them how much he loved
them for their industrious habits, which he wished all creatures had. He
praised them for the fact that, instead of idly wasting the summer days,
they used them in gathering up food for the long, cold winter.

"Then he proceeded to give them the terrible stings which they have had
ever since, and as the wasps and hornets claimed to be their cousins
Wakonda was good-natured enough to give them the same sort of weapons.
Some people, especially boys, think this was a, great mistake, and would be
very glad if Wakonda had refused to give stings to the yellow wasp and the
black hornet."

"Well, what happened after the bees got their stings?" said Sagastao.

"A good deal happened," said Mary, "and that very soon. A lot of them,
without as much effort to conceal their nest as formerly, selected a tall,
hollow tree, and using a big knot hole as the door began secreting their
honey in it. They had made the combs, and were now filling them, when along
came a couple of bears. These animals, as you have been told, are great
honey thieves, but they always had hard work to find where the timid bees
had cunningly hid it away, and now they could hardly believe that right
here before them was a great swarm of bees filling the air with their
buzzing as they flew in and out of the knot hole.

"With saucy assurance they at once began climbing the tree, expecting to be
able to put their long paws into that big hole and draw out the combs. But
they never reached that knot hole. The noise they made in their climbing
alarmed the bees. Out they came in great numbers, and now, instead of
flying around in a panic, like so many house flies, and seeing their honey
devoured, they at once flew at their enemies, the bears. They stung them on
their noses and about their eyes and lips, and indeed in every spot where
they could possibly reach them with their terrible new weapons.

"The bears could not make out what the trouble was. They howled with rage
and terror, yet they were resolved to get that honey, and still tried to
crawl up higher on the tree. But at length the bees mustered in such vast
numbers--for those away gathering honey, as they returned, joined in the
attack--that the bears became wild with pain and fear, and had to give up
their effort and drop to the ground. Even then the bees gave them no peace,
and continued to sting them until they were obliged to run into the dark
forest for relief.

"Thus it happens now