1:02:20
  Speaker 1: their lunch, and in the middle of the afternoon, we're
• 1:02:22
  Speaker 1: ready to start for home. Alfred was much pleased with
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 1: the ketch, and on the way home he said, over
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 1: and over, won't mother be glad we went fishing to
• 1:02:30
  Speaker 1: day when she sees our string of trout? She is
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: so fond of trout. But even while he was saying it,
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 1: he could not forget the tired look on his mother's face,
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 1: was a hurt look in her eyes when he had
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 1: refused to wash the dishes for her. When the boys
• 1:02:42
  Speaker 1: reached the house, it seemed strangely quiet. They found the
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 1: dishes cleared away and the kitchen neatly swept. Alfred's mother
• 1:02:49
  Speaker 1: was lying on the couch, and she seemed to be
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 1: resting very comfortably. See mother said Alfred, isn't this a
• 1:02:54
  Speaker 1: nice string of trout? But mother did not answer. Alfred
• 1:02:57
  Speaker 1: spoke to her again, still no answer. He touched her
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 1: hand then and found a icy cold. Then the awful
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 1: truth dawned upon him. His mother was dead. She had
• 1:03:06
  Speaker 1: died while he was fishing. But she had done the
• 1:03:08
  Speaker 1: work that she had asked her boy to do all
• 1:03:11
  Speaker 1: his life. Poor Alfred felt the sting of the bee
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 1: that had bounced about him on that summer mornin'. What
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 1: hurt him most deeply was that he would never again
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 1: have a chance to help his fur little mother, who
• 1:03:20
  Speaker 1: had done so much for him. I'm so glad, said Joyce,
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 1: that I still have my mother and that I can
• 1:03:25
  Speaker 1: do things for her when she is tired. It's a
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 1: sad story, ran mascied little Don, But I'm glad he
• 1:03:31
  Speaker 1: told it to us. I'm going to remember it always.
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 1: End of chapter nine. Recording by Rosa Grace Auckland, New Zealand,
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 1: May two thousand and nineteen. Chapter ten of A half
• 1:03:47
  Speaker 1: of Busy Bees. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
• 1:03:50
  Speaker 1: recordings are in the public domain. For more information, ought
• 1:03:54
  Speaker 1: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Rosa
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 1: Grace Aukland, New Zealand, July two thousand, nineteen, A half
• 1:04:02
  Speaker 1: of Busy Bees. But if you may, Hancy Williams, Chapter ten,
• 1:04:06
  Speaker 1: be Grateful, Another morning came to the farm, another day
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 1: for the children to roam about the fields and enjoy
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 1: themselves and God's big free out of doors. How much
• 1:04:16
  Speaker 1: more pleasant than happened to play in their own yard
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 1: on the city these hot summer days. In that long
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: ago time, when the children's mother had lived on the farm,
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 1: Grandpa had given her a pony of her own to
• 1:04:26
  Speaker 1: ride a school in the village. Old Need was still
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 1: on the place. Grandpa was always ready to saddle and
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 1: bridle him whenever the children wished to go for a ride.
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 1: To day, as the children wandered to the back of
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 1: the orchard, wishing for something to do, Need stood on
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 1: the other side of the fence and maid at them.
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 1: That gave Don an idea. Oh, Joyce, he cried, Let's
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 1: ride Ned around in the pasture without a saddle, exclaimed Joyce.
• 1:04:49
  Speaker 1: Of course, answered Don in his most grown up tone,
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 1: Why not, all right, said Joys a little doubtfully. They
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: went out through the bar locks, leaving the gate open
• 1:04:59
  Speaker 1: behind them, Then letting down the bars. They soon found
• 1:05:01
  Speaker 1: themselves in the pasture. Joyce led old Ned to the fence,
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: holding to his mane. She climbed upon the fence and
• 1:05:08
  Speaker 1: then on to the horse's back. John quickly climbed on
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 1: behind her. In his younger days, Ned had been taught
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 1: a number of tricks which he still remembered. He would
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: shake hands and nod his head and ride up the steps,
• 1:05:19
  Speaker 1: and when a rider was on his back, if he
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 1: gripped his knees and Ned's side, the old horse would
• 1:05:23
  Speaker 1: gallop away as fast as he could. Always, before this,
• 1:05:27
  Speaker 1: the children had ridden with the saddle, and so they
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 1: had never had to hold fast with their knees. But
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 1: to day Joyce knew she would have to hold on tightly,
• 1:05:34
  Speaker 1: so she pressed her knees hard against Old Ned's sides.
• 1:05:37
  Speaker 1: Instantly he started to gallop across the pasture. He went
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 1: up the lane, through the open gate, into the bar lot,
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 1: and on to the watering trough. Joyce still held to
• 1:05:44
  Speaker 1: his mane with all her might, gripping him tightly with
• 1:05:47
  Speaker 1: their knees. Don bounced up and down behind her with
• 1:05:49
  Speaker 1: his arms about her waist. When Ned reached the watering trough,
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 1: he stopped suddenly. He lowered his head, and both children
• 1:05:55
  Speaker 1: slipped off into the trough was about half full of water,
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 1: and Joyce fell on face downward. Such sputtering, puffing, and
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 1: blowing as they scrambled out of the trough, and there
• 1:06:04
  Speaker 1: stood Old Ned looking at them as if to say,
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 1: how did you like your bath? Grandpa came hurrying up
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 1: to see if they were hurt. He told him that
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 1: Old Need was only doing as he had been taught
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 1: when he was a colt, and that they could not
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 1: expect him to do otherwise, as they rode him like that.
• 1:06:19
  Speaker 1: That evening, as twilight set her down, Grandpa and Grandma
• 1:06:22
  Speaker 1: and the children sat on the porch and listened to
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 1: the lonely call of a whipplewall from the neighboring woods.
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 1: I see the big beer, said Don, and the little
• 1:06:29
  Speaker 1: bee too. What is the Milky Way, Grandma asked Joyce.
• 1:06:33
  Speaker 1: When men look through their telescopes they find millions of
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 1: stars so close together and so far away that not
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 1: one star can be seen by the naked eye. The
• 1:06:41
  Speaker 1: Indians used to say was the path which all Indians
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 1: must travel after they died to reach their happy hunting grounds.
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 1: See how bright the stars are in the dipper, exclaimed Don.
• 1:06:51
  Speaker 1: When I was just a little girl, said Grandma, I
• 1:06:54
  Speaker 1: learned a rhyme about the Milky Way. The man in
• 1:06:56
  Speaker 1: the moon that sails through the sky is known as
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 1: a gay old scupper but he made a mistake when
• 1:07:01
  Speaker 1: he tried to take a drink of milk from the dipper.
• 1:07:04
  Speaker 1: He dipped it into the milky way, and was just
• 1:07:06
  Speaker 1: prepared to drink it when the big beer growled and
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 1: the little beer growled, and it scared him so that
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 1: he spoiled it. The children liked the queer little rime
• 1:07:13
  Speaker 1: and seed it over until they knew it by heart.
• 1:07:16
  Speaker 1: At last, Grandpa said, I guess it's about time to
• 1:07:18
  Speaker 1: turn on for to night. Oh know, said don not, so,
• 1:07:21
  Speaker 1: Grandma tells us our story, all right, said Grandma, I
• 1:07:25
  Speaker 1: shall tell you this time about a little bee called
• 1:07:27
  Speaker 1: bee Grateful. It has a very sharp sting. As you
• 1:07:30
  Speaker 1: will see far away under sunny Italian skies, there was
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 1: an old old town by the name of Actree. It
• 1:07:36
  Speaker 1: was bolt on the side of a steep hole. A
• 1:07:39
  Speaker 1: very long time ago, the King of Atrey bought a
• 1:07:41
  Speaker 1: great golden toned bell and hung it on the tower
• 1:07:44
  Speaker 1: at the market place. Fastened to the bell, there was
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 1: a long rope that reached almost to the ground. We
• 1:07:50
  Speaker 1: shall call it the bell of Justice, said the king.
