American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-06-26
BERTHA AND THE BEAR.

LULU came In from the woods with heI
apron full of moss and wild flowers. Hell
face was flushed, and she was very tired
for she had taken a long ramble She
sat down on the floor beside her grand
mother, and leaned her head against heI
knee. BY and by she asked for story
- was going to say" responded the
old lady, that you put me in mind of
one, just now, with all your flowers
and treasures. 1t was a story my
grandmother told to me when 1 was
about your age, and it happened to her
when she was a very little girl, four or
Ave years old, 1 think.
This country was new then, and had
not been settled much, except along the
coast So when Bertha's father and one
of his neighbors left the village where
they had lived since they came from En-
gland. and moved with their families sew
eral miles inland, they found themselves
In a wilderness where wild beasts
roamed and Indians dwelt. They made
little clearing in the forest for their
fields and gardens, and built their log
cabins there.
Bertha was an only child, but in the
neighbours house there were three, all SO
much older and larger than she that they
could sometimes venture into the woods
by themselves a short distance. One
for strawberries, and Bertha was allowed
to go with them.
The berries were red and ripe and
plentiful, and suppose the other chill
dren became SO occupied in gathering
them that they neglected to look after
Bertha; so it happened that she strayed
away from them and amused herself
with pulling the flowers and long grass
till her apron was filled like Lulu's; and
then she was tired and sat down; and
close by where she was sitting she pres
emily noticed great brown creature,
and 1t gazed at her with such kind, good
natured eyes that she went up to it and
strOked and patted its face and called it
dood dOggie,' and a dreat bid doggie,'
and, when he smelt of her flowers, said
he might have them all, if he wanted to,
and took of her apron and laid it down
on the ground before him; and being
very tired, as l said, she crept close to
him, and resting against his shaggy coat,
as she. had often done with the watch
dog at home, went fast asleep.
In the meantime the children, having
filled their baskets, missed Bertha, and,
supposing she had gone back to the
house, from which they had always taken
care not to wander very far, they started
for home. When they arrived there and
found that their little playmate had not
returned how frightened they were! and
SO was their mother, and Bertha's mother
more than all. As for the two fathers,
they had gone deer-hunting and taken
the dog with them.
"What was to be done? The women
and children hurried into the forest, I'M
dertakIng the search themselves. They
had spent more than an hour running to
and fro and calling Bertha! Berthap
when suddenly her mother paused and
stood, as white and as motionless as
marble, pointing with her finger. Every
one fastened to her, and, looking in the
direction to which she pointed, saw the
little girl lying asleep beside large
brown bear, her head against its shoulder
and one arm over its neck!
They were all so frightened they
hardly knew what to do. If they should
call to Bertha, or approach her, the beast
might become enraged and-who knows?
perhaps tear her to pieces. So they
stood gazing for some time, wondering
and trembling, and perfectly silent.
While they were standing there
watching, Bertha finished her nap, and,
rubbing her eyes and looking about, saw
her mother standing little way off with
arms, and sprang up and
ran toward her, the bear, too, rising and
off in the opposite direction, as
much alarmed at the sight of so many
people as they had been at the sight of
him.
1 suppose Bertha got good deal of
hugging and kissing on the way home,
but she was sorry, she SAID, that Eat
dreat, bid, nice doggie didn't tum long
wiz u.s. "-Etlen Douglas, in Hearth and
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