out in bad weather. Of
what use would I be to Farmer Green if I had wings like hers? If I
stayed under cover whenever the sun didn't shine, the orchard would soon
be overrun with insects."

Now, it happened that Buster Bumblebee was sipping nectar from a head of
clover near by. Of course, he wasn't listening to what Mrs. Ladybug and
Miss Moth were saying. But he couldn't help hearing their remarks. And
being a great admirer of Betsy Butterfly, he wasn't at all pleased. He
even buzzed near the two gossipers and said to them, "Can't you find
something else to talk about?"

"Such rudeness!" Mrs. Ladybug gasped.

"What shocking manners!" cried Miss Mehitable Moth.

They hoped that Buster Bumblebee heard what they said. Anyhow, he flew
off in his blundering, clumsy way without speaking to them again.

"Who is this Mrs. Ladybug, to pick flaws in the beautiful Betsy
Butterfly?" he asked himself savagely. "Who is she to find fault with
Betsy's lovely wings? If Mrs. Ladybug herself had wings, I shouldn't
think her chatter so strange. But a person with no wings has no business
expressing his views of somebody else's."

Buster Bumblebee was so out of patience with Mrs. Ladybug that he lost
his taste for clover heads for the rest of the afternoon. And that was a
most unusual thing with him. However, he could think of nothing but Mrs.
Ladybug and her unkind speeches. And at last, meeting Betsy Butterfly
herself along towards sunset, he stopped to tell how well she was
looking and how charming her colors were.

Betsy Butterfly was not vain. She laughed gayly and said, "You're very
kind to say those agreeable things."

"I can't help it," he replied heartily.

"Everybody's not like you," Betsy Butterfly told him.

"Then you've been hearing about Mrs. Ladybug!" he cried. "Somebody has
been tattling."

"It doesn't matter," Betsy Butterfly assured him. "Perhaps it's good for
me to know that everyone doesn't admire me."

Buster Bumblebee didn't agree with her.

"I'll have to speak to Mrs. Ladybug," he declared.

"Oh, don't!" Betsy Butterfly begged him; for she was as gentle as she
was beautiful and never wanted people to quarrel on her account.

But Buster Bumblebee had made up his mind and nothing could change it.

III

HIDDEN WINGS

THE next day Buster Bumblebee set out for the orchard to find Mrs.
Ladybug. He wanted to warn her to stop talking about Betsy Butterfly.
But Buster hadn't realized that it was