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Tale of Buster Bumblebee

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[Pg 11] <h2>III THE RUDE TRUMPETER</h2> Yes! At last Buster Bumblebee was worried. Every time he looked at the trumpeter she seemed in a more peppery temper than ever. Beside her, some of the other workers appeared positively pleasant. But the trumpeter wore a frown. And what was still worse, she wore no hat. How, then, was Buster to follow Chirpy Cricket's advice and tell her what a becoming hat she was wearing? "I'll have to think of some other way of making her feel happy—since she's bareheaded," said Buster.[Pg 12] Now, without thinking what he was doing he had spoken his thought right out loud. And since he was quite near the trumpeter and staring directly at her, it was no wonder that she heard what he said. "Don't be impertinent, young man!" the trumpeter snapped, growing somewhat red in the face. "I'm sure it's no affair of yours whether I wear a hat or whether I don't. And if you want to make me happy, I'll tell you the best way in the world." "Oh! Will you?" cried Buster Bumblebee hopefully. And in his eagerness he drew even nearer to the trumpeter, who actually smiled at him. But there was something in her smile that sent a shiver up and down Buster's back. It was not at all a pleasant smile. "If you want to make me happy all you need do is to keep out of my sight," said[Pg 13] the trumpeter rudely. "You're just a lazy, good-for-nothing drone. And for my part, I don't see why you're allowed to stay in our house. If I had my way you'd be driven out into the world to shift for yourself.... And I know others who say the same." Upon hearing that disagreeable speech Buster Bumblebee jumped back quickly. He was not angry—but merely disappointed, for he had expected something quite different. "You—er—you trumpet beautifully," he stammered, remembering that that was another remark which Chirpy Cricket had suggested as being likely to put the trumpeter into a pleasant frame of mind. At that the rude creature laughed most scornfully. "I'd like to know how you can say that," she sneered. "You're so lazy and such a[Pg 14] sleepy-head that you never hear me when I wake the household. In fact, I don't believe you would ever wake up enough to crawl out of bed if you didn't get hungry—and goodness knows you do love to eat." "No such thing!" cried Buster Bumblebee. And happening just at that moment to spy an unusually tempting clover-top close beside him, he lighted upon it and began to suck up its sweet juices. The trumpeter at once screamed joyfully and pointed a finger straight at him. "There you go!" she cried. "You have to stop and eat even while you're talking with a lady! Why, you eat and sleep so much that you don't know what you're doing or saying half the time." One might naturally think that such a remark would have angered Buster. But he was not one to lose his temper easily.[Pg 15] And he merely looked at the trumpeter sadly and said: "Don't speak to me like that! I'm a queen's son. I'm a gentleman." <hr class="major" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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