this dilapidated old tree Teddy Bear caught
sight of a lot of bees, coming and going. Then he knew where that
adorable smell came from. For though, as I think I have said, his
experience was extremely limited, his mother had managed to convey to
him an astonishing lot of useful and varied information.

"Teddy Bear had an idea that bees, in spite of their altogether
diminutive size, were capable of making themselves unpleasant, and also
that they had a temper which was liable to go off at half-cock.
Nevertheless, being a bear of great decision, he lost no time in
wondering what he had better do. The moment he had convinced himself
that the honey was up that tree, up that tree he went to get it."

"Oh!" cried the Babe, in tones of shuddering sympathy, as he felt at
his leg and his ear. "Oh! why _didn't_ he stop to think?"

Uncle Andy did not seem to consider that this remark called for any
reply. He ignored it. Stopping just at this critical point he
proceeded with exasperating deliberation to roll himself another fat
and clumsy cigarette. Then he applied fresh earth to both the Babe's
stings and his own. At last he went on.

"That tree must have been hollow a long way down, for almost as soon as
Teddy Bear's claws began to rattle on the bark the bees suspected
trouble and began to get excited. When he was not much more than
halfway up, and hanging to the rough bark with all his claws,
_biff_!--something sharp and very hot struck him in the nose. He
grunted, and almost let go in his surprise. Naturally, he wanted to
paw his nose--for _you_ know how it smarted!"

"I guess _so_!" murmured the Babe in deepest sympathy, stroking the
patch of mud on his ear.

"But that cub had naturally a level head. He knew that if he let go
with even one paw he would fall to the ground, because the trunk of the
tree at that point was so big he could not get a good hold upon it. So
he just dug his smarting nose into the bark and clawed himself around
to the other side of the tree, where the branches that were still green
sheltered him a bit, and there was a thick shadow from the nearest fir
tree, whose boughs interwove with those of the maple. Here the bees
didn't seem to notice him. He kept very still, listening to their
angry buzz till it had somewhat quieted down. Then, instead of going
about it with a noisy dash, as he had done before, he worked his way up
stealthily and slowly till he could crawl into the crotch of