El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-24
A LITTLE GIRLS PET.
The Story of n Bear That Was Civil
Ifzed by the Influence of Candy.

1ized by the Influence of Candy.
A little girl who lives near Colorado
Springs and whose papa owns a ranch
near the mountains can give a better
account of the good bears than those
who have only seen them at the zoo
and the circus. Put a little boy or girl
in a cage or Jail and any person pass
ing by would naturally think them
criminals. The very presence of bars
does not tend toward refining the cap
tive in the eyes of those who look at
the prisoners. 1t is exactly the same
way with the ZOO and Circus bears.
They realize that they are in jail, and,
though unjustly confined, they in time
grow desperate and don't care how
they act at all. So it happens that
they often grunt very loud and look
very vicious, but a little missionary
work, properly worked out among
them, might show them up in a differ
ent light. There are even said to be re-
ligiouS bearS-but that is different
story.
The little girl spoken about above is
a very charming little miss of some IL
years of age. Part of the time she lives
on the ranch near the mountains in the
summer time. One day, few years
ago. her big brothers went hunting
away up in the mountains. In the
course Of their hunt they came across
an old mother bear that had very rude
WAYS She did not believe in civiliZa-
ton and resented the appearance of
hunting parties with remarkable ZEAL
for she was what they call a fanatic.
She was not a all partial to guns. In
fact. she loathed them. No sooner did
she see the hunting party than she be-
gan to get very insulting in her re-
marks and, in fine. requested one of
her little boy bears to go out and tell
the hunters that there should be no
shooting on her farm.
The little bear. though extremely
awkward, went out and talked with
the hunters and told them what his
mamma had said. The hunters were
kind and nice to him and patted him on
his little fuzzy head. They also took
out q sack of candy and gave it to him.
His mother grew furious and yelled at
him not to eat the sweets, as they
might contain poison. Then several
rifles cracked, and the little bear never
saw his mother any more He was
carried n long distance in the big pock-
ct of a hunting coat and finally depos-
tied in a big, warm basket in a big
house That night the little bear roll
ed and tossed on his pillow and dream
ed Of candy growing upon trees. The
next morning he was given more can
dy by a very pretty little girl, whom
he soon found himself liking so much
that he asked to be taken into the fam
lily. This was arranged finally, and it
was not long before the little bear had
all the fine manners of a town bear
and never asked for dessert until
through eating the palmer food.
Any day in the long summer that
followed the little girl and the bear
We're always seen together frolicking
about the foothills, and if any bad
dogs or other animals came around and
tried to harm the little girl the bear
would be sure to show his teeth. That
was the only bad habit that chung to
him in spite of etiquette and the blue
book of morals and manners. At last
the little girl grew tired of walking
and as her Shetland pony got mixed up
in a horse trade and went away she
was much distressed.
The little bear then proposed that
she allow him to haul her about. So
a regular set of harness was bought
and the bear was hitched to her dog
cart after promising on his word of
honor that he would not kick up. Aft
Ell that all went we'll, and the little
bear came to be a great playfellow.
His coat grew sleeker and sleeker I'M
til he was taken to Colorado Springs,
and to this day he draws the little girl
around in society. When his teeth
grow too large, they are filed down by
the family dentist, and one of the serv
ants combs his long, brown fur every
He has bedroom in the top
Of a tree that stands in the front yard,
but he never sleeps late like his rela-
ives do up in the mountains. On Sun
lay he is decked out with ribbons and
eats several bags of candy before
orea