“‘I know not,’ said the old grandmother. ‘It comes so at times; but never have I seen it like this. Before, it has covered the whole moon, or gone over one edge—like a great shadow. But this is round, like a dark ball, and small. See, the moon shows around it.’
“It was as she said: a thin thread of light, like a silver ring, almost surrounded the dark something that came between their eyes and the moon.
“‘It is just like the Bee Baby!’ said one of the children. ‘Don’t you remember how round his little head was?’
“‘I wonder what became of him,’ said another.
“‘Perhaps he’s there—in the sky,’ said a third.
“But the grandmother said: ‘You are foolish children. He is dead. Xyntli’s snakes could tell—’
“Wise children know when to stop arguing with older people about things that only children understand. So they said no more to the grandmother, but drew away, and talked and whispered to each other—while the small round shadow passed on, across the bright lantern of the moon, and left it clear once more.”
THE SMALL ROUND SHADOW PASSED ON ACROSS THE BRIGHT LANTERN OF THE MOON
“But it was truly the Bee Baby,” said Pat. “And now they could know what became of him.”