That noon when Frances came home from Four Corners with the mail and the grocery orders for Rachel, she did not put the car up as usual. She left the groceries in the kitchen and then went to the side-porch where Mrs. James sat sewing.
“Jimmy, I heard the funniest thing that I know of, while I was at Tompkins’ this morning,” she began.
The girls instantly gathered around to listen. And Frances continued: “That officer who shot the tire has a farm several miles the other side of Four Corners. While he was chasing us, and trying to find out where the escaping villains went, his son rode a bicycle furiously to the place where he expected to find his father, to tell him he was wanted at home to keep a swarm of bees that was about to swarm from flying away. But he could not find his dad so he went back home to learn that the bees had already wandered away.
“The boy hunted all over the country-side for the swarm but could not locate it. Today when Si Tompkins told his customers of the fine swarm of lost bees he had hived on Sunday, one of them said: ‘That must be Babcock’s swarm he lost yesterday.’
“Mr. Tompkins investigated and is sure now that the swarm we secured were Babcock’s bees. He told me to tell you, so that we would know what to do in case Babcock puts in a claim for it.”
“That seems to be ‘adding injury to insult’,” laughed Janet, when she heard the story.
“I could hardly keep from laughing myself, when I heard how the officer missed his natural prey and then lost the very object we were speeding to win. I think he is entitled to the full value of the bees because we deprived him of making an arrest,” explained Frances.
“Girls, that will be the best way out of the whole case. We’ll pay for the swarm and we’ll pay Tompkins for hiving it for us. It is well worth the price Mr. Tompkins said the owner may demand of us,” added Mrs. James.
So a letter was written to Mr. Babcock explaining how the bees came to be on Green Hill Farm, but nothing was said about the identity of the speeders he had hoped to catch. This letter and a check for the swarm of bees was taken back to Four Corners that same day and left in Babcock’s letter box.
Sue had been grazing faithfully ever since she had been tethered on the lawns, but the contract was too large for her. Eat as constantly and ravenously as she could, the grass grew beyond her powers of grazing. Then Norma realized that a mower would be a necessity.