Part 20 (1/2)

”Who are you?” he said, looking toward the foot of the bed, whence the voice had come.

”I used to be a b.u.mblebee,” sobbed the little voice, ”but I've changed my first letter from 'b' to 'h.' I'm only an humble-bee now, and all because I've treated you so badly. I really didn't mean to, and I've come to help you have a good time to-night, so that you won't miss the fireworks because of my misbehavior.”

”Don't mention it,” said Jimmieboy, kindly. ”It was my fault, after all.

I hadn't ought to have run into you.”

”Yes, you had ought to have, too,” moaned the little bee. ”You were just right in running into me. I hadn't ought to have got in your way.”

”Well, anyhow, it's all right,” said Jimmieboy. ”You're forgiven--though you did hurt me like everything.”

”I know it,” sobbed the bee. ”I almost wish you'd get a pin and stick it into me once, so as to sort of just even things up. It would hurt me, I know, but then I'd feel better after I got well.”

”Indeed I won't,” said Jimmieboy, with a determined shake of his head.

”That won't do any good, and what's the use anyhow, as long as you didn't mean it?”

”I'm sure I don't know,” the bee answered. ”I'm only a bug, after all, you know, and so I don't understand things that human beings which has got brains can understand. I've noticed, though, that sometimes when a boy gets hurt it sort of makes him feel better if he hurts back.”

”I wouldn't mind a bit if I could see the fireworks,” said Jimmieboy.

”That's what hurts the most.”

”Well, I'll tell you what you do,” said the bee; ”if that's all you feel bad about, we can fix it up in a jiffy. Do you know what a jiffy is?”

”No, I don't,” said Jimmieboy.

”Well, I'll tell you,” said the bee, ”but don't you ever tell:

”Sixty seconds make a minute, Sixty minutes make an hour; But a second has within it Sixty jiffies full of power.

”In other words, a jiffy is just the same thing to a second as the second is to the minute or the minute to the hour; and, dear me, what billions of things can happen in a jiffy! Why, they're simply enormous.”

”They must be,” said Jimmieboy, ”if, as you say, you can fix me up in regard to the fireworks in a jiffy.”

”There isn't any if about it,” returned the bee. ”Just turn over and put your face into the pillow, and see what you can see.”

”I can't see anything with both eyes in my pillow, much less with one,”

said Jimmieboy.

”Well--try it,” said the bee. ”I know what I'm buzzing about.”

So Jimmieboy, just to oblige his strange little friend, turned over and buried his face in the pillow. At first, as far as he could see, there was nothing going on in the pillow to make it worth while; but all of a sudden, just as he was about to withdraw his face, a great golden pin wheel began to whizz and whirr right in front of him, only instead of putting forth fire it spouted jewels and flowers, and finally right out of the middle of it there popped a tiny bit of a creature all dressed in spangles, looking for all the world like a Brownie. He bowed to Jimmieboy politely and requested him to open his mouth as wide as he could.

”What for?” asked Jimmieboy, naturally a little curious to know the meaning of this strange proceeding.

”I am going to set off the sugar-plum bomb,” the little creature replied. ”But of course if you don't want the sugar-plums you can keep your mouth closed.”

”Can't I catch 'em in my hands?” said Jimmieboy.

”You can if you want to, but they won't be of any use if you do,”