grin a little sheepishly, then to really
smile and finally to laugh outright in spite of his empty stomach. You
see it is very hard, very hard indeed and very foolish, to remain cross
when someone else is perfectly good natured.

Suddenly the Merry Little Breeze danced up to Jimmy Skunk and whispered
in his right ear. Then he danced around and whispered in his left ear.
Jimmy Skunk's eyes snapped and his mouth began to water.

"Where, Little Breeze, where?" he begged.

"Follow me," cried the Merry Little Breeze, racing off up the Crooked
Little Path so fast that Jimmy Skunk lost his breath trying to keep up,
for you know Jimmy Skunk seldom hurries.

When they came to the big flat stone Jimmy Skunk grasped it with both
hands and pulled and pulled. Up came the stone so suddenly that Jimmy
Skunk fell over flat on his back. When he had scrambled to his feet
there were beetles and beetles, running in every direction to find a
place to hide.

"Thank you, thank you, Little Breeze," shouted Jimmy Skunk as he
started to catch beetles for his breakfast.

And the Little Breeze laughed happily as he danced away to join the
other Merry Little Breezes on the Green Meadows. There he found them
very, very busy, very busy indeed, so busy that they could hardly find
time to nod to him. What do you think they were doing? They were
toting _gold_! Yes, Sir, toting gold! And this is how it happened:

While the first Little Breeze was showing Peter Rabbit the field of
tender young carrots, and while the second Little Breeze was leading
Jimmy Skunk to the flat stone and the beetles, the other Merry Little
Breezes had found Bumble the Bee. Now Bumble the Bee is a lazy fellow,
though he pretends to be the busiest fellow in the world, and they
found him grumbling as he buzzed with a great deal of fuss from one
flower to another.

"What's the matter, Bumble?" cried the Merry Little Breezes.

"Matter enough," grumbled Bumble the Bee. "I've got to make a sack of
honey, and as if that isn't enough, old Mother Nature has ordered me to
carry a sack of gold from each flower I visit to the next flower I
visit. If I don't I can get no honey. Buzz-buzz-buzz," grumbled
Bumble the Bee.

The Merry Little Breezes looked at the million little flowers on the
Green Meadows, each waiting a sack of gold to give and a sack of gold
to receive. Then they looked at each other and shouted happily, for
they too would now be able to cry "busy, b