"Name er de Lawd, ef she ain't er nigg'r, an' she ain' black, whut is she?" Zeek thoroughly enjoyed the little boy's very evident discomfort. "She's my Mammy,--and she's purty like my mama." Willis was dangerously near tears, as he left Phyllis's lap and made for Zeek. "I'll hit you if you call my mammy a nigger." Mary Van had thrown an iron toy at him, whereupon Phyllis interfered. "G'long an' 'ten' ter yer biznes', Zeek,--I'm gwine call Miss Lucy ef you starts dese chillun ter cryin'.--Chillun, youall bring yer lit'le cheers yond'r an' set hyah in front uv Mammy, an' she'll tell yer 'bout Miss Queen Bee an' her fambly." "Mammy, what made Miss Queen Bee move out from her house just now?" Willis interposed. "'Caze she wanter git erway f'um An' Polly Parrit--she say she ti'ed An' Polly pokin' her nose in her biznes'." "Papa says she has to move 'cause her children take up all the room." Willis gave this information with an air of knowing more on the subject. "Dar now, yer hyah de preach'r, doan yer?" chuckling and looking with pride upon him. "I speck you done outgrow'd dat confab Miss Queen Bee speak wid me too, ain't yer?" Willis did not entirely gather her meaning, but he replied: "My papa says they won't sting you if you don't bother 'em." "Aha, yo' pa tole de trufe--'cep'n sometimes. Bees is cur'us creeturs, I tell yer dey is. Dey ain' nuthin' but er passel er fokes wid wings on 'em. Ole Miss Queen Bee settin' up dar, make 'em walk er chalk line, she do. She de law--she sho' is. Ef she say fight,--dey fights. Ef she say, ax der pard'n,--dey axes hit. But,--" and she hesitated, rubbing her arm, "dey is sometimes whin bees gits jes' like crazy fokes an' loses all der senses." "That's when they swarm, ain't it, Mammy?" suggested Willis authoritatively. "'Tain't no sich er thing,--You done give out all de knowin' you know'd 'bout bees. Set still an' lis'n ter sumbody else," reverting to her subject. "Dis time I'm talkin' 'bout wus whin triberlashun 'pon triberlashun hap'n ter Miss Queen's fokes. "One day Miss Queen Bee's chillun was gittin' honey out'n de clov'r wid Miss Black Bee's chilluns. De Bizzy Bees notice Miss Black Bee's fokes doan seem ter be totin' much honey back and furrards, but dey ain' got no time ter confab, so dey doan say nuthin'. Bimeby, Miss Queen Bee see one de Black Bee fokes come in wid her chillun, an' she notice he ain' brung no honey in wid him, but she do notice dat he tak'n considerbul out wid 'im." "Mammy, my papa says they ain't any little bees that don't work except the drones," corrected the little boy.