The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-01-07

OF learned men and grave philosophers
GAsCoYNE
Once upon a time there were thre,
bears, who lived together in n house O.
their own in wood. One of them wa,
a little, small, wee bear, and one was E
middle-sized bear, and the other was 6
great, huge bear. They had each a pot
for their poridge /; little pot for the
little, small, wee bear, and a middle-sized
pot for the middle bear, and a great pot
for the great, huge bear. And they had
each chair to sit in little chair foi
the little, small, wee bear, and middle.
sized chair for the middle bear. and q
great chair for the great, huge bear.
And they had each bed to sleep in a
little bed for the little, small, wee bear.
and middle-sized bed for the middle
bear, and a great bed for the great, huge
bear.
One day, after they had made the por.
ridge for their breakfast, and poured it
into their porridge-pots, they walked cut
into the wood while the porridge was
COOLING that they might not burn their
mouths by beginning too soon to eat it.
And while they We're walking a little old
woman came to the house. She could
not have been a good, honest old
woman for first she looked III at the
window, and then she peeped in at the
key-hole; and seeing nobody in the
house, she lifted the latch. The door
was not fastened, because the bears were
good bears, who did nobody any harm,
and never suspected that anybody would
harm them. So the little old woman
opened the door and went in and well
pleased she was when she saw the Dor
ridge on the table. If she had been a
good little woman, she would have waited
till the bears came home, and then, per-
haps, they would have asked her to
breakfast; for they were good bears-a
little rough or so. rs the manner of bears
is, but for all that very good-natured and
hospitable. But she was an impudent,
bad old woman, and set about helping
herself
So first she tasted the porridge of the
great, huge bear, and that was too hot
for her; and she said bad word about
that. And then she tasted the porridge
of the middle bear, and that was too cold
for her; and she said bad word about
that too. And then she went to the por-
ridge of the little, small wee bear, and
IuSUeu Illdb, anu tllttu WIS llSlIler 700 not
nor too cold, but just right; and see liked
it so well that she ate it all up; but the
naughty old woman said a bad word
about the little porridge-pot, because it
did not hold enough for her.
Then the little old woman sat down in
the chair of the great, huge bear, and
that was too hard for her. And then she
sat down in the chair of the middle bear,
and that was too soft for her. And then
she sat down in the chair of the little,
small, wee bear, and that was neither too
hard nor too soft, but just right. So she
seated herself in it, and there sat till the
bottom of the chair came out, and down
came herself, plump upon the ground.
And the naughty old woman said wicked
word about that too.
Then the little old woman went up
stairs into the bed-chamber in which the
three bears slept. And first she lay down
upon the bed of the great, huge bear;
but that was too high at the head for her.
And next she laydown upon the bed of
the middle bear; and that was too high
at the foot for her. And then she Law
down upon the bed of the little, small.
wee bear; and that was neither too high
at the head nor at tie foot, but Just
right So she covered up comfortably,
and lay there till she fell fast asleep.
BY this time the three bears thought
their poridge would be cool enough; SO
they came home to breakfast. Now the
little old woman had left the spoon of the
great, huge bear standing in his por-
ridge.