• 1:07:52
  Speaker 1: He proclaimed a great holiday in Atrey and invited every
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 1: one to come to the market place and see the bell.
• 1:07:58
  Speaker 1: It shone like gold in the bright sunlight. When the
• 1:08:00
  Speaker 1: King came riding down the street, the people whispered to
• 1:08:03
  Speaker 1: one another, perhaps he will ring the bell, but he
• 1:08:05
  Speaker 1: did not. Instead, he stopped at the foot of the
• 1:08:07
  Speaker 1: tower and raised his hand. All the whispering and talking stopped,
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 1: for the people knew that the King was about to speak.
• 1:08:14
  Speaker 1: My good people, He said, this bow belongs to you.
• 1:08:17
  Speaker 1: No one must ever pull the rope unless he is
• 1:08:19
  Speaker 1: in trouble. But if any one of you, man, woman
• 1:08:22
  Speaker 1: or child is ever treated unjustly, you may come to
• 1:08:25
  Speaker 1: the market place and ring the bell. The judges will
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 1: come together and listen to your story, and the one
• 1:08:30
  Speaker 1: who has done wrong will be punished, whoever he may be.
• 1:08:33
  Speaker 1: That is why this is called the Bell of justice.
• 1:08:37
  Speaker 1: Year after year passed by, and the great bough still
• 1:08:39
  Speaker 1: hung in the tower. Many people who were in trouble
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 1: had rung the bell, and in every case the judges
• 1:08:44
  Speaker 1: had been perfectly fair and had punished the one who
• 1:08:47
  Speaker 1: had done wrong. The rope had hung there so long
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 1: in the sun and rain, and had been pulled by
• 1:08:51
  Speaker 1: so many hands that it was almost worn out. Some
• 1:08:54
  Speaker 1: of the strands were untwisted, and it had grown shorter
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 1: and short, until only the tallest man or woman could
• 1:08:59
  Speaker 1: reach it. We must have a new rope, said the
• 1:09:01
  Speaker 1: judges at last. If a little child should be wrong
• 1:09:04
  Speaker 1: he could not reach high enough to ring the bell,
• 1:09:06
  Speaker 1: that would never do. At once, the people of Battery
• 1:09:09
  Speaker 1: set about to look for a new rope, but there
• 1:09:11
  Speaker 1: was none to be found in all the town of Atrey.
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 1: They would have to send some one to a country
• 1:09:15
  Speaker 1: across the mountains to get the rope. But that will
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 1: take quite a while, and what should they do. While
• 1:09:20
  Speaker 1: they were waiting, one man thought of a plan. He
• 1:09:22
  Speaker 1: ran to his vineyard and came back with a grape vine.
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 1: Then he tied the vine to the rope. There he said,
• 1:09:28
  Speaker 1: the smallest child will be able to reach it now
• 1:09:30
  Speaker 1: and ring the bell. For the vine was its leeds
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 1: and little tendrils trailed on the ground. The judges were pleased. Yes,
• 1:09:37
  Speaker 1: they said, that will do very well until we can
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 1: get a new rope from the country beyond the mountains,
• 1:09:42
  Speaker 1: near the village of Atrey. Higher up on the whole side,
• 1:09:45
  Speaker 1: there lived an old soldier. When he was a young man,
• 1:09:47
  Speaker 1: he had traveled in far distant countries, and had fought
• 1:09:49
  Speaker 1: in many wars, And he was so brave that his
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 1: king had made him a knight. He had had one
• 1:09:54
  Speaker 1: trill and faithful friend all through those hard and dangerous years.
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 1: It was his horse. Many time, the brave steed had
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 1: saved his master's life. But now that the night was
• 1:10:04
  Speaker 1: an old man, he no longer wished to do brave deeds.
• 1:10:07
  Speaker 1: He cared now for only one thing, gold, gold, gold.
• 1:10:11
  Speaker 1: He was a miser. One day, as he passed his bend,
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 1: he looked in and saw his faithful horse standing in
• 1:10:17
  Speaker 1: his store. The poor creature looked almost starved. Why should
• 1:10:21
  Speaker 1: I keep that lazy beasting you longer, said the miser
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 1: to himself. His food costs more money than he is worth.
• 1:10:26
  Speaker 1: I know what I will do. I will turn him
• 1:10:28
  Speaker 1: out on the whole side and let him find his
• 1:10:30
  Speaker 1: own food. If he starves to death, why he'll be
• 1:10:33
  Speaker 1: out of the way. So the brave old horse was
• 1:10:36
  Speaker 1: turned out to graze as best he could on the
• 1:10:38
  Speaker 1: rocky hill side. He was sick and lame, and he
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 1: grew thinny every day, for all he could find was
• 1:10:43
  Speaker 1: a tiny patch of grass or a thistle. Now and
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 1: then the village dogs barked at him and bit at
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 1: his heels, and naughty boys threw stones at him. One
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 1: hot afternoon, the old horse limped into the market place
• 1:10:54
  Speaker 1: of Attory. No one was about the streets, for the
• 1:10:56
  Speaker 1: people were trying to keep as call as they could
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 1: in the shelter of their homes. As the horse went
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 1: picking about, trying to find a few blades of grass,
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 1: suddenly he discovered the long grape vine trailing on the
• 1:11:06
  Speaker 1: ground at the foot of the tower. The leaves were
• 1:11:08
  Speaker 1: still green and tender, for it had been placed their
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 1: only a short time before. The horse did not know
• 1:11:13
  Speaker 1: that the bell would ring if he pulled the vine.
• 1:11:15
  Speaker 1: He only knew that here was a juicy bit of
• 1:11:17
  Speaker 1: dinner for him, and he was hungry. He nibbled at
• 1:11:20
  Speaker 1: the end of the vine, and suddenly, far up on
• 1:11:22
  Speaker 1: the bowery, the huge bough began to swing back and
• 1:11:24
  Speaker 1: forth from its great throat. Golden music floated down over
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 1: the town of Battery. It seemed to be saying, some
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 1: one has done me wrong. Ding Dong, Ding dong. The
• 1:11:36
  Speaker 1: judges put on their robes and hurried out of their
• 1:11:38
  Speaker 1: cool homes into the hot streets of the village. Who
• 1:11:41
  Speaker 1: was in trouble, they wondered. When they reached the market place,
• 1:11:44
  Speaker 1: no one was there, but they saw the starving old
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 1: horse nibbling at the tender grapevine. Ho Ho, cried one.
• 1:11:50
  Speaker 1: This is the miser's brave old steed. He rings the
• 1:11:53
  Speaker 1: bell to plead for justice, and justice he shall have
• 1:11:56
  Speaker 1: cried another. See how thin he is, said the lad
• 1:11:58
  Speaker 1: with a kind heart. By this time many people had
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 1: gathered in the market place. When they saw the old horse,
• 1:12:04
  Speaker 1: a murmur of astonishment swept through the crowd. The miser
• 1:12:07
  Speaker 1: steed cried one to another. He has waited long, but
• 1:12:10
  Speaker 1: he shall have justice to day. I have seen the
• 1:12:13
  Speaker 1: old horse wandering on the whole side, day after day,
• 1:12:15
  Speaker 1: in search of food, said an old man. And while
• 1:12:17
  Speaker 1: the noble steed has no shelters at his neighbor, his
• 1:12:20
  Speaker 1: master sits at home counting his gold. Bring his master
• 1:12:24
  Speaker 1: to us, cried the judges sternly, And so they brought him.
• 1:12:27
  Speaker 1: In silence, he waited to hear what the judges would say.
