The new queen, as soon as hatched, goes to the other royal cells and stings the other little princesses (who might try to be queen if they hatched) to death, and commences to be mother-queen of the Bee City. HOW BEES SPEND THE WINTER The bees spend the winter in a kind of sleep. They cluster together to keep warm. When the early Spring days come, and some of the bees begin to bring in pollen and nectar, the queen begins to lay eggs. These eggs will be hatched out into worker bees to carry on the work of the hive, and the bees that lived over winter will live only long enough to care for them until they can carry on the work of the hive. At length the Bee sighted her hive. “We are home,” she said to Miss Gardener, “and I will explain to the guard bees that it is all right for you to enter, as you are one of us.” Miss Gardener thanked her. They flew to the Bee City entrance gate, and her new friend disappeared within. Miss Gardener just poked her head inside to see how it seemed, when all the guard bees started toward her, and the foremost one stung her and stung her until—she woke up shrieking, to find that there was a hive of bees swarming on the tree just over her head. “Oh,” cried Mary Frances, “did they sting her?” “No, not really,” said Billy; “it was only a dream, but somehow the fact that the bees were swarming there must have made her dream of the stinging.” “Well, I just believe Miss Gardener never had to study the lesson about the bees,” said Mary Frances. “I imagine her wonderful dream taught her.” “But she was always sorry, she said, that she did not get inside the hive in her dream,” replied Billy. “What wonderful little creatures bees are!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “When people sell honey, do they steal it from the bees?” “Yes, practically that,” said Billy; “yet it is not a serious theft, for the bees generally store up much more honey than is needed, and the bee keeper always leaves enough for them to use.” “Billy, wouldn’t it be lovely to have a hive?”[E] said Mary Frances. “I’ve thought of it myself,” acknowledged Billy. “One hive would make from four dollars upward in a year, but I don’t think we’d better experiment along any other line than gardening this year at least.” “Well, I guess you’re right, Billy,” laughed Mary Frances, “although you’re a pretty good manager, we don’t want too many ‘bees in our bonnets’ at one time, do we? Oh, Billy, do you remember the verses we used to say when we were little— “The great round sun is sleepy, And wants to go to bed; So he hides his face so shiny Behind a kerchief red. “Then all the little clovers That dot the velvet lawn, Begin to nod their tiny heads And put their night-caps on. “Good-night, you winsome clovers, All snug in grassy beds; You’ll dream of busy bumble bees A-buzzing round your heads.”