TWIGMAN AND THE BEE TREEE

ONE MORNING TWIGMAN WAS LOOKING FOR A TREE THAT HE COULD CUT FOR FIRE WOOD TO BURN IN HIS FIREPLACE. HE FOUND A TREE THAT SEEMED TO BE VERY OLD AND ITS TRUNK WAS HOLLOW. TWIGMAN THOUGHT THIS TREE WOULD BE FINE FOR FIREWOOD BECAUSE IT WOULD SOON DIE AND FALL TO THE GROUND. HE STARTED TO CHOP BUT HE DID NOT CHOP LONG. A SWARM OF BEES LIVED IN THE HOLLOW TREE TRUNK AND THEY ALL CAME OUT AT ONCE. THEY SWARMED AROUND TWIGMAN AND BEGAN TO STING HIM. TWIGMAN STARTED TO RUN.

TWIGMAN RAN TO THE LAKE AND JUMPED IN THE WATER. THE BEES COULD NOT FOLLOW INTO THE WATER. SOON THEY LEFT TWIGMAN ALONE AND FLEW AWAY.

TWIGMAN TOLD HIS FAMILY ABOUT HIS TROUBLE WITH THE BEES AND THEY ALL LAUGHED. TWIGMAN DID NOT THINK IT WAS SO FUNNY. BUT HE DID TELL HIS CHILDREN THEY WERE GOING TO GET SOME HONEY FROM THE BEE TREE. THORNY TWIG SAID, "NOT ME!". KNOBBY TWIG SAID, "ME EITHER!". FUZZY TWIG SAID, "I DON'T WANT TO GET STUNG BY A BEE!" TWIGMAN SAID, "DON'T WORRY, NOBODY IS GOING TO GET STUNG. I KNOW HOW TO DO IT." SO ALL THE TWIG CHILDREN WENT TO THE BEE TREE WITH THEIR DADDY.

TWIGMAN BUILT A BIG FIRE UNDER THE BEE TREE AND ALL THE CHILDREN PUT WET LEAVES ON THE FIRE. A HUGE SMOKE AROSE AROUND THE BEE TREE AND ALL THE BEES FLEW AWAY. THEY COULD NOT ATTACK ANYONE IN THE SMOKE.

TWIGMAN GOT A HUGE BUCKET OF HONEY. THORNY TWIG GOT A LARGE BUCKET OF HONEY. KNOBBY TWIG GOT A SMALL BUCKET OF HONEY AND FUZZY TWIG GOT A TINY LITTLE BUCKET OF HONEY. THEY ALL WENT HOME AND MAMMA LEAFY TWIG WAS VERY HAPPY TO GET THE NICE SWEET SYRUP FOR THE FAMILY PANCAKES.