usy hurrying in and out in order to finish the day's work that no one
noticed or disturbed him. And when the trumpeter sounded the rising call
the next morning Buster Bumblebee was actually the first one in the house
to open his eyes and jump up and hasten out to get his breakfast.

All of which only went to prove that old Mr. Crow knew a thing or
two--and maybe even more.

VI

JOHNNIE GREEN IS STUNG

There had been so much rain early in the summer that even by the middle
of August Farmer Green had not been able to finish his haying. His son
Johnnie was sorry, too--because he had to work in the hot hayfield almost
every day, when he would far rather have gone swimming in the mill-pond,
under the shade of the great willow.

Sometimes Johnnie rode on the hayrake. And since he liked to drive the
old horse Ebenezer, he didn't object to that part of his duties so much.
What he hated most was pitching hay with a pitchfork. And next to that,
he disliked going to the spring for a jugful of water.

But those unpleasant tasks were nothing at all compared with what
happened to him one day when he stepped squarely upon the doorway of the
Bumblebee family's house.

Johnnie's carelessness made the workers angry at once. And several of
them rushed out and stung Johnnie Green severely.

Then _he_ was angry. And he declared he would "fix them"--as soon as he
could think of a good way to do it.

And that very afternoon, while he was bringing the heavy jug from the
spring, Johnnie Green thought of a fine plan for punishing the Bumblebee
family. He liked his plan so well that he could hardly wait to try it;
and he went back to the hayfield almost at a run, whereas he usually
sauntered along so slowly that his father often had to speak to him
somewhat sharply.

But this time Farmer Green could not complain. Johnnie even brought the
jug--and the tin cup too--to the knoll in the meadow where his father and
the hired man were working. And then Farmer Green said:

"How are your stings now?"

"Awful!" Johnnie informed him hopefully.

"Maybe you'd like to stop work for the rest of the day and go swimming,"
said Farmer Green, with a wink at the hired man, "unless you're feeling
too miserable," he added.

"Oh, yes! Oh, no!" cried Johnnie. "My stings aren't too bad for that!"
And he started off at once across the field, taking the jug with him.

"I'll leave the jug among the brakes in the fence-corner," he called, as
he tr