Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-06-12
FINDING THE BEARS HOUSE.

FINDING THE BEARS HOUSE.;
Little Matte Sets out Or a Voyage Of
Discovery-How She Was Found.
Matte Millet sat on the doorstep in
the bright April sunshine, with Topsy
Tinkle on her lap.
Matte was a dear little five-year-old
girl, and Topsy was a beautiful one.
year-old kitten, with glossy fur asi
black as jet; and they were the best of
friends.
Mamma had just been telling the story
of the three bears in the woods, and;
Matte was thinking how nice it would
be for her and Topsy to go and find the
bears house.
The fields were nearly bare, only Al
few dirty white spots on the brown
earth, but in the woods beyond the
brook the 10 was still quite deep.
Il b'ieve we could do it, Topsy, you
and L. Ib'lieve we could find it, don't
you?" she said.
''Mew! newt" answered Topsy. az
her mistress put her down on the snow.
That was Topsy's way of saying yes,
SO Matte would have told you just then
So they started down the path to the
little bridge across the brook-that is,
Matte started and Topsy followed, as
in duty bound.
Mamma was busy in the kitchen, and
did not miss them, nor see the little fig
IRE in the bright scarlet dress eros the
fields and enter the woods. If she only
had what. o deal of trouble might have
been saved.
10 Ttpsy Tinkle! IS sure's you're
alive, here is a path. It's the bears
path,. 1 knoww Matte cried as they
game to a rough road. y
..Mew! mewr" said Topsy, as she
lifted first one black foot, then another,
and looked up in Mattie's face as if she
wanted to 90 home, but her mistress
wouldn't understand, and 80 on they
went.
The snow grew deeper in the woods
and little puddles of water came in the
road as the sun shone brighter through
the leafess trees. Now and then q
squirrel ran chattering up q tree, and
looked doubtfully at Topsy when he
thought he was at q safe distance, or
some winter bird twitiered from the
branches above them.
Mattie's little red shoes were wet
through, and she was tired, oh. so tired!
1t did seem as though they would never
get to the bears house.
II guess it amt a great ways further,
Topsy," she said, bravely, as she
trudged along, and Topsy followed,
mewing family at every third step.
Then, sure enough, as they went around
a bend in the road, there stood a rude
log shanty.
housed" and she stopped at the door
to listen, almost afraid now that she
had found it.
"Mew! newt" said Topsy, joyfully,
as she leaped upon the step to warm
her feet in the sun.
II guess we'd better 60 in, Topsy."
whispered Matte. 'l'm awful hungry,
and maybe they've left their porridgeI
to cool.' Matte pushed the door open
and stepped in. Topsy followed with a
pitiful NEW. It wasn't half as warm
as it was out in the sunshine.
This is a funny place to live in,
amt it, Topsy? And there amt a
crumb to eat,'' said Matte, with a lit
tie sob, as she looked around.
"What a funny bed to sleep on, not
half as nice as ours" and she sat down
on the old quilt that covered a pile of
spruce boughs.
"Oh, it isn't half as splendid as we
thought it would be, is it, Topsy?"
But Topsy had found a meat-bone,'
and was too busy to answer
I'm hungry, too" she went on
with quivering lips, "but 1 don't want
to eat a nasty bone. l wish-why-e-et
This looks just like the sugar papa
brings home-it is! Why-e-e, 1 didn't
think bears made sugar!!" and she
pulled a handful of little, sweet, brown
cakes from a box in the corner. "I'm
awful hungry, and l s'pose this will
have to do, but I wish it was por.
After she had eaten the first small,
cake Of sugar she began to feel very
and missed her soft, nice bed.
s'pose we'd ought to go home.,
Tinkle, but 1 guess we'll have a
rest-nap first" and soon she was fatt
under the old quilt.
When she woke up it was quite darsk,
but a light was shining in her eyes, al
most binding her, and in the doorway
stood-not the three bears-but papa,
and Tom and Charlie.
80 MI: Big Bear!' screamed Mat
for she could not see who they were
at first.
who's this in my bed''' said papa,
a great gruf' voice, and then he
laugghed-oh, such q happy laugh! and
Matte laughed, and Tupsy mewed, and
Charley ran back to the house 10 tell :
mamma that Matte was found, and
Tom carried the lantern, while papa
Matte and Topsy both In his
They had found their tracks in the
moist snow at the edge of the woods,
and followed them straight to the sugar.
camp.
Wasn't it lucky? Matte thought So,
and She doesn't want to find the home
OF the bears any more.-YouM's Conf
The old saying that truth is stranger
fiction was proven in q coaEting