moment he caught sight of Jimmy Rabbit's ears sticking up from behind a
head of Farmer Green's lettuce. "It's quite plain that you forgot to meet
me, so I might tell you about the raising bee."
At that Jimmy Rabbit promptly replied that he had come there each
morning.
"Anyhow," he said, "you promised to meet me. And since you haven't met me
until now it must be your fault, for you certainly haven't done as you
agreed."
Buster Bumblebee looked puzzled. He was sure that the fault had not been
his. But his wits were not so nimble as Jimmy Rabbit's. And he could
think of no answer at all.
"Well, what do you know about the raising bee?" Jimmy asked him with an
encouraging smile.
"You were mistaken about that," Buster told him eagerly. "There wasn't
any raising bee. Farmer Green's neighbors for miles around came to help
him put up the frame of his new barn. And afterwards they enjoyed a feast
under the trees--and a dance."
Jimmy Rabbit began to shake in a very strange manner.
"Ho! ho!" he cried in a jolly voice. "You are the one that's
mistaken--and not I! You saw a raising bee and didn't know it! Farmer
Green's friends _raised_ the timbers for the barn. And that's why it's
called a _raising_ bee. Any helpful, neighborly gathering like that is
known as a _bee_--though you may not be aware of that fact."
Buster Bumblebee stared open-mouthed. He had never suspected such a
thing. But Jimmy Rabbit said it was so. And there was nothing to do but
believe him.
"So they had something to eat--and a dance too, eh?" said Jimmy Rabbit
pleasantly.
"Yes," said Buster, "and there was a bumblebee in a pumpkin, though I
couldn't see him. But old dog Spot said he did. And I suppose I was
mistaken, for I thought he was inside a fiddle."
And now Jimmy Rabbit was laughing again, holding his sides and shaking so
hard that it seemed as if his ears would fall off if he didn't stop soon.
"No, you were not mistaken at all!" he cried, as soon as he could speak
again. "That's an old, old tune. My grandfather has hummed it to me many
a time. He used to say that there never was another tune just like it."
"What tune?" Buster Bumblebee asked him. "I must say I don't know what
you're talking about."
"Why, _The Bumblebee in the Pumpkin_!" Jimmy Rabbit informed him. "That's
the name of a tune. Every good fiddler knows it. And since the buzzing
sound comes out of the fiddle, the bumblebee must be inside it, of
course."
For a moment Buster looked almost peevish. He had intended to take Jimmy
Rabbit down a peg by telling him he had been mistaken. And here was Jimmy
Rabbit, explaining every strange thing, just as he always did! It was
most annoying--so Buster thought. But all at once a comforting idea
popped into his head.
"Old dog Spot was wrong, wasn't he?" Buster cried.
"He certainly was," Jimmy Rabbit replied.
"Ha! ha!" laughed Buster Bumblebee. "Isn't it odd how stupid some people
are?"
"It certainly is!" said Jimmy Rabbit. And for some unknown reason he
laughed harder than ever before.
But Buster Bumblebee did not mind that in the least. He thought that
Jimmy Rabbit was making game of old dog Spot.
THE END
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SLEEPY-TIME TALES
(Trademark Registered.)
By ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
AUTHOR OF THE
TUCK-ME-IN TALES and SLUMBER-TIME TALES
Colored Wrapper and Text Illustrations Drawn by HARRY L. SMITH
This series of animal stories for children from three to eight years,
tells of the adventures of the four-footed creatures of our American
woods and fields in an amusing way, which delights small two-footed human
beings.
THE TALE OF CUFFY BEAR
THE TALE OF FRISKY SQUIRREL
THE TALE OF TOMMY FOX
THE TALE OF FATTY COON
THE TALE OF BILLY WOODCHUCK
THE TALE OF JIMMY RABBIT
THE TALE OF PETER MINK
THE TALE OF SANDY CHIPMUNK
THE TALE OF BROWNIE BEAVER
THE TALE OF PADDY MUSKRAT
THE TALE OF FERDINAND FROG
THE TALE OF DICKIE DEER MOUSE
THE TALE OF TIMOTHY TURTLE
THE TALE OF BENNY BADGER
THE TALE OF MAJOR MONKEY
THE TALE OF GRUMPY WEASEL
THE TALE OF GRANDFATHER MOLE
THE TALE OF MASTER MEADOW MOUSE
Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
TUCK-ME-IN TALES
(Trademark Registered.)
By ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
AUTHOR OF THE
SLEEPY-TIME TALES and SLUMBER-TIME TALES
Colored Wrapper and Text Illustrations Drawn by HARRY L. SMITH
A delightful and unusual series of bird and insect stories for boys and
girls from three to eight years old, or thereabouts.
THE TALE OF JOLLY ROBIN
Jolly Robin spreads happiness everywhere with his merry song.
THE TALE OF OLD MR. CROW
A wise bird was Mr. Crow. He'd laugh when any one tried to catch him.
THE TALE OF SOLOMON OWL
Solomon Owl looked so solemn that many people thought he knew everything.
THE TALE OF JASPER JAY
Jasper Jay was very mischievous. But many of his neighbors liked him.
THE TALE OF RUSTY WREN
Rusty Wren fought bravely to keep all strangers out of his house.
THE TALE OF DADDY LONG-LEGS
Daddy Long-Legs could point in all directions at once--with his different
legs.
THE TALE OF KIDDIE KATYDID
He was a musical person and chanted all night during the autumn.
THE TALE OF BETSY BUTTERFLY
Betsy spent most of her time among the flowers.
THE TALE OF BUSTER BUMBLEBEE
Buster was clumsy and blundering, but was known far and wide.
THE TALE OF FREDDIE FIREFLY
Freddie had great sport dancing in the meadow and flashing his light.
THE TALE OF BOBBY BOBOLINK
Bobby had a wonderful voice and loved to sing.
THE TALE OF CHIRPY CRICKET
Chirpy loved to stroll about after dark and "chirp."
THE TALE OF MRS. LADYBUG
Mrs. Ladybug loved to find out what her neighbors were doing and to give
them advice.
Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transcriber's Notes
1. Punctuation has been normalized to contemporary standards.
2. Frontispiece illustration relocated to after title page.
3. Lines printed out of order in published text have been corrected:
page 68, lines 4 and 5 as in original:
friends to a house-warming and I don't
hard on me. For I've invited all my
page 112, lines 19 and 20 as in original:
You saw a raising bee and didn't know it!
are the one that's mistaken--and not I!