<h2><SPAN name="XVI" id="XVI"></SPAN>XVI</h2>
<h3>NOTHING BUT A FRAUD</h3>
<p><span class="smcap">At</span> last Joseph Bumble's displeasure
passed all control. He began to buzz as
loud as he could, hoping to drown Buster
Bumblebee's buzzing, so that Buster
could no longer talk to Betsy Butterfly.</p>
<p>Naturally, Buster soon had to raise his
own voice, in order to make himself heard.
And soon the two made such a roar that
everybody else had to stop up his ears.</p>
<p>Noticing a look of distress on Betsy Butterfly's
face, Buster asked her what the
trouble was.</p>
<p>"You and your cousin Joseph are making
a terrible racket," she told him.</p>
<p>"My cousin Joseph!" cried Buster Bum<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="p_79" id="p_79"></SPAN></span>blebee.
"And who is he, I should like to
know? Point him out to me, please! For
I didn't know I had a cousin at this
party."</p>
<p>"There he is!" said Betsy Butterfly,
nodding her head towards the glowering
Joseph.</p>
<p>"What! That unshaven stranger in the
yellowish-brown suit?" cried Buster Bumblebee.
"I assure you he's no relation of
mine."</p>
<p>"You must be mistaken," Betsy persisted.
"He says he's your cousin, and of
royal blood himself."</p>
<p>"Nonsense!" cried Buster Bumblebee.
"Just let me talk to him a moment, and
I'll soon prove that your friend is nothing
but a fraud."</p>
<p>Accordingly Buster left her, and
straightway perched himself upon a daisy
directly in front of Joseph Bumble.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="p_80" id="p_80"></SPAN></span>"How-dy do!" said Buster. "I hear
you've been talking about me."</p>
<p>Now, Joseph Bumble's only thought was
that the noisy chap in the yellow and black
velvet must have overheard what he had
said to Chirpy Cricket about throwing him
out of the party.</p>
<p>"I don't care to talk with you," Joseph
announced in his grandest manner. "I'm
from such a fine family that I have to be
very particular about whom I'm seen
with."</p>
<p>"Is that so?" said Buster. "I suppose
if Buster Bumblebee were at this party
you'd be glad to talk with him?"</p>
<p>"I should say I would!" was the other's
answer. "He's my cousin."</p>
<p>"What's your name, anyhow?" Buster
Inquired.</p>
<p>"Joseph Bumble!"</p>
<p>"What's the rest of it?" Buster Bum<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="p_81" id="p_81"></SPAN></span>blebee
demanded, while the whole company
surged around him, so that they
might hear.</p>
<p>"I refuse to answer!" said Joseph Bumble.
And afterward Daddy Longlegs declared
that at that moment he saw the fellow's
knees trembling.</p>
<p>"Come!" said Joseph Bumble, turning
suddenly to Betsy Butterfly. "I see that
we've accidentally fallen in with some
rough people; and we'd better be moving
on."</p>
<p>But Betsy Butterfly didn't even look at
Joseph.</p>
<p>"What <i>is</i> his full name?" she asked Buster.</p>
<p>"He's a Bumble Flower-Beetle," Buster
said. "And as for his being related to me,
that's all humbug. This stranger is no
kin either to the Bumblebee or any other
Bee family. But his voice is so much like<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="p_82" id="p_82"></SPAN></span>
ours that he's taken part of our name,
though our family has always claimed that
he has no right to it."</p>
<p>"Who are you?" Joseph Bumble demanded
of Buster quite fiercely. He was
determined to put his enemy to rout if he
could.</p>
<p>"I'm Buster Bumblebee!" was the reply.
"Don't you know your cousin?"</p>
<p>When he heard that, Joseph Bumble
knew at once that the game was up. His
trickery was discovered beyond a doubt.
So with one last lingering look at the beautiful
Betsy he took to his wings. And no
one ever saw him in those parts again.</p>
<p>As for Betsy Butterfly, she never could
bear, after that, to hear the name of Joseph
Bumble so much as mentioned.</p>
<hr class="chapter" />
<p class="chapter"><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="p_83" id="p_83"></SPAN></span></p>
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