CHAPTER XIX 

 NATURE'S WAY WITH UNDESIRABLES 



WEIRD and imperative upon the hazy early morning 

 air floats the ephemeral perfume of the blooming 

 squash plants. Yonder in the garden a long narrow 

 line of them stretches out, from one end of the dew- 

 drenched field to the other, their great yellow blossoms standing out 

 in bold relief against the deep, rich green of their foliage. Weak 

 indeed is that weird fragrance, from a human point of view, yet it is 

 strong enough to bring the flowers insect admirers, the beetle and 

 the bee, from far and near to their gaping yellow throats. 



Simple enough to be sure, and as commonplace as any other cluster 

 of color words, yet in that little paragraph about the squash, the 

 beetle and bee, there lies a story, which is one of Nature's best. 



A black, shiny beetle darted through the air, first this way then 

 that, a carefree fortunate creature indeed, too simple to understand 

 such a thing as care or worry. Once or twice it circled above the 

 garden greenery, its filmy wings glistening in the sunlight. Then 

 suddenly, as though pulled by an invisible cord, it wheeled sharply 

 and flew straight into the mouth of a gaping yellow blossom. The 

 insect had felt the call of that oddly scented perfume and it had 

 proved irresistible. 



Eagerly the beetle scrambled down the big yellow pistil to satisfy 

 its thrust for the sweets which surely existed in the flower's hidden 

 depths. But there was a rude surprise in store for him, for when 

 he reached the bottom of the blossom the sweets were nowhere to 



be found. Search as the beetle might, there was nothing there, yet 



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