• 1:12:30
  Speaker 1: This brave steed of yours, they said, has served you
• 1:12:33
  Speaker 1: faithfully for many a long year. He has saved your
• 1:12:36
  Speaker 1: life in times of danger. He has helped you to
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 1: hold your bags of gold. Therefore, hear your sentence, O miser,
• 1:12:42
  Speaker 1: half your gold shall be taken from you and used
• 1:12:44
  Speaker 1: to buy food and shelter for your faithful horse. The
• 1:12:47
  Speaker 1: miser hung his head and made him sad to lose
• 1:12:50
  Speaker 1: his gold. But the people laughed and shouted as the
• 1:12:52
  Speaker 1: old horse was led away to a comfortable stall and
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 1: a dinner fit for the steed of a king. Hooray,
• 1:12:57
  Speaker 1: cried Don, good for the brave old horse. Grandpa, I'm
• 1:13:01
  Speaker 1: so glad you weren't a miser who was thinking of
• 1:13:03
  Speaker 1: old need. With a sleek, shining black coat, bedtime, announced
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 1: Grandma as she led the way into the house. Good night, children,
• 1:13:10
  Speaker 1: and happy dreams to you. End of chapter ten. Recording
• 1:13:14
  Speaker 1: by Rosa Grace Augland, New Zealand, July two thousand and nineteen,
• 1:13:24
  Speaker 1: Chapter eleven of A half of Busy Bees. This is
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:13:31
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 1: Record him by Rosa Grace Aucland, New Zealand, July two
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 1: thousand and nineteen, A half of Busy Bees. But if
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 1: he may hint Sye Williams chapter eleven, be Lovin. When
• 1:13:45
  Speaker 1: the children ran down to meet the Malman in the morning,
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 1: he handed them another letter from mother. She and Daddy
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 1: were going home next Friday, she said, and they must
• 1:13:53
  Speaker 1: be their Saturday to start school on the following Monday.
• 1:13:56
  Speaker 1: Only three more nights to be here, said Joyce, taking
• 1:13:59
  Speaker 1: the letter m to Graham. I want to go home
• 1:14:01
  Speaker 1: and see mother and Daddy, but I wish I could
• 1:14:03
  Speaker 1: stay on the farm too, And only three more stories
• 1:14:06
  Speaker 1: about bees, added don We must remember them more, Joyce,
• 1:14:09
  Speaker 1: so we can tell them to mother. What do you
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 1: want to do to day, children, asked Grandma. After our
• 1:14:14
  Speaker 1: more than work was done, said Joyce, was her most
• 1:14:16
  Speaker 1: growing up here. We must finish reading the flower bed,
• 1:14:20
  Speaker 1: Grandma called on a little later, Come and see how
• 1:14:23
  Speaker 1: nice it looks where we pulled the weeds yesterday. Grandma
• 1:14:26
  Speaker 1: stood a moment thoughtfully, looking down at the half weeded
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 1: bed of flowers. Children, she said, suddenly, if you wanted
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 1: a flower this morning, where would you pick it? And
• 1:14:34
  Speaker 1: the part of a beard that is full of weeds,
• 1:14:36
  Speaker 1: or on that patch over there that you have weeded
• 1:14:38
  Speaker 1: so nicely. I would pick my flower weed there aren't
• 1:14:41
  Speaker 1: any weeds, answered Don, wondering why, she asked, I will
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 1: take that pretty, big reed one right over there, and
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 1: so would I, declared Joyce, pulling up a stubborn weed.
• 1:14:50
  Speaker 1: But why wouldn't you take this one, said Grandma, as
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 1: she partled the weeds and showed another reed. Beauty well,
• 1:14:56
  Speaker 1: answered Don, I suppose it's just as pretty, but someway
• 1:14:58
  Speaker 1: the weeds make it look had. That's just what I
• 1:15:02
  Speaker 1: was thinking about, said Grandma. I have seen children who
• 1:15:04
  Speaker 1: were like this flower and the weeds. They had beautiful faces,
• 1:15:07
  Speaker 1: but they let the weeds of disobedient, selfishness, deceit and
• 1:15:10
  Speaker 1: pride grow all about them, until you could not see
• 1:15:13
  Speaker 1: their beauty for the ugly weeds. This garden makes me
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 1: think of two cousins that I knew once. One was obedient, unselfish,
• 1:15:20
  Speaker 1: and kind to everybody, and although she did not have
• 1:15:22
  Speaker 1: a beautiful face, she was loved by all who knew her.
• 1:15:25
  Speaker 1: The other girl had a beautiful face, but she had
• 1:15:27
  Speaker 1: such an unlovely disposition that nobody cared for her, and
• 1:15:31
  Speaker 1: so she was left very much to herself. Her beauty,
• 1:15:33
  Speaker 1: like this lovely flower, was quite hidden by the ugly
• 1:15:36
  Speaker 1: weeds growing up all around her. These weeds in the
• 1:15:39
  Speaker 1: flower bed were very small in the beginning, but they
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 1: grow and grow until now they taller than the flowers.
• 1:15:45
  Speaker 1: And the weeds and God's child gardens are small at
• 1:15:47
  Speaker 1: first too. To begin with, there springs up the weed
• 1:15:50
  Speaker 1: of telling a story that is not quite true if
• 1:15:52
  Speaker 1: it is not pulled up at once. Soon it grows
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 1: up into a big, ugly lie weed. Other weeds, disobedient, selfishness,
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 1: and unkindness sprung up around it, And soon the beautiful
• 1:16:02
  Speaker 1: flower was hidden by the tall weeds. And when the
• 1:16:04
  Speaker 1: master of the garden wants a lovely flower child to
• 1:16:06
  Speaker 1: do a kind deed for him, he never thinks of
• 1:16:09
  Speaker 1: choosing one. Letters surrounded by weeds. What a nice story,
• 1:16:12
  Speaker 1: exclaimed Joyce. But it wasn't about a bee, Grandma. Yes
• 1:16:16
  Speaker 1: it was, se don don't be weedy, But there hadn't
• 1:16:19
  Speaker 1: been any don't bees in the stories before, said Joyce. Besides,
• 1:16:23
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't call that don't be weedy. I'd call it
• 1:16:25
  Speaker 1: be clean. That's a good name for routzied. Grandma. I
• 1:16:28
  Speaker 1: hope you'll always keep your lives clean from the weeds
• 1:16:30
  Speaker 1: that children so often allows to grow up around him.
• 1:16:34
  Speaker 1: Grandma went back to the house while the children set
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 1: to work weeding the rest of the flower bed. They
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 1: were very careful not to pull up any of the flowers.
• 1:16:41
  Speaker 1: Was the weeds. When they had furnished the flower bed
• 1:16:43
  Speaker 1: looked beautiful, clear as it was of war weeds and grasses.
• 1:16:47
  Speaker 1: I surely don't want any ugly weeds to grow in
• 1:16:49
  Speaker 1: my garden, so I should always listen to be clean,
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 1: said Joyce softly, as she walked slowly toward the house.
• 1:16:55
  Speaker 1: Will you make us a kite? Grandpa asked on on
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 1: after dinner. Yes do, cried Joyce. I'll be such fun
• 1:17:00
  Speaker 1: to fly it, well, said Grandpa. You children hunt around
• 1:17:04
  Speaker 1: and find some sticks, then ask Grandma for some paper
• 1:17:07
  Speaker 1: and paste and string and bring them out to the
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 1: wood sheet, and I'll try my hand at making a kite.
• 1:17:12
  Speaker 1: After it was mad, they had to let it lie
• 1:17:13
  Speaker 1: in the sun for a while to dry. Then they
• 1:17:15
  Speaker 1: took it out to the pasture. Heals a soft breeze blowing,
• 1:17:18
  Speaker 1: and Grandpa said the kite ought to fly. Don took
• 1:17:21
  Speaker 1: the string and ran along with it for quite a distance.
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 1: The wind lifted it a little, but after it had
• 1:17:25
  Speaker 1: dazzled back and forth, it fell on the ground. This
• 1:17:28
  Speaker 1: happened several times, and last Grandpa said, there's two bad children.
