The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-02-05
And the little old Woman had pulled
he bolster of the Middle Bear out of its

And the little old Woman had pulled
the bolster of the Middle Bear out of its
place.
"SoMEBoDY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY
- said the Middle Bear, in his mid
die voice.
And when the Little, Small, Wee
Bear came to look at his bed, there
was the bolster in its place and the
pillow in its place upon the bolster !;
and upon the pillow was the little old
Woman's ugly, dirty head-which was
NOT in it's place, for she had no business
there.
Sc Somebody has been lying in n1u
6ed-a,ad here she Is 2" said the Little.
Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small,
wee voice.
The little old Woman had heard in her
sleep the great, rough, gruf voice of the
Great, Huge Bear /; but she was SO fast
asleep that it was no more to her than
the roaring of wind or the rumbling of
thunder. And she had heard the middle
voice of the Middle Bear, but it was
only as if she had heard some one
speaking in dream. But when she
heard the little, small, wee voice of
the Little, Small, Wee Bear, it was
SO sharp and so shrin that it awak-
ened her at once. Up she started: and
when she saw the Three Bears on one
side of the bed, she tumbled herself
out on che other, and ran to the win
dow. Now, the window was open, be.
cause the bears, like good, tidy Bears,
as they were, always opened their bed
chamber window when they got up in
the morning. Out the little old Woman
jumped; and whether she broke her
neck in the fall, or ran into the wood
and was lost there, or found her way
out of the wood and was taken up by
the constable and sent to the House of
G. Correction for vagrant as she was. I
cannot tell But the Three Bears never
saw anything more of her.-.Southey.
ssI Cannot Help It"
Do you ever make use of this phrase,
young folks? You will all plead guilty,
we fear; and older folks are very apt
to do the same.
There is our friend Ruth1e the dress.
ing bell rings, and she hears it she is
conscious that she ought to spring up
at once that all will go wrong if she
does not but still she lies with folded
hands, for st O little more sleep and a
little more slumber.'
Late at breakfast. hurried in prepar-
ing for school, Ruthie meets her moth
er's reproaching looks with ST cannot
help it (; I mean to get up every morn
ing as soon as am called, but before I
know it Tn asleep again-I can't help
it I"
Donald is charged with an errand
which he is to attend to on his way to
school, and of course Donald means to
do it !; but something diverts his mind,
and as has often been the case before.
he forgets all about it until too late.
There it's too bad, but I cannot
help it u he says, and SO comforts him
self for this one more sin of unfaith-
| fulness.' -
Harry and Josie are in hot dispute
Now they forget themselves entirely
Josie's vexing words are uttered with
out restraint, and Harry, in towering
passion, gives her fierce reply, and
rushes out of the room.
The brother and sister meet no more
until night, and in the meantime they
each feel self-reproached and uncom-
| Portable.
"Well, I cannot help it, !" says Harry
to himself "Josie is SO provoking, and
off go into rage before I know it. -
| And Jesie is wishing over and over
again that she could recall her teasing
words But then 1t is just my nature,
I cannot help it !'
Most likely all of our young readers
are conscious of some habit of wrong
! doing which they feel to be just such 8
''band of sin" tying them down, so that
they really cannot help doing just SO.
And no wonder; for these habits oi
evil are just like strong bands, holding
us back from the service and obedience
which we owe to God. And every time
we indulge the habit of wrong doing We
strengthen the bond, as it were. by an
other thread
And as Josie says, 1T is our nature
we cannot help it"