“Lawdee,” continued Phyllis, gently forcing the little boy into his chair again, “doan yer heah dat boy squallin’ right now? Dem bare legs er his’n right full er bees. Mist’r Man, he run an’ start ter smokin’ de bees, fas’ es he kin, an’ bimeby, atter er long time, de Bee boys goes back ter dey ma.”
“Mammy, you tell Miss Queen Bee to tell John Mocking Bird to eat old Grab-All up,” pleaded Mary Van, putting her arms around Phyllis’s neck.
“Ain’ I done tole yer Miss Queen ain’ gwine ax nobody fur nuthin’, an’ she ain’ gwine give nobody nuthin’ neether? She tell her chillun ter scuf’le hard an’ make er heap er honey, an’ den hit doan make no diffunce whut happ’n. One day, one er her boys come out uv er flow’r so full er honey dat he come blump on de groun’. Ev’y time he try ter fly, hyah he come back blump on de groun’ ergin. Nancy Hummin’ Bird tell him ter git up on her back an’ she’d give ’im er lif’. He crawl on Nancy’s back an’ she tuk ’im home. Whin Miss Queen seed him, she ax ’im how he got dar wid sich er load er honey. He tell his ma Nancy fotch ’im. Hoopee! she buzz on him I tell yer. Yas, suh! She say: ‘Yer go straight es you kin an’ pay fur dat ride.’”
“Did he pay five cents money, Mammy?” Willis rocked over backwards but was up before Phyllis could rise. “It didn’t hurt. Did she give him five cents, Mammy?”
“Nor, he give Miss Nancy some honey, whut she love good es de bees does, but Nancy got nuf mann’rs ter tell him she doan charge ’im, but Bizzy pay her enyhow, ’caze his ma done tole ’im dey ain’ keerin’ ter make no ’quaintance wid nobody ’cep’n wid flow’rs. Miss Queen say: ‘Hit’s all right ter mix up wid de flow’rs, ’caze dat’s biznes’, but de res’ er de woel kin g’long whar dey’s er mine ter.’ Miss Queen totin’ her haid pow’ful high dese days, ’caze dat gum’s full er honey an’ she ain’ owin’ nobody er cent. She say she ain’ got no use fur nuthin’ ’cepin’ biznes’. Dey g’long ter bed mouty biggity, an’ feelin’ pow’ful rich, but ’long in de night er bad old man come an’ take’n ev’r speck er honey in de gum. Miss Queen think she done dremp er nightmar’, but whin she git up in de mawnin’ sho’ nuf dey ain’ got er Lawd’s bite er brekfus’. Miss Queen, she say: ‘G’long in de fiel’, chillun, an’ git us some brekfus’. ’Tain’ gwine be long ’fo’ we’ll git rich ergin.’
“But Jack Frost meet ’em at de do’, an’ say, ‘I’ll bite de fus’ man dat sticks his nose out.’
“Miss Queen say, ‘Lawdy, Lawdy, whut we gwine do? De idee er rich fokes like we all wus, settin’ hyah waitin’ fur po’ fokes ter hope us.’
“Jack Frost say, ‘You done slip up right dar, Sis’ Queen Bee, de Lawd ain’ nuv’r make nobody so big dey kin git ’long by derse’f, an’ ef you had er drapt er lit’le er dat honey ’long side de road whilst yer wus er makin’ so much uv hit, you’d er had some uv hit layin’ ’round whar Mist’r Bad Man cudn’t er foun’ hit.’”
“Make old Mister Bad Man give ’em back some honey,” Willis insisted.
“Mister Bad Man done sole dat honey an’ got hisse’f er pa’r er shoes ter keep Jack Fros’ fum bitin’ his foots.”