The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-16

The bee by far is best!"
 Now the mellowbugs which played upon the waters surface thought themselves just as good as the bee; and wasp, making her nest in a dead oak tree, put her fingers into the ears of her little babies that they might not hear this terribly con- ceited and wicked song. A mocking bird, perched in a willow tree, got quite incensed. and repeated the song outright. in the hope that the bee, Tearing how snobbish the words sounded, might take them back.
 But nh mol The busy bee merely threw back her head and loudly con- tinued:
 "The honey bees are loved by man.
 He seesk them far and near, Each other winged thing might die
 But he'd shed not one tear"
 ''The insufferable creaturep cried out a mud turtle. If I had a sharp thorn. like the wild roses, I'd poke it into her"
 .'Me, too," said the katydid.
 But not so with little spotted, red and black butterfly spreading her wings in a ray of sunshine that pierced through the willow leaves.
 Her heart sank into the very tips of her slender little feet The words made her wish to topple over, and die right upon the spot.
 T guess that's the truth, nobody in the world loves me. It really doesn't matter whether I live or die, and yet try to give so much happi- .nessg
 Tot Tim Lots of Places
 Now nobody ever knows just where Tot Tim finds himself. But it hap peneS that this day he was right anaer an overhanging bush on the slick, muddy bank of the river. Here he was merrily sliding down upon the mud and landing in the water, then coming back to slide down again, Just like children do down snow mountains or on the chute-the- -shutes.
 From the time the honey bee first opened her little lips in her cruel song. Tot Tim had stopped playing. He didn't like that sort of attitude on the part of any forest creature.
 Then when he heard the heavy hearted cry of the beautiful butterfly. he clenched his little fist.
 "Tll make you sorry. you ugly honey bee! Always ready to pounce on everybody with that terrible sting 1T they dare interrupt you. And you take the honey away from lot of olher nttie creatures who are hun gry and yet are afraid of you. We honor good honey bees, but not those who are cruel"
 Lnen Tot Tim, making himself in- Visiple. Jumped up right beside the pee, Who was fast sucking up all the honey dew possible upon the leaves
 ihe honeybee was thinking these thoughts. which Tot Tim heard: m going to fill myself so full of honey that when I get back to the beehive. the queen will honor mo above all her subjects. She will call all the hive together and point me out as an example of worker for all tne other bees. Won't that make me feel proud? Then therell be some Ifthose bees in the hive I never will even speak to again"
 @ Consolation
 Not so fast. not so fastr' thought Tot Tim, who had a very fine plan to bring the bee back to good common senc@
 He rushed over to the butterfly.
 Little thing" he comforted her please do not think that you are no goods In just a little while I will show you that you are if you will stay Just at this spot"
 "Oh, how sweet you are." cried the gorgeous little creature, who thrilled with happiness to think, regular Isirrv would pay any attention to Feature as humble as she.
 By this time the bee had filled herself to such an enormous degree she could hardly move. The load she was trying to carry was most as big as herself. Her wings trembled with the strain as she slowly lifted her yellow body and started out, through the atmosphere.
 tGood-by," she screamed, "all you lazy, worthless creatures. I wish I could eat up everything in the for est and make every one of you starve to death."
 At this the butterf1ys tears start ed slowly down her nose, spite of herself, while Tot Tim felt. like talk ing the wicked bee and sending her off to airy-land to be thrown in a Ss3.i9u ngeon.