Nature's Bedtime Stories

Ben and the Beehive

Spring is here; the wind blows the yellow blossoms from the cluster of logwood trees.  The ground is covered with yellow blossoms. The bees buss from flower to flower enjoying the juicy nectar.  The mango tree just across the fence is also busing with honeybees.

Ben the family's dog smells every inch of ground before he pees.  One day while he smells, he came upon some peculiar substance; he was wagging his tail, all excited.  Whatever Ben is having is good, but he is having difficulty eating.  His mouth is covered with yellow blossoms.  The bees are busy, in and out of a large beehive in the mango tree.  Ben kept wiping his mouth; but the more he wipes the sticker his mouth got.

My sister Flo and I moved closer to investigate Ben's decorative mouth.  My sister said, "Look at this!  It's honey!"  Honey was all over the ground, and sticking to Ben's mouth, all clustered with flowers.  Honey was running down the trunk of the mango tree, also dripping from one of the branches of the tree.

We went for daddy.  Daddy said, "I know something strange is taking place in this mango tree."  We all hurried to the mango tree to find Ben still rolling in honey.  This time honey is all over his body.  Poor Been didn't know what to do with his busybody self.  Daddy looked into the mango tree and exclaimed, "Good heavens!  My property is certainly sweet!"

Daddy went for Mr. Lugg the beekeeper; he knows all about bees and honey.  Mr. Lugg and two of his workers came down with their apparatus.  They gentle lifted the beehive from the mango tree.  Flo and I were not allowed to be near, because daddy said, "It's good for you and Flo to inform me about the bees and honey, but please stay out of reach of these bees:  they won't like us going near their habitat.

Mr. Lugg got gallons of honey that night and mom got two bottles of honey; and all the children got honeycomb to eat.  Mom said, "Now all the fresh cold will have to go, honey will do the job for me."  Mom gave Ben a very good bath, and he slept like a baby throughout the night, thank to the honey!