The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-01-08
The story of the Three Bears.

The story of the Three Bears.
% A story which may content the minds
OF learned men and grave philosophers"
Once upon a time there were Thre,
Bears who lived together III house o.
their own in wood. One OF then
was Little, Small, Wee Bear, and ont
was Middle.siz Bear, and the other
was Great, Huge Bear. They had each
pot for their porridge little pot
for the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and a
middle-sized pot for the Middle Bear,
and great pot for the Great, Huge
Bear. Aud they had each q chair to
sit in a little chair for the Little, Small,
Wee Bear, and middle-sized chair
for the Middle Bear, and q great chair
for the Great, Huge Bear. Aud they
had each bed TO sleep in; little bed
for the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and a
middle. sized bed for the Middle Bear,
and great bed for the Great, Huge
Bear.
One day, after they had made the
porridge for their breakfast, and poured
it into their porridge pots, they walked
out into the woods while the porridge
was cooling, that they might not burn
their mouths by beginning too soon to
eat it. And while they were walking,
n little old Woman came to the house.
She could not have been good, honest
old Woman for first she looked IN 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 nybody
would harm them. So the little old
Woman opened the door and went
IN; and well pleased she was when she
saw the porridgc on the table. If she
had been a good little old Woman,
she would have waited till the Bears
come home, and then, perhaps, they
would have asked her to breakfast
for they were good bears-alittle rough
or SO, as the manner OF Bears is, but for
all that very good natured and hospita-
bic. But she was an impudent, bad
old Woman, and set about helping her.
self.
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 por-
ridge of the Middle Bear, ana that was
too cold for her and she said bad
word about that too. And then she
went to the porridge of the Little,
Small, Wee Bear, and tasted that !;
and that was neither too hot nor
too cold (; and she liked it so well that
she ate it all mp; but the naughty
old Woman said a bad word about the
little porridge- because it did not
hold enough for her.
Then the Iivtle 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 was just right. So she
seated herself in it, and there
she sat till the bottom Of the chair
came out, and down came hers, plump
upon the ground. And the naughty
old Woman said wicked word about
that too.
Then the little old Womsn 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 ut the
head for her. And next she lay down
upon the bed of the Middle Bear and
that was too high in the foot for her.
And then she lay down upon the bed OF
the Little, Small, Wee Bear and that
was neither too high at the head nor at
the foot, but just right. So she covered
herself up comfortably, and lay there
till she fell fast asleep.
BY this time the Three Bears thought
their porridge 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 porridge.
"SoMEB0DY HAS BEEN AT MY
PORRIDGE !" said the Great. Huge
Bear, in his great, rough, grufr voice
And when the Middle Bear looked a
his he saw that the spoon was standing
in it too. They were wooden spoons
if they had been silver ones, the naughty
old Woman would have put them in he
pocket.
"SoMEBoDY HAS BEEN AT MY PoR
RIDGE !" said the Middle Bear, in hi
middle voice.
Then the Little, Small, Wee Bea
looked at his, and there was the spooi
in the porridge pot, but the porrldg
was all gone.
Somebody has been at n'y por
ridge, and has eaten ii all up!" sait
the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his Lit
tie, small, wee voice.
Upon this the Three Bears, seeing
that some one had entered their house
and eaten up the Little, Small, We,
Bears breakfast, began to look abou
them. Now the little old Woman Ia,
not put the hard cushion straight wheI
she rose from the chair of the Great
Huge Bear.
"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SIT
TING IN MY CHAIR ?" said the Great
Huge Bear, in his great, rough, CRU
voice.
And the little old Woman had squat
ted down the soft cushion of the Middl
Bear.