• 1:17:32
  Speaker 1: But my kite won't fly. But I'll see if I
• 1:17:34
  Speaker 1: can make something else for you. Then Grandpa took some
• 1:17:37
  Speaker 1: thin boards and whittled out darts. He took a short
• 1:17:40
  Speaker 1: stick and tied a string to it, and then he
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 1: flitted the string in a notch which he had cut
• 1:17:44
  Speaker 1: on one end of the dart. He threw the dart
• 1:17:46
  Speaker 1: up in the air ever so high came down just
• 1:17:48
  Speaker 1: a few years from Don. The sharp pin stuck fast,
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 1: and there it stood upright on the ground. Don was
• 1:17:54
  Speaker 1: as much pleased with us as he would have been
• 1:17:56
  Speaker 1: with a kite that would fly. Soon. He enjoys were
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 1: shooting darts into the air to see whose would go
• 1:18:01
  Speaker 1: the highest. They had so much fun that the afternoon
• 1:18:04
  Speaker 1: flew by very fast. It was nearly supper time when
• 1:18:06
  Speaker 1: Don gathered up the dubt and took them to the
• 1:18:08
  Speaker 1: house with him. He carefully put them away in the
• 1:18:11
  Speaker 1: little trunks, saying, I'll show the boys how to throw
• 1:18:13
  Speaker 1: darts when I get home. That evening, as they sat
• 1:18:16
  Speaker 1: on the porch in the quiet twilight, they heard the
• 1:18:19
  Speaker 1: faint tinkle of a cow bell in the distance. They
• 1:18:22
  Speaker 1: talked awhile, and then they sang some songs together. It
• 1:18:25
  Speaker 1: story timer, isn't it, said Grandpa By and By? And
• 1:18:27
  Speaker 1: who was going to get stung to night? He asked,
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 1: winking at Joyce. I hope I don't, she laughed, remembering
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 1: the time that bee had stung her on the first
• 1:18:34
  Speaker 1: day of her visit. No one shall be stung to night,
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 1: said Grandma. I have a very sweet little bee to
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 1: tell you about. And because the little girl in my
• 1:18:42
  Speaker 1: story listened towards buzz and made honey for her all
• 1:18:44
  Speaker 1: her life, this name is Bee lover, and it can
• 1:18:47
  Speaker 1: do things that nothing else in the world can do.
• 1:18:50
  Speaker 1: You know, people can sometimes be loved and to doing
• 1:18:52
  Speaker 1: things that they could not be persuaded to do in
• 1:18:54
  Speaker 1: any other way. Jean was a very little girl who
• 1:18:57
  Speaker 1: had been left alone in the world. She had never
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 1: seen her father, and her mother had died when she
• 1:19:01
  Speaker 1: was only two and a half. Some kind people had
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 1: taken care of the little girl when her mother was ill,
• 1:19:07
  Speaker 1: and when she died, they tried to find her relatives
• 1:19:09
  Speaker 1: to ask what should be done with Jean, but they
• 1:19:11
  Speaker 1: could not find any trace of them. When Jean was three,
• 1:19:14
  Speaker 1: these kind people wanted to go away for a couple
• 1:19:16
  Speaker 1: of weeks, and they asked a lady to take care
• 1:19:18
  Speaker 1: of the child while they were gone. The lady was
• 1:19:21
  Speaker 1: very glad to do this, for she loved little children,
• 1:19:23
  Speaker 1: and so Jeane came to stay in the big mansion
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 1: where the lady, her husband, and grown up daughter loved.
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 1: The lady's husband did not like children very well, and
• 1:19:31
  Speaker 1: it always annoyed him whenever little Jean came near him.
• 1:19:34
  Speaker 1: She had a sunny disposition and a very sweet smile,
• 1:19:37
  Speaker 1: and she tried to make friends with the man, but
• 1:19:39
  Speaker 1: he would not pay any attention to her. He always
• 1:19:41
  Speaker 1: read his paper in the morning before he went to work,
• 1:19:44
  Speaker 1: and in the evening after he came home. Little Jean
• 1:19:47
  Speaker 1: would peep up at him under the paper with her
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 1: sweetest smile. He would lay the paper down and walk away,
• 1:19:52
  Speaker 1: but soon he would come back and pick it up
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 1: and begin to read again, and in a moment there
• 1:19:56
  Speaker 1: little Jean would be peeping up at him again with
• 1:19:58
  Speaker 1: her lovely smile. One day, when Jean had been living
• 1:20:01
  Speaker 1: in the home about a week, the man was reading
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 1: his paper and she was peeping under it with her
• 1:20:05
  Speaker 1: usual smile. Suddenly he laid the paper aside and took
• 1:20:08
  Speaker 1: her in his arms. He kissed her on the forehead,
• 1:20:11
  Speaker 1: saying tenderly, it doesn't matter how hard a man tries
• 1:20:13
  Speaker 1: to keep from loving you, You just love your way
• 1:20:16
  Speaker 1: right into his heart. Jeane threw her small arms about
• 1:20:19
  Speaker 1: his neck and laid her curly head on her shoulder, saying,
• 1:20:21
  Speaker 1: in her pretty baby way, Jean wan thooh, big man.
• 1:20:25
  Speaker 1: That completely won his heart. And when the two weeks
• 1:20:28
  Speaker 1: had passed and Jean's friends came after her, he did
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 1: not want to give her up, so he decided to
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 1: keep her and bring her up as if she had
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 1: been his own little girl. This also pleased his wife
• 1:20:37
  Speaker 1: and grown up daughter very much, for they had loved
• 1:20:39
  Speaker 1: little Jean from the beginning. Jean is growing now, but
• 1:20:43
  Speaker 1: she still has the same sunny disposition and the same
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 1: sweet smile, which make her beloved by all who know her.
• 1:20:48
  Speaker 1: Nothing but love could have won for her the beautiful
• 1:20:50
  Speaker 1: home she has had all these years, and to this day,
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 1: be loving is still helping her to win her way
• 1:20:55
  Speaker 1: through life. The greatest victories are always those that are
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 1: one through love. I know someone that I love. Did
• 1:21:01
  Speaker 1: little Don throw his arms around Grandma's neck, So do,
• 1:21:04
  Speaker 1: I said Joyce as she kissed Grandma good night, end
• 1:21:08
  Speaker 1: of chapter eleven. Recording by Rosa Grace Auckland, New Zealand,
• 1:21:12
  Speaker 1: July twenty nineteen. Chapter twelve, O A half of busy Bees.
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 1:21:24
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 1:21:28
  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Rose of Grace Auckland,
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 1: New Zealand, July twenty nineteen. A half of busy bees.
• 1:21:36
  Speaker 1: But if he may Hintsy Williams. Chapter twelve, be content.
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 1: Listen to the modern bird, exclaimed Joyce earlier the next morning.
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 1: It sounds as if he would best his throat. Sometimes
• 1:21:46
  Speaker 1: his song is loud, And then again he whistle softly
• 1:21:48
  Speaker 1: like our canary. As they listened, the bird whistled shrilly
• 1:21:52
  Speaker 1: like the cardinal. Then he trolled like the canary, and
• 1:21:54
  Speaker 1: cheped like the sparrow. He gave a call like the
• 1:21:57
  Speaker 1: hen quails, and sang a song exactly like the song
• 1:22:00
  Speaker 1: of the bluebird. Then he twittered like a number of
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 1: smaller birds. Sang the song of the robin, and came
• 1:22:04
  Speaker 1: back to the whustle of the cardinal. Did you ever
• 1:22:07
  Speaker 1: hear such a wonderful song? Cried Joyce. I could listen
• 1:22:10
  Speaker 1: to him all day long. I like to hear him
• 1:22:13
  Speaker 1: sing in the daytime, too, laughed Grandma. But during the
• 1:22:16
  Speaker 1: night I don't enjoy it so much. Last spring, the
• 1:22:18
  Speaker 1: mockingbirds built their nest in the same tree where that
• 1:22:20
  Speaker 1: little fellow was singing. Now and such music all night long.
