t,
her neck and arms being spotted over with the painful stings. Hatty
struggled hard to bear them patiently, and Farmer Sparrow declared she
was a perfect soldier.

Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Sparrow were now on the spot. The latter hastened to
bind indigo on the wounded parts, and poor Hatty soon presented an odd
appearance, her white face peering out from her blue wrappings.

Farmer Sparrow excused himself from any further attendance upon the
party, as he must secure his beloved bees ere they were lost to him.

The sun was now sinking in the west, and Marcus, laden with the results
of his successful trouting, came whistling up to the farmhouse. He
heard, in silence, the story of Hatty's misfortune; but when his mother
came quite to the end, Marcus walked up to his sister, and kissing her
fondly, said: "You are a splendid girl, Hatty. You ought to have been a
boy!" Then, turning to Meg, his indignation burst upon her, and he could
not find words strong enough to express his anger at her mischief, and
his conviction of the severity of the punishment she deserved.

Meg could only reply in sobs.

"Poor Meg is punished sufficiently by seeing her sister suffer. I think
she will not soon forget this lesson!" said Mrs. Lee, kindly.

"Meg did not know the harm she was doing!" added Hatty, pleadingly.

"I only wanted to look inside," said poor Meg, in the midst of her sobs.
"I thought the wise little bees knew too much to hurt us!"

"I hope my little Meg will remember, hereafter, 'to touch not, taste
not, handle not' what is not her own," said Mrs. Lee, soberly.

"Indeed, I will try," answered Meg, earnestly. "Do kiss me, Hatty," and
the child turned her swollen face towards her generous sister.

Hatty kissed her, and assured her the pain of the stings was almost
gone, and that she should soon be quite well.

Mr. Lee was now ready with the horses, and the little party set out for
home.

As Hatty rode along in the carriage, and all seemed so tenderly
interested for her, the little girl went back in memory to the time
before she started on that all important visit to her grandmother.

She recalled the frequent reproofs she then received from her mother,
the stern displeasure of her father, her constant quarrels with Marcus,
her impatience with Meg, and the saucy replies of the child. It seemed
strange to her to remember that even Harry did not then like to be with
her, and that she thought it quite a trial to be left with A