Part 12 (1/2)

”How do you do, again?” And Maya gave its leaf a little tap The flat object peeled one eye open, turned it on Maya, and said:

”A bee The world is full of bees,” and closed its eye again

”Unique,” thought Maya, and deterer's secret For now it excited her curiosity more than ever, as people often do who pay no attention to us She tried honey

”I have plenty of honey,” she said ”May I offer you soarded Maya conte to say this time?” Maya wondered

This tiain, and the stranger sat quite still, tight on the leaf, so that you couldn't see its legs and you'd have thought it had been pressed down flat with a thuer wanted to ignore her, but--you kno it is--you don't like being snubbed, especially if you haven't found out what you wanted to find out

It makes you feel so cheap

”Whoever you are,” cried Maya, ”per each other, especially when one of the It did not so ht Maya ”How horrid to be ill on a lovely day like this That's why it's staying in the shade, too” She flew over to the bug's leaf and sat down beside it ”Aren't you feeling well?” she asked, so very friendly

At this the funny creature began to move away ”Move” is the only word to use, because it didn't walk, or run, or fly, or hop It went as if shoved by an invisible hand

”It hasn't any legs That's why it's so cross,” thought Maya

When it reached the steain, and, to her astonishment, Maya saw that it had left behind a little brown drop

”How _very_ singular,” she thought--and clapped her hand to her nose and held it tight shut The veriest stench came from the little brown drop Maya almost fainted She fleay as fast as she could and seated herself on a raspberry, where she held on to her nose and shi+vered with disgust and exciteht,” sohed ”Why take up with a stink-bug?”

”Don't laugh!” cried Maya

She looked up A white butterfly had alighted overhead on a slender, swaying branch of the raspberry bush, and was slowly opening and closing its broad wings--slowly, softly, silently, happy in the sunshi+ne--black corners to its wings, round black , four round black marks in all

Ah, how beautiful, how beautiful! Maya forgot her vexation And she was glad, too, to talk to the butterfly She had never h she had ht to laugh Was that a stink-bug?”

”It was,” he replied, still s ”The sort of person to keep away fro still?”

”Well,” observed Maya, ”I shouldn't say I was--exactly I've been through a great deal But that was the first speci such a thing?”

The butterfly had to laugh again

”You see,” he explained, ”stink-bugs like to keep to themselves

They are not very popular, so they use the odoriferous drop to et the fact of their existence if it were not for the drop: it serves as a reminder And they want to be remembered, no matter how”

”How lovely, how exquisitely lovely your wings are,” said Maya

”So delicate and white May I introduce myself? Maya, of the nation of bees”

The butterfly laid his wings together to look like only one wing standing straight up in the air He gave a slight bow

”Fred,” he said laconically

Maya couldn't gaze her fill