Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-05-08
about his TANKS began to ripple That

was all.
Impatiently Claude watched him, and
now, clear and shrill, the notes of his
mothers horn racked the air. They
must gol He cast about in his mind for
a way to propitiate their brute jailer.
| Sadly he took out his precious cake.
The eye of the bear twinklod.
eff you'll please light right out,
Mist Good Bear" said Claude, "Tll
give you this. 1t is mighty nice cake.
l did ben going to give it to nav for
Christmas gift, but if you will santer
off and let we all git by I'll frow it to
you You needn't be 'fraid won't frow
straight l always frow corn pone to
our dog Mumps. He's a right nice dog
and likes bears" added Claude eagerly.
! "Will frow it, sir?"
The bear grunted and reared himself
on his hind legs, ready to catch. In
deed catching "sweeties" was one of
| his most admired tricks.
Claude raised the cake. How beauti-
full it looked, with all that white candy
on topl He couldn't let it all 60
"Please, Mist Good Bear he STAN
mered, "kin take one bite-a right lit.
tie bite?'
And then, taking the bears grunt for
assent, he did venture to nibble one wee
morsel before he flung the cake, swift
and true, at the great black head. The
bear swung his jaws at it, catching it
| cleverly. And directly, as if he wished
to humor such generous little boy, he
made a vast heave and splash, plainly
an effort to climb out Of the mud. In
vain. He was held tight.
Up to this moment Baby Sister had
been awestruck into the quiet children
keep at first with strangers, but at the
| commotion she screamed again.
"Tain't mare use, Mist Good Bear, "
said Claude. you plumb miIed up,
and you caynt holp it. And Baby Sister
don't aim to be mean. Well jest all
boiler together for folks to come and
holp."
The bear seemed of his opinion, for
he let out prodigious howl. Claude
screamed his loudest, while Baby Sis
ter yelled like a steam whistle in her
renewed terror.
The trees and the distant hills echoed
the sounds. The forest was full of wall
ing reverberations Again and again,
until his small tired throat ached,
Claude shouted. Baby Sister cried until
she could cry no more. Then she sobbed.
Had not Claude held her she would
have tumbled out of the tree from sheer
exhaustion.
His thin arms burned with the strain,
He knew Baby Sister never could be
persuaded to walk past the bear, of
which be now felt no fear, and it was
impossible to carry her. 1t did not enter
the loyal little heart to escape without
her There was nothing to do but to
keep calling for help. His voice grew
faint, and the tears of mingled weari-
ness and pain were streaming down his
cheeks, but he called again: NAV,
nav Oh, nav, do come and holp
Mist Good Bear and me!
But no one came. Did no one come?
Harkl Away to the left rang the Arkan-
sas pig call: "Whoop-ee-eel Whoop
--ee-ee -
Here mel Here meI'' shrieked
Claude.
But his shrek was not much louder
than whisper when young Mr.. Crosby
galloped furiously through the brush
You can imagine that gentleman S
amazement at the sight, the babes in
the wood at one end of the log, the bear
ut the other He was not the man,
however, to lose his head. He uttered a
loud exclamation, but even as he opened
his month for it, the lasso at his saddle
bow whizzed through the air and cir.
cled above Mr.. Good Bears neck. 1t
settled. 1t frightened. "Oh, please don't
hurt him!" pleaded Claude cts the
good bear
Well, whether it was in very truth
the good bear or whether his meal at
Farmer Norman's had made him amia.
BILE, or whether, finally, he was coTed
by his Shiny prison, certain it is he was
as docile as possible.
Colonel Ormond rode close behind
Dir. Crosby. He rolled another log up
for the bear, and the bear clambered on
it, after a deal of struggling and pull
ing. Safe on the shore he put his head
down and followed the horses like a
dog. When they took the bear away
not before, you may be sure, the same
kindly log had bridged the mud for the
bears fellow prisoners-Claude called
put warmly: "Thank you, Mist Good
Bear, l wish you we'll, sir. "
Later in the day he told Mr.. Crosby
and Colonel Ormond the whole story,
while Mr.. Crosby told Claude how they
had safely returned Mr.. Good Bear TO
his circus home.
did he ben lost?" inquired Claude,