Mother West Wind's ChildrenBurgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
General
Mother West Wind's Children
Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
Animals -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories, American
While the first Little Breeze was showing Peter Rabbit the field of
tender young carrots, and while the second Little Breeze was leading
Jimmy Skunk to the flat stone and the beetles, the other Merry Little
Breezes had found Bumble the Bee. Now Bumble the Bee is a lazy fellow,
though he pretends to be the busiest fellow in the world, and they
found him grumbling as he buzzed with a great deal of fuss from one
flower to another.
"What's the matter, Bumble?" cried the Merry Little Breezes.
"Matter enough," grumbled Bumble the Bee. "I've got to make a sack of
honey, and as if that isn't enough, old Mother Nature has ordered me to
carry a sack of gold from each flower I visit to the next flower I
visit. If I don't I can get no honey. Buzz-buzz-buzz," grumbled
Bumble the Bee.
The Merry Little Breezes looked at the million little flowers on the
Green Meadows, each waiting a sack of gold to give and a sack of gold
to receive. Then they looked at each other and shouted happily, for
they too would now be able to cry "busy, busy, busy."
From flower to flower they hurried, each with a bag of gold over his
shoulder. Wherever they left a bag they took a bag, and all the little
flowers nodded happily to see the Merry Little Breezes at work.
Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun climbed higher and higher and higher in the
blue sky, where he can look down and see all things, great and small.
His smile was broader than ever as he watched the hurrying, scurrying
Little Breezes working instead of playing. Yet after all it was a kind
of play, for they danced from flower to flower and ran races across
bare places where no flowers grew.
By and by the Merry Little Breezes met Peter Rabbit. Now Peter Rabbit
had made a good breakfast of tender young carrots, so he felt very
good, very good indeed.
"Hi!" shouted Peter Rabbit, "come play with me."
"Can't," cried the Merry Little Breezes all together, "we have work to
do!"
Off they hurried, while Peter Rabbit stretched himself out full length
in a sunny spot, for Peter Rabbit also is a lazy fellow.
Down the Crooked Little Path onto the Green Meadows came Jimmy Skunk.
"Ho!" shouted Jimmy Skunk as soon as he saw the Little Breezes, "come
play with me."
"Can't," cried the Little Breezes, "for we are busy, busy, busy," and
they laughed happily.
When they reached the Laughing Brook they found Billy Mink curled up in
a round ball, fast asleep. It isn't often that Billy Mink is caught
napping, but he had had a good breakfast of trout, he had found no one
to play with and, as he never works and the day was so bright and warm,
he had first looked for a place where he thought no one would find him
and had then curled himself up to sleep, One of the Little Breezes laid
down the bag of gold he was carrying and creeping ever so softly over
to Billy Mink began to tickle one of Billy's ears with a straw.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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