HAPPY 



fought here as well as yonder. And some of the strong 

 and gallant had need to remain." 



Something in Crip's look and tone struck me. Was 

 I too old to go? Had that been the reason? I had 

 heard a cry over the hive that only young bees should 

 go, for there would be small hope of raising much of 

 a brood in the new colony through the winter. If it 

 could build comb enough and gather sufficient honey 

 to feed itself, it would be fortunate. 



So, I was not young enough. Until then I had not 

 thought of my age; it seemed to me that I was still 

 as active as on the day I flew into the sky. 



As for Crip, "too useless" seemed a cruel phrase. 

 For who could say what was the worth of his stores of 

 knowledge? But I could see that he moved more 

 feebly from day to day. 



"Only the strong are to be chosen the fit? Crip, 

 that bears hard on us." 



"Not a bit of it," he replied, cheerily. "Take 

 courage; that is the way of things in the world of 

 the bee." 



Then he added that it would be a hard battle to 

 build a home in the short space of time allotted and 

 to store food enough to last through the winter. It 

 meant a fight, for already the glimmerings of the fall 

 were upon us! Pale shadows of color began to stain 

 the leaves, and the flowers turned their faces more 

 wistfully each day to the sun. Still, the bees would 

 go. There was no denying the operation of the law, 

 which commanded that the chance be taken. The 

 whole law of survival was involved and there was 

 none to deny it. 



82 



