The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-06-24
GW. o. Stoddard in st. Methodist
Dot and the Bear.
A Story for the Little Folks.


Dot Calliper had come out on the mountain
side, with all the rest of them, after blackber-
ries.
She had picked her little pail full industri-
ously, but she was too fat and too small to
climb any further among the rocks and stumps
and bushes, so they had left her there, in the
shade of the great chestnut tree, to watch the
milkpails.
Not that there was any milk in them just
now, for all three of them were more than
halfifull of great, plump, overgrown berries
black berries and the best and largest anybody
had ever seen among those mountains.
Dot was-not in the least afraid at being alonet
but she did wish she was hungry enough TO ca,
some more berries.
Want of appetite was the trouble with Dot;
but there was somebody else in there, among
tho thckest of those bushes, picking, picking,
and eating every one he picked, and that fell
low had never seen an hour in all his life when
he could not have eaten some more blackber-
ries
An enormous fellow he was, and fatter for
his size than Dot Calliper was for hers. He
did not look at all ill-natured, and there was
even sort of funny twinkle in his little black
eyes, at he pulled the branches full of fruit to
his mouth with his great clumsy-lookng paws.
They were not half SO clumsy as they looked,
and they were armed with long, sharp, cruel
claws that were bent in curve, like the teeth
of the big shell comb Dots mother bought of
the peddler for her back hair. Then, too,
when his mouth opened wide, as it did when
he made one of his lazy, sleepy yawns. the
teeth he showed were something dreadful to
look at Teeth OF that size were never needed
for eating such things as blackberries. They
looked great deal more as If they were meant
for eating Dot Callipers
But Dot was not watching him. She had
not even seen him yet, and she did not know
he was there until he made a great crash
among the bushes, when his foot slipped, and
he rolled down through half dozen Of them.
"Bob," exclaimed Dot, sis that you? Did
you tumble DOWN."
There was no answer, and she asked again,
"Bob, did you pill yonr berries?"
Then she thought she heard something like
grunt, sach-as the pigs made when they were
roofing in the garden, and she and Bob went
to drive them out, and she said, sob, the pids
are come! the5 III pick all our berries"
Then there came more ruStling and crashing
among the bushes, and then Dot jumped up
and got behind the three big pals, for it was
not anything like pig that came out and be-
gan to walk toward The chestnut tree.
"Oh, dear meP' whispered the frightened
Dot. II daren't peak to him."
Neither did he cay word Co her. He did
not even tell her his name was Bruin, and that
he was fond of blackberries, but he walked
straight forward, and his little black eyes were
twinkhng more brightly than ever
AS fast as he came forward Dot stepped back
till she stood right against the tree, and then
she slipped around behind it, and began to feel
that she was perfectly safe.
"Bob! Bobl' screamed Dot at the top OF her
little voice, there's bear come, and he's
tealing our berries"
He was eating them up very fast, that was
fact-for all the world as If they'd been picked
for his benefit
Perhaps he would have liked them better
with plenty OF milk and sugar, but he did not
ask Dot for anything of the kind. He just sat
down on the grass and took big pail up i'll
his lap with his clumsy forepaws, and then
lifted il high enough to bury half his head in
it.
Dot saw that he knew exactly how to eat
blackberries out of milk pail, and she felt
sure they would not last him long.
"Mollyl Jessie Betsyl Johnny Coyne! Pen
Burke! the bears tealing the berriesp'
The other children heard her, and they all
began to scream together: "Bear! bear! He's
eating up Dot sand the berries. 2
Bruin had not as much as said cross word
to Dot, although it was true that he had not
thanked her for the berries; but he was just
lifting the second pail to his mouth when Dots
pig brother Bob heard the screaming and came
hurrying down the hill toward the chestnut
tree
"Joe-Joe Mix!n exclaimed Bob "The
biggest bear you ever saw in your life. Amt
glad you've got your gun along!'
"Bar? WHARF
Sup among the blackberries
"And / haven't a bullet nor a buckshot;
nothin' but small shot, Tell ye what, Bob.
Drap that little one. The bar won't foller ye.
You jest run for the house and git yer gun and
tell yer father, and have him come along, and
bring some buckshot and slugs for me. Bars is
r. srre% ft,<..f h &c avn
Bob Calliper must have been good runner,
and his father too, for it was wonderful how
soon the noise they made among the bushes be-
low told that they were coming.
That was not all, either, for a little distance
behind them was Mrs. Calliper herself, all out
of breath, with the baby in her arms and she
was not nearly so careful as usual in handing
the baby to Molly, she was in such hurry to
hug Dot, and kiss her, and exclaim, "Dearl
dear! dear! My petl Bears! Oh, Dot, bears!
Berries! My preciousp
"The bear dot the berries, mamma"
"Berres indeed Who cares for berries!
Joe Mixer asked, the moment Bob came near
enough, amy slugs for me?"
And Bob held out to him handful OF buck
shot and rifle bullets.
Joe had been drawing the old charge out of
his gun, and loading it again with more pow
der and now he poured in half dozen big
buckshot and three bullets.
They'll do for slugs Got yer rifle, Mr.. Cal
liper?"
mo, Bob's brought that. I've got my dou-
ble-barrelled deer gun, and I've stuck an aw-
full charge into it."
"That'll do"
'Mary Jane" said her husband to Mrs. Cal
liper, "you and the children go off down the
hill Pen, you and Johnny see If you can't
haul out that old stone-boat. It lies up this
way, close to the mountain. Wen need 1t to
get the bear home"
Mrs. Calliper and the children heard the
guns go off pretty quickly after that-bang
bang! bang! and then another bang.
son, DEAR hope they won't either of the m
get hurt"
There was no danger of that, for the distance
had been short, and ever SO many slugs and
buckshot had struck Dots bear almost at the
same time. He dropped the pail and rolled
over ON the ground, and he could not have
hurt any one after that he could not have
picked blackberry.
The boys heard 1t, and they tugged harder
than ever at the stone-boat
Such bear that was!
"Soch berry big bear?' said Dot.
They had put the three pals of berries down
only a few feet from the nose of the bear as ne
Law on the stone boat, and JESSIE Mack and
BETSY went and stood behind the pals, where
they were safe, but Dot wasn't bit afraid OF
that bear now. She toddled close up to her
father as he stood at the head of the stone
boat, and looked down on the great hurry perry
picker.
''He didn't pick me, papa"
"No, Dot" remarked Joe Mix; "he couldn't
sit up now eff you bring him all the berries
you've got"
Hes a poor. dood, dead bear" said Dot
pityingly. "Poor bear"
:tWaai no, Dot" said Joe, '.he's the latest
bear ever hauled on. It's all along OF thar
being sech heaps and heaps OF berries this
year."
IN. Y. Tribune.l
A Criticism upon His Thrift.
The death of prominent business man OF
NJ p.;,o;, Conn has evoked cogmunica-