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 1: During the time when they were nesting, it was beautiful,
• 1:22:26
  Speaker 1: but it kept me awake many an hour when I
• 1:22:28
  Speaker 1: should have been sleeping. Mockingbirds usually build their nests near
• 1:22:31
  Speaker 1: houses to protect themselves from robbers. Robbers what kind exclaimed
• 1:22:36
  Speaker 1: don sometimes larger birds, and sometimes cats or snakes. You
• 1:22:40
  Speaker 1: can always tell when a robber is about by the
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 1: fuss the old birds make. Last spring, I heard a
• 1:22:45
  Speaker 1: great commotion in that tree, and I went out to
• 1:22:46
  Speaker 1: see what was the trouble. I looked about for quite
• 1:22:49
  Speaker 1: a while before I discovered the nest, and all the
• 1:22:51
  Speaker 1: time the birds were darting here and there and giving
• 1:22:53
  Speaker 1: their sharp little crowds of distress. When at last I
• 1:22:56
  Speaker 1: found the nest, I saw a big black snake crawling
• 1:22:58
  Speaker 1: toward it. I got the garden rake and pulled him
• 1:23:01
  Speaker 1: loose from the lump, and when he fell to the ground,
• 1:23:03
  Speaker 1: I curled the crawl thief. Joyce stepped out into the
• 1:23:06
  Speaker 1: yard to get a better look at the little songster
• 1:23:08
  Speaker 1: as he sat swinging at the top of the old
• 1:23:09
  Speaker 1: apple tree. Just then he flew across the orchard and
• 1:23:12
  Speaker 1: down to the creek, alighting among the willows along the bank.
• 1:23:16
  Speaker 1: That afternoon, the children went to the creek to see
• 1:23:18
  Speaker 1: if there were any water lilies in bloom if they
• 1:23:21
  Speaker 1: needed the clump of willows. Don said, let's be quiet
• 1:23:23
  Speaker 1: and see if we can find the mockingbird. So they
• 1:23:25
  Speaker 1: walked softly and talked and whispers, but they did not
• 1:23:28
  Speaker 1: catch a glimpse of the lovely songster. Suddenly, Don stopped
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 1: and pointed to a big green frog sitting on a
• 1:23:33
  Speaker 1: lily pad in the middle of the creek. Oh, exclaimed Joyce. Instantly,
• 1:23:37
  Speaker 1: there was a splash and the frog was gone. There
• 1:23:40
  Speaker 1: were splashes all around as other frogs disappeared in the water.
• 1:23:43
  Speaker 1: The children had behind the willows and waited quietly for
• 1:23:45
  Speaker 1: some time. Soon they saw a big green fellow swim
• 1:23:48
  Speaker 1: toward the lily pad and climb up on it. Others
• 1:23:51
  Speaker 1: began to swim about in the water, and a number
• 1:23:53
  Speaker 1: of them came out along the bank. Suddenly Joyce caught
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 1: sight of something else, which made him forget the frogs.
• 1:23:59
  Speaker 1: Just beyond the spot where the frog sat, perched on
• 1:24:01
  Speaker 1: a lily pad, there was a lovely water lily in bloom.
• 1:24:04
  Speaker 1: Oh done, she whispered, Do you think we can get it?
• 1:24:07
  Speaker 1: I'd rather have the frog than the lily, answered Don, yes,
• 1:24:11
  Speaker 1: but you can't get him, you know, said Joyce. Will
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 1: you help me to get to the lily. Don nodded
• 1:24:16
  Speaker 1: and came out from behind the willows where he had
• 1:24:18
  Speaker 1: been crouching. Instantly there was another splash and muster frog.
• 1:24:22
  Speaker 1: He was gone, and a moment there was not a
• 1:24:24
  Speaker 1: frog to be seen anywhere. To get the lily, the
• 1:24:26
  Speaker 1: children had to cross the creek and then step out
• 1:24:28
  Speaker 1: on an old log. The creek was so shallow that
• 1:24:31
  Speaker 1: they knew there was no danger of drowning, even if
• 1:24:33
  Speaker 1: they should fall into the water. So Joyce steadied the
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 1: log with her hands while Don stood on it and
• 1:24:38
  Speaker 1: reached for the lily. It took him some time to
• 1:24:40
  Speaker 1: get it, for it had a tough stem which was
• 1:24:42
  Speaker 1: very hard to break. But Joyce was so pleased when
• 1:24:45
  Speaker 1: he handed her the beautiful lily that he felt we
• 1:24:47
  Speaker 1: paid for all his trouble. About three o'clock the children
• 1:24:50
  Speaker 1: found him empty spools and went to the corner of
• 1:24:52
  Speaker 1: the orchard and sat down on the cool shade of
• 1:24:54
  Speaker 1: the lilac bush. Soon they were blowing many colored bubbles
• 1:24:58
  Speaker 1: and flying them in the air. Hebby Grandma's pretty Maltese
• 1:25:01
  Speaker 1: cat lay curled up in the shade. One of Don's
• 1:25:03
  Speaker 1: bubbles lot on her back and then burst by and
• 1:25:06
  Speaker 1: by another lot on her nose and burst immediately. The
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 1: old cat jumped to her feet and began to sneeze.
• 1:25:11
  Speaker 1: Then she sat down and washed her face with her paw,
• 1:25:13
  Speaker 1: as if to say thank you. I'd rather wash my
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 1: face without any soap. That evening, as they sat on
• 1:25:19
  Speaker 1: the porch, joy said a little sadly, I will not
• 1:25:21
  Speaker 1: be long now before we shall hear the noisy street
• 1:25:24
  Speaker 1: cars again instead of the Katie DIDs and whipple wells.
• 1:25:27
  Speaker 1: Only one more night after this and we shall be home, Yes,
• 1:25:30
  Speaker 1: added Don, only two more stories about the bees. He
• 1:25:33
  Speaker 1: clambered up onto the arm of Grandma's rotten chair, while
• 1:25:35
  Speaker 1: Joyce sat down at her feet. Were ready for our story,
• 1:25:39
  Speaker 1: Grandma said, don all right, answered Grandma, I shall tell
• 1:25:42
  Speaker 1: you this time about a little bee called bee content.
• 1:25:45
  Speaker 1: Its fuzzles often heard among children at play when things
• 1:25:48
  Speaker 1: happen that no one can help. Some will not listen
• 1:25:50
  Speaker 1: to it, and so they can plain and make every
• 1:25:52
  Speaker 1: one about them miserable. Willie was a poor boy who
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 1: lived on a farm. Although he had to work hard
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 1: helping his father, who always went about with or singing,
• 1:26:01
  Speaker 1: his clothes were old and patched, and he did not
• 1:26:02
  Speaker 1: have things to play with his other boys have, But
• 1:26:05
  Speaker 1: he did not mind being poor because he had appearents
• 1:26:07
  Speaker 1: he loved him. Dearly one day, when Willie was working
• 1:26:10
  Speaker 1: in the field, he locked up and saw a great
• 1:26:12
  Speaker 1: cloud of dust. A team was running away. The horses
• 1:26:14
  Speaker 1: were hitched to a buggy, and as they came rushing
• 1:26:16
  Speaker 1: toward him, the thought flashed into Willy's mind that he
• 1:26:19
  Speaker 1: must try his best to stop them. A short distance
• 1:26:21
  Speaker 1: down the ride deals of bridge. If the horses should
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 1: run unto the railing, he thought they would tear the
• 1:26:26
  Speaker 1: buggy to pieces and perhaps hurt themselves. The boy leaped
• 1:26:29
  Speaker 1: over the fence and braced himself, and as the horses
• 1:26:31
  Speaker 1: came near, he grabbed one by the bridle and held
• 1:26:34
  Speaker 1: on tightly. This was a very brave thing to do,
• 1:26:36
  Speaker 1: for if he had must catching hold, he might have
• 1:26:38
  Speaker 1: been thrown under the horse's hoofs and trampled to death.
• 1:26:41
  Speaker 1: His white swinging on the horse's bridle soon stopped the team.
• 1:26:44
  Speaker 1: Soon a man came running along the highway, and when
• 1:26:46
  Speaker 1: he learned what Willie had done, he said, you are
• 1:26:49
  Speaker 1: a brave boy. What do I owe you for your trouble?
