Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-05-16
|Son1eLitt1eB r0lvn
Bees

One bright, sunny morning early in
spring, when the dandelions were the
only flowers out in the grass except a
few little white clovers, the Brown
twins had birthday They were five
years old. Now, like all twins. they
had their birthdays on the same day
every year, so this May morning was
a happy one for them both.
What did they get for their birth.
day? Well, when Father Brown came
home at noon he brought two funny
little square houses not much bigger
than bird-house, and of course they
knew that one was for Billy and one
was for Betsy, and they jumped up and
down and clapped their hands.
ooh, what fine house for my
dolls!" cried Betsy.
And my rabbits shall live right next
door in the other house added Billy.
But look at the tiny little door,
said Father Brown. Surely it's not
big enough for doll or a rabbit. Sure
enough it wasn't; they could see that
as they looked closer.
"The little families have already
moved in. children said Father
Brown; these houses are not for
rent" Then, of course, Billy Brown
wanted to open the door at once
Look out, Billy cried Father, but
not quite in time, for out flew-guess
what-why, little brown bee. Billy
tried to catch it and put it back, but
he let go very quickly and put his
finger in his mouth. Away he ran to
Ma .l,1 La -
it she said, Mothers boy is so sweet
the bees are trying to get honey out
of his little finger" Then both the
twins laughed, but they stayed away
from the bee-hives and played on the
front porch till Father came home
from work once more.
That evening after tea Father Brown
took the two little houses away up in
the back yard by the fence and put
each one up on short pole, Billy's on
one side of the garden path and Bet
sy's on the other Then when it grew
too dark to see any more, Father
Brown took twin on each knee and
told them all about the little brown
bees which had come to keep house
in the back yard.
He told them that if they gave the
little bees plenty of room they would
never bother them again, but work
busily all day long, gathering honey
from the flowers for them all.
The next morning the little doors
were hardly opened before the bees
were busy flying out and in from dan
delion to clover and back againsto the
hive loaded down with honey.
- - 80 -
little way and watch them at then
work. AS the flowers began to bloom
in the garden the bees were happy as
they could be- and came back every
time with all the honey they could
carry. Every little bee was busy, for
there are very few lazy bees,
One morning while Betsy and her
doll were watching the bees and max
ing dandelion chains, they saw two o.
the bees fly out of the hive and over
the fence into Mrs. Johnson's yard.
They were very sorry to see this, for
Betsy had been told not to 60 over into
Mrs. Johnsons yard and pick flowers,
and she knew it must be just as bad
to go and get honey there unless Mrs.
Johnson said they might.
At last she thought what she would
do. She went over to Mrs. Johnson's
front door and knocked, then she wait
ted. Mrs. Johnson was out in the
kitchen baking cookies, so she had to
knock again. When Mrs. Johnson came
to the door, she said, Hello, little
neighbor. come right in In walked
Betsy, and she kept on going way
through to the kitchen. guess she
smelled the cookies, don't you?
please, Mrs. Johnson" she said,
may our bees come over in your yard
for honey? l thought perhaps you
wouldn't care, for you have no little
bees of your own. Our bees never step
heavy on anything. and they never
pick any flowers; all they want is just
the honey"
Mrs. johnson had no little girls of
her own, and she was very glad to see
Betsy, and she gave her cookies for
herself, one for Billy. and one for the
doll, then she said, Little Betsy, of
course your bees may come over in
my garden and get honey, and you may
tell them that way over by the fence
the sweet peas will soon be in bloom,
and they will be full of honey"
Betsy sat on the doorstep until she
had eaten her own COOKIE and the
dolls, too, and then she ran home with
Billy's for fear she might forget and
eat that.
After the bees had been working for
a great many days Father Brown
opened the hives, and he found so
much honey that they couldn't use it
all. So they took three of the little
square boxes of 1t over to Mrs John
sons. Once more Betsy knocked at
Mrs. Johnson's door, and this time
Mrs. Johnson opened right away.
"Just look what our bees made for you,
Mrs. Johnson" cried both the twins at
once. They made it out of your own
flowers Mrs. Johnson said she new
er could have gathered her honey for
herself, and she sent thank you"
back to the little brown bees.
To ,.nn 81. Rrnwn Finds Snmo-