he bummelybee was
a-flyin, and a-buzzin' so, it made such a 'straction the snake couldn't
git fixed fur to chawm the bird nohow.

"'Jess yuh quit yo' foolin',' said the snake.

"'I no foolin',' said the bummelybee, 'what's got yuh anyhow?'

"'I ain't had no brekfuss,' said the snake.

"'Well go 'long 'n git it; I'm not a hinderin'.'

"'Yes, yuh is,' said the snake, 'I can't do nothin' fur yo' buzzin'.'

"Then the bummelybee flown off, but he didn't go very fur, he wanted to
see what the snake was up to. He kinder suspicioned it wasn't up to no
good, so he jess watched the snake, and bimeby he seen the bluebird come
up as peart as anythin', and he set down on the limb of a tree."

Here Bubbles stopped to take breath, and then went on,

"Well, he seen the snake a-crawlin' along the grass, a-crawlin',
a-crawlin', as crafty till it got right in front of the bluebird, and
the bluebird he jess set and looked, and didn't move, or say nothin'.

"'Hm! hm!' says Mr. Bummelybee, 'hit's time I was a movin',' so he made
fur the snake and giv' him one sting on the haid, and he jess rolled up
he eyes, and quirled up ontil the grass; and the bluebird said, 'I'm
much debliged of you, Mr. Bummelybee. I'm glad to perform yo'
acquaintance. I was jess about as nigh chawmed as a bird could be.'

"'Don't say no more about it,' said Mr. Bummelybee, and off he flown."

"I didn't know bumblebees could sting," said Florence.

"Law now don't they?" said Bubbles, "mebbe they doesn't, hit might a
been a wass, wasses sting I know. Come to think of it, hit was a wass."

"Is that all of it?" asked Dimple. "I don't think it is a very long
story."

"Laws, Miss Dimple, you didn't reckon that was all," said Bubbles,
loftily. "I laid out to tell more, soon ez my tongue got rested."

"Rest it then, and go on," said Dimple, settling back against a chair,
with her hands behind her head.

"Well," said Bubbles, going on with her story, "the wass he flown off,
and the bluebird he flown off, and after a while the bluebird he met a
squirl. 'Howdy?' says he. 'Howdy,' says the squirl. 'How's all to yo'
house?'

"'Tollable, thank you,' says the bluebird. 'Ef yuh see a wass come
along--' Laws, Miss Dimple, I can't get along without'n hit's being a
bummely," said she, stopping short.

"Well, have it a bummely then," said Dimple. "You don't care, do you,
Florence?"

"No," said Florence, "have it a bummely if you want to, Bubbles."

"'Well,' says t