• 1:26:52
  Speaker 1: Willie smiled his friendly smile as he answered, I did
• 1:26:54
  Speaker 1: not stop the horses for pay, sir. I thought of
• 1:26:57
  Speaker 1: the railing on the bridge, and I was afraid the
• 1:26:58
  Speaker 1: horses would break the buggy and themselves. Noticing that Willie's
• 1:27:02
  Speaker 1: clothes were badly worn, the gentleman said, will you not
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 1: let me give you some money to buy clothes. I
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 1: have a better pair of shoes than these, and a
• 1:27:10
  Speaker 1: better suit of clothes for sundays, answered Willie, and these
• 1:27:13
  Speaker 1: clothes are all right to work on, but you will
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 1: need some new box for school. Thus fall said the gentleman.
• 1:27:18
  Speaker 1: I have some books that were given to me, replied,
• 1:27:20
  Speaker 1: the lad and mother glued and the loose leaves, so
• 1:27:22
  Speaker 1: that I can use them very well. Thank you. Wouldn't
• 1:27:25
  Speaker 1: you like to have a ball in bat? I made
• 1:27:27
  Speaker 1: a ball from some old wall that mother gave me,
• 1:27:29
  Speaker 1: answered Willie, and I will allow to bat, which answers
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 1: the purpose very well. The gentleman laid his hand on
• 1:27:34
  Speaker 1: Willie's shoulders, saying, kindly, my boy, I understand now why
• 1:27:38
  Speaker 1: you have that smile, for you have learned a secret
• 1:27:41
  Speaker 1: which few people know, the secret of contentment. I shall
• 1:27:44
  Speaker 1: have to call you the contented boy, and with that
• 1:27:47
  Speaker 1: he drove away. A few days later, a large box
• 1:27:50
  Speaker 1: came to the village addressed to Willie. The express agent
• 1:27:53
  Speaker 1: sent word out to the farm, and Willie's father drove
• 1:27:55
  Speaker 1: into the village to get it. When Willie opened the box,
• 1:27:58
  Speaker 1: he found a large card lineung on top, on which
• 1:28:00
  Speaker 1: were written words to the contented boy from a grateful
• 1:28:04
  Speaker 1: friend and better. He knew then that the box had
• 1:28:06
  Speaker 1: come from the man whose team he had stopped a
• 1:28:08
  Speaker 1: few days before. It contained a new suit of clothes,
• 1:28:12
  Speaker 1: some shirts, overroll stockings, a warm cap and muttons, and
• 1:28:15
  Speaker 1: a new baseball and bat. When he lifted out the
• 1:28:18
  Speaker 1: overcoat he found in the pockets and discovered a five
• 1:28:20
  Speaker 1: dollar bull. How pleased Willie was as he went back
• 1:28:23
  Speaker 1: to his work in the field, he whistled more cheerily
• 1:28:25
  Speaker 1: than before. But that was not all. At Christmas time,
• 1:28:29
  Speaker 1: a wonderful bicycle came from his new friend. You'll believe
• 1:28:32
  Speaker 1: me when I tell you that he was the happiest
• 1:28:33
  Speaker 1: boy in the country. That's the best story you have
• 1:28:37
  Speaker 1: told us yet, said Don. I think Willy was a
• 1:28:39
  Speaker 1: brave boy, and he deserved everything he got, added Grandma,
• 1:28:43
  Speaker 1: for he had learned the secret of being content with
• 1:28:45
  Speaker 1: a very little en of Chapter twelve. Recording by Rosa
• 1:28:49
  Speaker 1: Grace auc In, New Zealand, July two thousand nineteen. Chapter
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  Speaker 1: thirteen of a Hive of Busy Bees. This is a
• 1:29:00
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:29:04
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:29:08
  Speaker 1: Recording by Rosa Grace Auckland, New Zealand, July two thousand
• 1:29:11
  Speaker 1: and nineteen. I have a busy bee's but if you
• 1:29:14
  Speaker 1: may Heincy Williams, Chapter thirteen, be prayer for another morning
• 1:29:19
  Speaker 1: came the morning of the last day, joycened on with
• 1:29:21
  Speaker 1: to spend on the farm. They followed Graanma about the house,
• 1:29:24
  Speaker 1: eager to do something to help. After the usual work
• 1:29:27
  Speaker 1: was done and they had taken turns at the churning,
• 1:29:30
  Speaker 1: Grandma said she would make cookies to pack in their
• 1:29:32
  Speaker 1: lunch basket the next day. So she gathered together eggs, sugar, flour, milk, butter,
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  Speaker 1: baking powder and spices. Quickly she made the dome, rolled
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  Speaker 1: it out on the board. The children stood close to her,
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  Speaker 1: watching as she cut out the dough in different shapes.
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  Speaker 1: She made quite an army of cooking men, and after
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  Speaker 1: they were baked, she covered them with asen. She made
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  Speaker 1: their rise out of cinnamon. Dropped also the buttons down
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  Speaker 1: their vests. Aren't they lovely? Cried Joyce. Put plenty of
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  Speaker 1: them in our lunch basket to morrow, won't you, Grandma?
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  Speaker 1: Then we can take some home to mother and Daddy. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: said Grandma, And there'll be enough for your little friends too.
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  Speaker 1: In the afternoon, the children's trunk was brought out and
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  Speaker 1: Grandma helped them to pack. There were so many things
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  Speaker 1: they wanted to take home with him that this was
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  Speaker 1: quite a task. At the last moment, just as Grandma
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  Speaker 1: was ready to close the trunk, Don ran and got
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  Speaker 1: the cape that Grandpa had made. Maybe Daddy will know
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  Speaker 1: how to make it fly, he said, But there was
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  Speaker 1: no room for it in the trunk, so he had
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  Speaker 1: to take it back to the wood shed. I can
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  Speaker 1: put it away in a safe place, he said, or
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  Speaker 1: will be waiting for us when we come back next summer.
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  Speaker 1: That evening, the children did all they could to help
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  Speaker 1: Grandpa with the chawes. They gathered the eggs, pumped water,
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  Speaker 1: filed the wood box, and did many other things. You
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  Speaker 1: are certainly fine little help us, said Grandpa when they
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  Speaker 1: had finished. When you get home, added Grandma with a smile.
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  Speaker 1: You must tell mother and Daddy that we need you
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  Speaker 1: to help us on the farm. We will, promised the
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  Speaker 1: children with beaming faces. When they had gathered on the
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  Speaker 1: porch for their last evening together, Joyce stole up to
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  Speaker 1: Grandma's chair and said softly to night, you must tell
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  Speaker 1: us the very best bee story that you know. It
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  Speaker 1: couldn't be better than the one about bee, content, said Don.
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  Speaker 1: I shall tell you about the bee that was perhaps
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  Speaker 1: the most important of all, said Grandma. Thoughtfully. It does
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  Speaker 1: wonderful things for those who listen to it spuzz, but
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  Speaker 1: those who refused to listen are sure to be sorry afterward.
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  Speaker 1: It is called bee prayer, for the children were eager
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  Speaker 1: to hear the story, so Grandma began at once. William
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  Speaker 1: Sutherland was a boy who lived in the state of Maryland.
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  Speaker 1: When he was thirteen years old, he gave his heart
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  Speaker 1: to God and became a Christian. After that, he would
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  Speaker 1: often steal away loone and spend a few minutes talking
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  Speaker 1: to God. When he was fourteen, Willie began to work
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  Speaker 1: in the bank as an errand boy. The banker soon
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  Speaker 1: found that he was honest and trusted him with large
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  Speaker 1: sums of money. One of his errands was to carry
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  Speaker 1: the pay roll to a mulltown several miles away. He
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  Speaker 1: made this trippyly two weeks, and he always set out
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  Speaker 1: in the afternoon and returned the following morning. There were
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  Speaker 1: no automobiles in those days and no good roads. William
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  Speaker 1: had to ride a pony, leaving the main highway and
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  Speaker 1: riding over a trail that had been blazed through the forest.
