Once upon a bright summer morning, I, Benny the Bee, went out from my cosy room in the old tree where I live, and flew forth into the sunny garden. I had noticed on the previous evening that the red and white flowers in Miss Mabel’s garden were shining with dew; so I knew that they would have loads of good pollen for me this morning.
As soon as I came to a big red flower, I began to poke my head down into it, paddling my tongue in and out of the flower for all I was worth. It makes me laugh to think of it now. In a minute or two, Loudon the Bee came humming up on the other side of the flower, and began to do exactly the same thing.
“Good-morning,” said I, nodding my head as well as I could for the pollen.
“Good-morning to you,” he answered. “Doesn’t it smell and taste delicious?”
“Oh! it makes me feel so good,” I said. “I’m going to eat lots of this, and take as much as I can carry home with me to store in the hive.”
“I am in an awful hurry, but I’ll just fill my pockets first and then fly straight back,” said Loudon. And so we both got busy again.
Now the curious thing was that neither of us seemed to get any nearer the bottom of the flower, pollen after pollen came tumbling out, and our pocket were so filled that we were quite ready to fly mow right away, in spite of the desired supply that was still falling out.
“I’ll take a big scoop now, and then go,” said Loudon, shooting forward into the flower. I just then saw a honey jug lying on the ground under the flower, where Miss Mabel had spilt some honey one day, and the ants had carried all they could eat of it away. So I thought I would see if there was any nip left for me.
That minute I heard a little tap-tap, and looking up I saw Honeyman the Bee just arrived, and pushing his nose into the flower on the opposite side to Loudon and myself.
“Hello! there is still someone here, he said, and laughing in his knowing way he added, If somebody that’s in a hurry does not think of going, I’ll take his place.”
“But I do want to go,” said Loudon, very crossly.
“Then you had better go at once,” said Honeyman, with a nasty little laugh; and shot his head into the flower.
“I thought you said you were going,” Loudon answered angrily.
“Are you quite sure you heard me say so?” Honeyman replied; and he took no further notice of Loudon, but cheerily polished off the pollen that was lying in the flower like shampoo powder. At last he came to the inside of the petals, put his tongue under a little flap, and drew out a huge pouch of honey. Then feeling in his pockets he exclaimed delightedly:
“My, what a lot of pollen I have got, and still more is coming out of the taper down the bottom. I shan’t be a minute now.” Then he dived right down, and poked and probed with his tongue.
“You are a greedy bee,” said Loudon.
“Oh, not at all; honey takes some time to draw out properly,” Honeyman answered. “Wait till I have eaten this, and then I will fill up and we shall be able to go together.”
“Yes, if you ever do; you have been lounging away the morning since I came,” said Loudon, buzzing angrily.
“I’m very sorry,” said Honeyman with a laugh; and taking one last lick, he withdrew his tongue. But it had the effect of so disentangling his legs and wings from the muck at the bottom of the flower, that he shot right out into the air with a renewed buzzing, just as Loudon had been doing a moment before him.
“You’ve upset me dreadfully,” cried Loudon. “Now I’m all mixed up in pollen and pollen. It’s no use whining,” said Honeyman, “you should fly straight next time.”
Honeyman now flew away, and it was with a somewhat guilty heart that I set off to a flower on the other side of the bee-house, so as to leave Loudon to pick his pockets in peace.
The other bees had filled their sacks with oil and honey just as I had done, and were preparing to come out, when an angry hum arose at the door, and I heard Honeyman say:
“I won’t go along with you; it was your fault altogether. If you had collected a little less pollen at first, and noticed your way I should not have been upset as I was and so tumbled against you.”
“Oh! it’s awfully easy to talk,” Loudon replied crossly.
“But much harder to do,” added Honeyman, teasingly. And after poking and tumbling about they both flew out sulkily. As soon as they were out, though, they seemed to calm, and the first thing I heard one say was:
“I say we ought to talk it over now it’s all past.”
“Oh! of course it’s quite a natural mishap,” the other replied sweetly, and so they flew off side by side as friendly as could be.
After breakfast Miss Mabel took my honey-jug away into the house, and Snozzle the Squirrel, all agog with curiosity, came up the tree beside me to ask all the particulars of the quarrel, and how Loudon and Honeyman settled it.
The first thing I said was that nothing was said about quarrels being as natural as all accidents that come to us in the way of life, but that I should think they were.
“That’s the way to settle things among us animals,” I added. “Friends have disputes and talk them over again and find reconciliation. It makes the honey much sweeter!”