The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-12-18
BESsIE'S BIG BLACK BEAR.

InfOugn ines naZes Slraylng.
journal Of Education.
6ESSiE'S BIG BLACK BEAR.
How She Escaped Terror Of the w Gods
and Learned = Fact In Natural History.
The Benson family were leaving home
for the summer. This does not mean
that they we're shutting up house in
the city in order to spend few months
at some fashionable resort among the
mountains. They were already very
much in the country indeed. a. they
lived in the wild woods, fifty miles
away from the nearest town, and the
children. Eugene, aged twelve, and Bes-
sic. aged six, had never in their lives
seen even the outside OF church or
school-house. Leaving home fo- the
summer meant, with them, piling mat
tresses and chairs and tables on a
fiat boat which was poled across
the wide shallow river that lay
between what they called the winter
house tthough there is seldom any win
ter on the Florida COAST. and tue pal
metto-leaf-covercd summer house that
beyond which dashed the breakers. that
there was no danger there Of chills and
fever during the hot season. 1t was
built OF logs, and we'll ventilated with
cracks. and tho roof was sometimes
blown off during the equinoctial gales.
hurrying the return OF the Benson fami-
~ to their more comfortable home on
the other side OF the river.
When moving time came Mrs. Benson
dsed to express the wish that she might
pack Bessie up in large covered
basket. as she did the crockery. Eugene
was big and strong enough to make
himself useful on such occasions, but
Bessie did nothing but las her father
expressed it,, make herself numerous. :
On the moving-day Of which ! write.
she seemed worse after landing on what
the children called the wild side OF the
river than she had been before leaving
the tame side. Here. there and every
where she was, SO her mother told her,
as great o bother as Buchanan. the dog,
who was dashing hither and thither
among the bushes, barking at nothing
and nobody. until Mrs. Benson was
ready TO 60 distracted.
70, Bessie, / wish you would behave
less like Buch. and more like Victoria"
said she, pointing to sleeping cat
II don't want to go TO sleep on pile
Of pillows" replied BESSIE; ''but ii you
will let me. I'll help Eugene bring tho
chairs ashore"
.Ycs; and fall down on the oyster
bank. and get yourself SCARED up and
covered with mud. II you really wish
to be useful, take this fly-brush and
Buchanan, and go up to the house. You
can not miss your way. as you have
only to follow that path leading over
the hill and through the hammock.
sam and Dophne, who came over in the
canoe early this morning, are up there
sweeping out the house, SO you needn't
be afraid"
Suppose / meet a bear?" objected
Bessie, looking obviously up the high.
:hlckly-wooded hill over which the
path led.
.Ruch will drive away all the bears
you will meet" said Eugene. "You
are an awful little coward for big girl
like you-six years old yesterday"
Il ant a coward" exclaimed Bessie.
"Rut, mamma. il l meet bear. I'll
hare to climb a tree, though you said
must stop Icing tomboy when l was
six years old"
.'Climb tree!" said Eugene. us thai
all you know about bears?'
And he was about TO impart some oil
his own superior knowledge when Mrs
Benson. who was worried, and in nc
mood for natural history, interrupted
him with:
oh, go on, Bessie! II you meet a
bear. you may climb the very highest
tree you can find; but take good care o.
my nice fly-brush. If you get tired. yor
can stop and gather pop-berries along
the way"
II wonder IL Bessie has got to the
house yet" said Eugene. some time
later. when, having seen every thing
safely landed, he and his mother and
Victoria ton his shoulder). began the
ascent OF the hill. ''She Is an awful
slow walker"
"Yes." returned Mrs Benson, wher
they reached the Top, and the house. ;
quarter Of a mile away, came into view
II do not see any thing Of her along thu
| path"
"What is that down Wonder at the
foot OF the hill?" asked Eugene. II d,
believe it is your nice new peacock fly
brush she has dropped on the ground.
And SO it was. And when the,
reached the spot where 1t was lying
they heard scared little voice among
the branches of a scrub-oak close by:
20 mamma, I'm SO glad you hav.
come! Buch is running after biz
black bear. II had not climbed VI
here. he'd have caught me. There
Don't you hear them? They are com
ing this way again.
And so they were, hurrying through
the underground like mad.
Bow. WOW! wow" said Buchanan
Cuff. CUFF! guff.' said the black anima
OF which he was in chase.
"Ho! no! ho!" laughed Eugene
Look, mamma. at what Bessie calls
bear"
Give me the cat" said Mrs. Benson
land go and help the child down out 0
the tree"
"Well, 1t looked like bear anyhow,
said Bessie. after she had dropped iron
her perch into Eugene's arms
IF it had been a bear it would hav,
climbed up after you, and this is tn
way he would have Rugged you" sal
Eugene, suitins the action of the word
| 81,
show you the pictures in my Farley
Animals, and then you will see that
black bear is one thing and an old blac
hog is another. Clara Marshall,
Christian at Work.
THEY SHRUNK AWAY.