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  Speaker 1: As he started out one afternoon, his mother said to him, son,
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  Speaker 1: I am afraid to have you carried so much money
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  Speaker 1: over that lonely trail. Oh, there is no reason to worry, mother,
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  Speaker 1: replied the lad cheerfully, as he swung into the saddle.
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  Speaker 1: You know I have always made the trip safely before, yes,
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  Speaker 1: replied the good woman. But I feel fearful to day.
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  Speaker 1: I shall be praying for you while you were on
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  Speaker 1: your way. William waved to her as he turned his
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  Speaker 1: pony about and started on his journey. He had placed
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  Speaker 1: the payroll in his saddle bags, and as he looked
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  Speaker 1: at them, he said to himself, how glad I am
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  Speaker 1: that my master trust me with so much money. He
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  Speaker 1: whistled and saying as he rode along. But as he
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  Speaker 1: neared the lonely forest trail, a strange feeling of fear
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  Speaker 1: came over him. He rained in his pony and sat
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  Speaker 1: still for some time, wondering just what he ought to do.
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  Speaker 1: Then b Prefol began to bulz about his ears. He
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  Speaker 1: had heard its little voice many times before, and he
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  Speaker 1: had learned always to listen and obey. He rode on
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  Speaker 1: to the spot where he must leave the highway and
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  Speaker 1: set out upon the forest trail, And then he slipped
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  Speaker 1: from the saddler and knelt down beside the bushes growing there.
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  Speaker 1: Do you God, he said aloud. I don't know why,
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  Speaker 1: but I feel very much afraid take care of me
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  Speaker 1: as I ride through this lonely place. I believe you will,
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  Speaker 1: because you have written in your book. I will never
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  Speaker 1: leave thee, nor forsakeet thee. And as William n owt
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  Speaker 1: there alone with God, all feeling of fear mounted away.
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  Speaker 1: He arose, mounted his pony, and rode on with a
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  Speaker 1: light heart. The millmen knew he was coming, for they
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  Speaker 1: could hear his cheerful whistle before his pony came into view.
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  Speaker 1: He gave the payroll to the foreman, spent the night
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  Speaker 1: in the little town, and the next mornoon returned safely
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  Speaker 1: to his home. His mother met him at the door. Son.
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  Speaker 1: She said, something peculiar happened to me yesterday while you
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  Speaker 1: were away. I was very busy, but a little boy
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  Speaker 1: seemed to tell me that I ought to stop my
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  Speaker 1: work and pray for you. I felt that you were
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  Speaker 1: in danger and that I should ask God to keep
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  Speaker 1: you safe. So I laid my work aside, went into
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  Speaker 1: my room and knelt down and stayed there until I
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  Speaker 1: as sure that you were quite safe. Then William told
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  Speaker 1: her how he had felt just before he reached the
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  Speaker 1: lonely forest trail, and how he had knelt down among
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  Speaker 1: the bushes and asked God to protect him. After that,
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  Speaker 1: they often talked about the strange happening and wondered what
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  Speaker 1: it could mean. William worked in the bank for quite
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  Speaker 1: a long while, and then he went away to college.
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  Speaker 1: After he had graduated, he became a minister. Soon after this,
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  Speaker 1: God called away his good mother to her home in heaven.
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  Speaker 1: One day, William received a letter stamped with the postmark
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  Speaker 1: of a town in a distant state. I am very ill,
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  Speaker 1: said the writer, and the doctor says I shall never recover.
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  Speaker 1: I must see you as I have something very important
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  Speaker 1: to tell you before I am called away to meet
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  Speaker 1: my God. Please come to me as quickly as possible.
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  Speaker 1: There was no name written at the end of the letter,
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  Speaker 1: or was signed a friend. William turned the letter over
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  Speaker 1: and over in his hand. He knew no one in
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  Speaker 1: that far away place, and for a time he was
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  Speaker 1: very much puzzled. Then he did, as he had been
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  Speaker 1: in the habit of down for many years. He slipped
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  Speaker 1: away to spend a few moments alone with God, and
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  Speaker 1: a voice in his heart kept saying, go. Some one
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  Speaker 1: is in need, and your work is to minister to
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  Speaker 1: every soul who asked for help. But whom shall I
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  Speaker 1: ask for when I arrive? Asked William, still perplexed, and
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  Speaker 1: the voice answered, only go. God will take care of
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  Speaker 1: the rest. Hastily pat a few things in his traveling bag,
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  Speaker 1: William bordered a train and started for the town and
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  Speaker 1: the five distant state. Arriving at the end of his journey,
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  Speaker 1: he stepped out upon the station platform. He was astonished
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  Speaker 1: when a gentleman came up to him and said, courteously,
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  Speaker 1: is this Reverend Sutherland? Yes, replied the minister. I am he.
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  Speaker 1: I have been sent to meet you, Sir, said the stranger,
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  Speaker 1: I have met every train during the past week. Will
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  Speaker 1: you come with me? A few minutes later, he led
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  Speaker 1: the minister into a darkened room where a sick man lay.
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  Speaker 1: As they tiptoed into the room, he looked up eagerly
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  Speaker 1: and his breath came fast. Holding out his hand, he asked,
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  Speaker 1: in a fever voice, is this Reverend Southerland? It is,
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  Speaker 1: said the minister, gently clasping the thin white hand. Where
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  Speaker 1: have I met you before, my friend? And what can
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  Speaker 1: I do for you now? You have never met me before,
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  Speaker 1: said the sick man, and his voice sank to a whisper.
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  Speaker 1: I saw you only once, and that was many years ago.
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  Speaker 1: But I have kept track of your whereabouts all these years.
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  Speaker 1: I have sent for you now, sir, because I am dying.
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  Speaker 1: The sick man sank back upon his pillows and said
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  Speaker 1: a moment then, fixing his large ass on the Minister's face,
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  Speaker 1: he went on, Mister Sutherland, one afternoon, many years ago,
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  Speaker 1: you were entrusted with a large sum of money to
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  Speaker 1: take to the foreman of a certain mull. In a
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  Speaker 1: wild and lonely spot, you slipped from your saddle and
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  Speaker 1: knelt down by some bushes and asked God to protect you.
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  Speaker 1: Do you remember it as if it had been yesterday,
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  Speaker 1: said the minister. But my good friend, what do you
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  Speaker 1: know about it? Far more than you do, said the
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  Speaker 1: sick man. Sadly, I heard that prayer. I was crouching
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  Speaker 1: among the bushes near by with my rifle pointed at
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  Speaker 1: your heart. I had planned to kill you, take the money,
• 1:36:34
  Speaker 1: and ride away in your pony. But while you were praying,
• 1:36:37
  Speaker 1: something passed between us. I did not know what it was,
• 1:36:40
  Speaker 1: but I believed that God had sent it to protect you.
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  Speaker 1: I sat on those bushes, too weak to pull the trigger,
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  Speaker 1: and watched you ride away, perfectly, helpless to do any
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  Speaker 1: harm to you. But it has haunted me ever since
• 1:36:51
  Speaker 1: the thought of what I wanted to do and what
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  Speaker 1: I should have done if God had not answered your prayer.
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  Speaker 1: I could not meet God without telling you all this.
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  Speaker 1: Can you forgive me again? William grasped the hand of
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  Speaker 1: the dying man, saying, in a husky voice, my friend,
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  Speaker 1: as God has forgiven my sins, I freely forgive you.
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  Speaker 1: Ask now for God's forgiveness and be at peace. The
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  Speaker 1: minister stayed with the man for some time, talking and
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  Speaker 1: praying with him, until at last the light shone in
• 1:37:15
  Speaker 1: his dark soul and God forgave his sins. He died
• 1:37:19
  Speaker 1: soon after that, and William Sutherland was asked to preach
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  Speaker 1: his funeral sermon. He chose as his texts those words
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  Speaker 1: from the Book of Proverbs. Trust in the Lord with
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  Speaker 1: all thine heart, and lead not unto thine own understanding.
