For the children of the flowers Need the precious pollen dust, And the bees have winged powers To bear to them this sacred trust. [Illustration: [Bee]] WHAT HAPPENED IN THE GARDEN. The morning-glory lay rolled up in the bud down under the leaves. One day it bloomed. [Illustration: [Morning-Glory]] The firm stem held it up, the bud unrolled, and the blossom stood there, fresh and fair. The bees saw it from afar, and came as fast as they could. They flew to the pink corolla, and, entering, enjoyed the feast spread for them. The morning-glory, because of their coming, had filled the nectar cups and opened the boxes of snow-white pollen. One after the other the bees came, drank the nectar, and carried away the pollen. As fast as the cups were emptied they were filled again. The honeybees and the bumblebees were provided with baskets, which they filled with pollen; but the other bees carried it away on the long hairs of their bodies. The morning-glory glowed in the sunshine all day long, happy, no doubt, in the consciousness that the little seed-children had begun to grow. It was because of them the bees were made so welcome. [Illustration: [Morning-Glory]] We can imagine the flower might feel like saying, “This is my seed-children’s birthday party; come often, dear bees, and sip my nectar and take my pollen. But be like the good fairies and bring each a gift to my seed-children.” The bees buzzed and came and went and came and went. Each time they took away nectar and pollen to their hives, and each time left something for the seed-children. Do you suppose they left a cap of darkness, and a pair of seven-league boots, and a sword that always conquered, and a magic carpet that took people wherever they wanted to go, as the fairies used to do in the times when fairies were alive and came to the christenings of little children? I do not think the bees brought any of these things to the birthday party of the seed-children. The bees, not being real fairies, were obliged to bring what they could. [Illustration: [Morning-Glory]] Now, the day that the pink morning-glory bloomed, a great many other morning-glories came out of their buds, and they all gave the bees a welcome. They filled their cups with nectar and opened their boxes of snow-white pollen. Such a feast as was spread for the bees! Blue morning-glories, and pink and purple and white ones, on all sides they stood, fresh and smiling, and invited the bees to come. And the bees came. They went from one to the other as fast as they could. They sucked up nectar from all, and took it home and made morning-glory honey of it. And they gathered snow-white pollen from all, and took it home and made morning-glory beebread of it. But they did not carry home all the snow-white pollen. They bore some of it as gifts to the seed-children. [Illustration: [Morning-Glory]]