“No, it isn’t going to rain,” said Russ. “If it did it would send the bees into shelter and they wouldn’t take after that boy.” “Do you think they stung him much?” asked Rose. “From the way he yelled I should say they stung him pretty hard,” Russ answered. “I’m glad they didn’t come our way.” By this time they were some distance from their picnic ground, and no bees were buzzing around them. “Do you think they were Farmer Joel’s bees?” asked Rose of Russ, as they walked on toward the house. “I’m pretty sure of it,” was his reply. “No one else around here keeps honey bees.” “Are there any other kinds of bees except honey bees?” Vi wanted to know. “Oh, yes,” answered Rose. “Ask mother about them—or daddy.” “What’s the matter, children, didn’t you have fun at your picnic?” Norah wanted to know, when the six little Bunkers came straggling back, some hours before she expected them. Farmer Joel and Mr. and Mrs. Bunker were still in town. “Yes, we had some fun,” answered Rose. “But we had to come back to get more lunch,” for she had decided, as it was not yet late, they could go back to the woods. “You want more lunch!” cried the good-natured cook. “Bless and save us, my dears! But if you ate all that, and want more—oh, I wouldn’t dare give it to you! Your mother wouldn’t like it. You’d get sick.” “But we didn’t eat it!” cried Laddie. “You didn’t? Who did?” “The peddler boy!” And then the story was told—about the bees and everything. Norah laughed when she heard how the bad boy had been sent howling into the woods by the stings of the honey insects, and she quickly put up another lunch for the children. “But if you go back to the same place to eat it,” she said, “that same peddler boy may take it again.” “No, he won’t!” cried Russ. “If he does—I’ll take a big club along this time.” “And we’ll hide the lunch where he can’t find it,” added Laddie. “I guess we’ll be so hungry we’ll eat it as soon as we get to the woods and then there won’t be anything left for him to take,” observed Violet. And this was voted the best idea of all. “But maybe the bees might sting you,” said Norah. “Perhaps you had better stay around here and eat.” “No, thank you,” answered Russ. “We’ll go just a little way into the woods—not as far as before, and then the bees won’t come. But did any swarm get away from here, Norah? It was a swarm of bees we saw in the woods chasing that peddler boy.” “No, I didn’t hear of any swarm getting away from here,” said Norah. “But then I don’t know much about bees. Better ask Adam.” Before starting off on their second picnic Russ found the hired man and inquired about the swarm of bees. “No, they didn’t come from here,” said Adam. “I’ve been around the orchard all day and I’ve seen no bees starting out to take an excursion with the queen. They must be from somewhere else, but I don’t know of any one who has bees around here except Farmer Joel.”