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  Speaker 1: In all thy ways of knowledge, Chomen, He shall direct
• 1:37:33
  Speaker 1: thy paths. The children sat very still for some time.
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  Speaker 1: After Grandma had finished her story. I think be prayerful
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  Speaker 1: is the best of all, said Joyce. At last, I
• 1:37:42
  Speaker 1: shall remember that story as long as I love. I
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  Speaker 1: hope you will. Dear, Yes, said Grandma. No matter where
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  Speaker 1: you go, no matter how busy you are, always listen
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  Speaker 1: to the gentle buzzle Bee. Prayerful. We will, Grandma, said
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  Speaker 1: the children soberly. And now said Grandma, it is bed
• 1:37:58
  Speaker 1: time for two little folks who will to be up
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  Speaker 1: bright and early in the morning. You know the train
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  Speaker 1: needs at eight o'clock. Good night, Katie did in Whipplewalls,
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  Speaker 1: murmured Don a little drowsily. We shall come back to
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  Speaker 1: hear you sing again next summer. With that, two tired
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  Speaker 1: children crept upstairs and tumbled onto bed, and very soon
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  Speaker 1: they were in the land of dreams. End of chapter thirteen.
• 1:38:19
  Speaker 1: Recording by Rosa Grace Auckland, New Zealand, July two thousand, nineteen.
• 1:38:29
  Speaker 1: Chapter fourteen of A Hive of Busy Bees versus the
• 1:38:31
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:38:35
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:38:40
  Speaker 1: Recording by Rosa Grace Orclan, New Zealand, October two thousand
• 1:38:43
  Speaker 1: and nineteen. A haive of busy bees, But if you
• 1:38:46
  Speaker 1: may Hincy Williams, chapter fourteen, Home Again. The sunlight was
• 1:38:51
  Speaker 1: streaming in at their bedroom windows when Joyce and Donna
• 1:38:54
  Speaker 1: woke the next morning. They dressed quickly and ran down
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  Speaker 1: to watch Grandma pat Vir lunch for the trap home.
• 1:39:00
  Speaker 1: At the breakfast table, they talked of all the nice
• 1:39:02
  Speaker 1: times they had had during the past few weeks, and
• 1:39:04
  Speaker 1: they promised to persuade mother and Daddy to come with
• 1:39:07
  Speaker 1: them to the farm next summer. When everything was ready,
• 1:39:10
  Speaker 1: Grandpa lifted the little trunk to his shoulder and carried
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  Speaker 1: it out to the car, and soon they were on
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  Speaker 1: their way. When they reached the station, Grandpa bought the tickets,
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  Speaker 1: checked the little trunk, and gave the children a story
• 1:39:20
  Speaker 1: book to read on the train. Do you Grandpa and Grandma?
• 1:39:23
  Speaker 1: They always knew just what to do to make the
• 1:39:25
  Speaker 1: children happy. As the train whistled in the distance, don
• 1:39:29
  Speaker 1: caught Grandpa's hand and held it tight. Joyce threw her
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  Speaker 1: arms around Grandma and whispered, do your Grandma, I love
• 1:39:34
  Speaker 1: you and I've had such a happy time. The train
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  Speaker 1: pulled up and the conductor called all aboard. After Grandpa
• 1:39:41
  Speaker 1: had helped them on to the train and had gone
• 1:39:43
  Speaker 1: back to the station platform, the children waved and threw
• 1:39:45
  Speaker 1: kisses through the window. As the train moved away, they
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  Speaker 1: pressed their faces to the window and watched Grandpa and
• 1:39:51
  Speaker 1: Grandma as long as they could, but they soon were
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  Speaker 1: left behind. The train moved faster and the little village
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  Speaker 1: passed out of sight. Happy vacation days on the farm
• 1:39:59
  Speaker 1: had come to end. For a few moments, the children
• 1:40:02
  Speaker 1: had to fight to keep back the tears. Then Joyce
• 1:40:05
  Speaker 1: opened the book that Grandpa had given them, and soon
• 1:40:07
  Speaker 1: their loneliness was forgotten. Feels a story about a little
• 1:40:11
  Speaker 1: lame dog that came to a man's house one cold
• 1:40:13
  Speaker 1: one to night and wind about the door. He let
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  Speaker 1: it in bound up its foot and gave it some
• 1:40:17
  Speaker 1: food in a comfortable place to sleep. The man liked
• 1:40:20
  Speaker 1: the dog so well that he decided to keep it.
• 1:40:23
  Speaker 1: One night, when everyone was asleep, the house caught fire,
• 1:40:26
  Speaker 1: and the dog awakened the man in time to save
• 1:40:28
  Speaker 1: the whole family from burning to death. There were stories
• 1:40:31
  Speaker 1: about cows and horses, and a long, long one about
• 1:40:33
  Speaker 1: the interesting animals to be seen at the zoo. One
• 1:40:37
  Speaker 1: story was so funny that when Don read it, he
• 1:40:39
  Speaker 1: burst out laughing, and the other passengers looked at him
• 1:40:41
  Speaker 1: and smiled. It was about a mischievous monkey at the zoo.
• 1:40:45
  Speaker 1: One day, a gentleman who wore a wig came by,
• 1:40:47
  Speaker 1: carrying his hat in his hand. The monkey reached through
• 1:40:50
  Speaker 1: the bars and caught hold of the wig, pulling it
• 1:40:51
  Speaker 1: off his head. When it was time for lunch, Joyce
• 1:40:54
  Speaker 1: opened the basket that Grandma had packed for them. They
• 1:40:57
  Speaker 1: spread out a napkin on the seat in front of
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  Speaker 1: them and ate their lunch off this table in the
• 1:41:01
  Speaker 1: most grown up fashion. Grandma had tucked on several surprises,
• 1:41:05
  Speaker 1: and how good the cooking men tasted. In the middle
• 1:41:08
  Speaker 1: of the afternoon, they began to pass through the suburbs
• 1:41:11
  Speaker 1: of the city, and soon familiar sights came into view.
• 1:41:14
  Speaker 1: When the train backed into the station, there stood Mother
• 1:41:16
  Speaker 1: and Daddy waiting for them. Oh, Mother, cried Joyce with
• 1:41:20
  Speaker 1: a bee hug. I've had a good time, but I'm
• 1:41:22
  Speaker 1: so glad to see you again. Don, big boy there
• 1:41:25
  Speaker 1: he was, had jumped into Daddy's arms. Soon the little
• 1:41:28
  Speaker 1: trunk had been placed in the cart and they were
• 1:41:29
  Speaker 1: driving toward home. What did you enjoy most of war
• 1:41:33
  Speaker 1: during your vacation, asked Mother, as they were eating supper
• 1:41:36
  Speaker 1: that evening, Fishing, replied Don quickly. Joyce did not answer.
• 1:41:40
  Speaker 1: She sat quite still, with a far away look in
• 1:41:42
  Speaker 1: her eyes. And what did my little girl like best
• 1:41:45
  Speaker 1: of wall, asked Mother? At last, Oh, mother, said Joyce,
• 1:41:48
  Speaker 1: her eyes shining. I was happy every minute, even when
• 1:41:51
  Speaker 1: the old turkey gobbler was chasing me round the tree.
• 1:41:54
  Speaker 1: But what I liked best was to sit out on
• 1:41:56
  Speaker 1: the porch in the evenings and listen to the katy
• 1:41:58
  Speaker 1: DIDs and whipper walls and watch the stars come out
• 1:42:01
  Speaker 1: one by one. And then it was so nice to
• 1:42:03
  Speaker 1: sit close to Grandma's old rocking chair. End of chapter fourteen,
• 1:42:08
  Speaker 1: recording by Rosa Grace Auckland, New Zealand, October two thousand
• 1:42:11
  Speaker 1: and nineteen. End of A Hive of Busy Bees. But
• 1:42:15
  Speaker 1: if he may, Hency Williams