Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-10-15

A KINDERGARTEN BEAR.
1t Lifts a Little Child In It's Paws
and Puts Her I'm a Place of safe

ty.
Miss Isabel L. Hapgood translates
for the October st. Nicholas a true
story from the Russian Of Vera T. Zhei-
ikhovsky. 1t is an incident that oc-
Cured in lS47, in the Trans-Caucasian
German colony of EliZabethtlal, about
thirty miles from Tihis. A picnic par
ty discovered a large bear Called Nj.
hail Ivan'itch and General Toptygin,
In Russian) on a narrow ledge of rock,
high up in the gorge. This is what fol
lowed:
All at once, a simultaneous cry of
pity, terror, horror broke from all.
From behind the crag a little girl made
her appearance. The tiny colonist was
seven or eight years old; not moro
She was ~strolling along with her arms
crossed careleSSly on her pink apron.
y large hat of coarse straw, such as all
the coloRists. whether young or old,
wear In hot weather. had fallen quite
YER on the nape of her neck; and, sur
rounded by this aureGlc. all flooded
with sunlight, the poor little thing
stepped out on the path which skirted
the cliff on the brink of the abyss
The poor child was going To her
death in plain sight Of many men and
wonderland to what 4 dreadful death!
And not one of them could help her,
No one could either n V her OF warn
her of her danger!
All mel We're condemned to gaze. in
active. at the dreadful event which
was on the point of happening before
their eyes.
The women raised a cry and fell TO
weeping. The majority of them cried
themselves into Mysteries beforehand.
The men, ever those who had been in
battle more than nee who had beheld
death and blood. said afterward that
they became cold and dizzy, and many
turned away their eyes in anguish.
But those who endured the ordeal, on
the other hand. beheld a marvel
Because of n turn in the path. the
child could not see the horrible fellow
traveller who was coming to meet her.
She only caught sight OF the dark
brown, shaggy mass at the moment
when it was almost in contact with
her The huge beast completely blocked
her road. His left paws stood on the
very edge of the path. while with his
right side he almost rubbed the cliff.
They caught sight Of each other al
most at the same moment.
Probably a cry or an exclamation on
the part of the child revealed her pres
ence to the beast, as he was walking
along with his nozzle and eyes dropped
earthward. They stared fixedly at
each other. The little girl was petri-
fed with fear; the bear halted, in in
decision. no doubt much astonished, IL
not frightened. For one moment,
probably, he reflected: What am l
to do nowg' 1t was impossible to
pass without crushing the unexpected
obstacle, without striking it or hurting
it into the abyss. The path was SO
narrow at this point that he could not
even turn around OIL all ours. What
was to be done?
Down below the people waited, with
bated breath, expecting ut any moment
to see the unhappy child pushed Into
the abyss. But evidently this was not
the way IN which fulfilled and good
naturcd Mikhail Ivan'itch, General
Toptygin had settled the problem. He
wished neither death to this tiny Great
ure, helpless before him, with open
mouth and staring eyes having lost,
through fear, all power of crying, anu
awaiting his will in trembling silence.
And Mishenka carried out his will.
With a faint growl, caused not by
anger but by the necessity OF putting
himself to trouble. he reared up on his
hind legs, strobe close up to the little
girl, and, bracing his back against the
cliff, clasped his fore paws around her,
lust beneath the shoulders.
Shrieks and groans of despair re-
sounded from below. The ladies, who
still continued to gaze with dim eyes,
grew faint; but the men, especially the
huntsmen. who were acquainted with
the murderous habits of the bear fami-
ly. lcaped in spirit, and with a hope--a
mad %hope-for the child's safety. They
perceived that Mishka was behaving
in n very remarkable manner with all
the caution and dexterity which he
could command.
They were 20 mistaken as I'D ais I'M
precedented goodness. The k~ind-heart-
ed bear lifted the little girl up careful-
". bore her over the preciplee, and,
turning on the pivot of his hind paws,
set her down on the other side OF the
path.
Having performed this g%ymnastic ex-
ercise, the bear, without waiting to be
thanked evidently he was well ac-
uuaintcd with the human race,
whjrlcd about. dropped on all fours,
and proceeded quietly on his way,
swaying from side TO side, and grunt-
ing contentedly. in anticipation OF
sweet repose in his lair, not far away.