said to her.

It was seldom that Mrs. Ladybug hesitated to speak her mind right out to
a person if she happened to disapprove of him. But she had always kept
out of Jennie Junebug's way. Jennie was many times bigger than little
Mrs. Ladybug. Mrs. Ladybug trembled to think what might happen to her if
Jennie should ever hurl her fat body against Mrs. Ladybug with a dull,
sickening thud.

"If that ever happens," Mrs. Ladybug thought, "I fear I'll never be able
to do another day's work for Farmer Green. It might be the end of me."

Now, in spite of her fears, Mrs. Ladybug had even more than her share of
courage. And as time went on, and she saw the awful havoc that Jennie
Junebug played with the trees, Mrs. Ladybug reached the point where she
couldn't any longer stand by silently and let Jennie Junebug riddle the
leaves. "Something will have to be done!" Mrs. Ladybug declared to her
friends. "I can't compel Jennie Junebug to stop. She's too big for me to
handle.

"I'm going to have a talk with her," said Mrs. Ladybug.

XIV

BUMPS

SOME busybody went straight to Jennie Junebug and told her what Mrs.
Ladybug had said.

"Mrs. Ladybug is going to have a talk with you," this meddling person
told the fat and frolicsome Jennie. "She wants you to stop eating
leaves. She says you are doing your best--or your worst--to hurt the
trees that she is trying to save. She claims that you are no friend of
Farmer Green's. She--"

Jennie Junebug broke in upon her companion with a loud laugh.

"I'd like to have Mrs. Ladybug try to speak to me," she chuckled. "If
she does, I'll have fun with her. I'll knock her over. I'll send her
spinning."

Jennie's friend seemed somewhat alarmed at that.

"Now, be careful!" she begged the fat lady. "Don't forget that Mrs.
Ladybug is a little creature! You'll injure her if you're too rough with
her."

"Ho! ho!" laughed Jennie Junebug, and also, "Ha! ha!" She had to stop
and hold her sides, while she rocked back and forth. "This is a great
joke!" Jennie cried. "Imagine Mrs. Ladybug trying to talk with me! Why,
she'll be lucky if she can get her breath after I've flown into her
once."

"Dear me!" said the tale-bearer. "I wish I hadn't mentioned this matter
to you. Of course, everybody knows that Mrs. Ladybug talks too much. And
I thought maybe you'd enjoy meeting her and making her keep still. But
I had no idea you would do her any harm."

"Bless you!" cried Jennie Junebug. "I would