Chapter I: Front Matter

NUOVA

or THE NEW BEE

A Story for Children
of Five to Fifty by

VERNON KELLOGG

With Songs by
CHARLOTTE KELLOGG

Illustrated by
Milo Winter

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
Boston and New York

COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY VERNON KELLOGG AND
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

TO
JEAN
WHO IS FIVE

PREFATORY NOTE

Most of this that I have written about bees is true: what is not, does not pretend to be. Some of the true part sounds almost like a description of what human life might in some respects be, if certain social movements of to-day were followed out to their logical extreme. I suppose that in this likeness lies the moral of the book.

V. K.

CONTENTS

I. Nuova Appears 1

II. Nuova's First Experiences 7

III. Nuova as Nurse 16

IV. Nuova sees Some Other Things Done 29

V. Nuova sees Bee Moth and gets acquainted with Beffa 44

VI. Nuova and Hero, and the Birth of the Princess 60

VII. Nuova goes Outside 78

VIII. Nuova and Hero again, and a Battle 93

IX. Hero and Nuova once more, and the Great Courting Chase 106

X. Nuova in the Beautiful Garden 115

XI. Hero finds Nuova in the Garden 130

XII. The Happy Ending 142

ILLUSTRATIONS

"Nuova, I love you" _Colored Frontispiece_

The beginning of a new life for Nuova 4

Industriously cleaning the floor 12

"I am so tired," replied poor Nuova 26

She would like that kind of work 32

"What?" she cried. "Well, you really are a stupid bee" 42

"The stupid one! The faithless one!" 48

"Drones work? It isn't done, you know" 62

There came slowly forth ... the new Princess 74

"Beffa, you are sad," said Saggia 80

Nuova began to clean his wings 96

Nuova was among the fallen 104

In the Garden 116

Beffa settled down comfortably 128

"The Princess is lost!" 146

THE NAMES OF THE BEES

As all the bees of this story are Italian bees, they all, except one, have Italian names. And they should really be spoken as the Italians speak them. Besides, they are prettier that way. Therefore, a list of them, with the proper way to pronounce them, is given here.

_Nuova_ (noo-o'va)
_Uno_ (oo'no)
_Due_ (doo'ay)
_Tre_ (tray)
_Saggia_ (saj'jia)
_Mela_ (may'la)
_Cera_ (chay'ra)
_Fessa_ (fess'sa)
_Aria_ (ah'ri-a)
_Principessa_ (prin-chee-pess'sa)
_Lotta_ (lawt'ta)

_NUOVA_