The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-01-08
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1 one country house, with the result that | as many as forty beds may be required. | large influx of visitors arrived one | night at the house where the bear had | his room. The last-comer was a timid
 youth a cousin of the house. The host met him, radiant:
 What a pleasure, Ivan! You'll find half the relations here. But, alas, you'll not have a good room. Every other corner is full. There's only the tower left. As you know, the bear comes there But never mind He does not put in an appearance every
 night" The young man would fain
 have gone further, but the nearest
 country house was ten miles off his
 horse tired, and the hospita ble relations
 very pressing in their invitation to him
 to remain. He was greatly afraid of
 the bear, but still more afraid of of
 lending host, hostess and all the other
 cousins and neighbors. lille decided to
 stay, and at last retired to rest in a
 large, square room, with two beds in it.
 He inquired if he might not bar ou. the
 bear Ghe door had but a latch), bu, he
 was told that no fastenings might be
 used; the bear was too noisy if shut
 out. He would not let soul in the
 place have a wink of sleep" Besides,
 'he wasn't coming very likely And,
 further, there wasn't any means of al-
 together fastening the door" Tt was left on the latch on purpose" The last
 words of a rather sleepy cousin to the
 newcomer were: Better take the bed
 in the far corner, Ivan!"
 The guest can hardly be said to have slept there. The terror of bruin kept him awake at first, and then bruin him. self. For in the small hours a sham bling step and a sound of claws on the steps and balustrade froze the blood in
 the unhappy youths veins. The noise came nearer. There was fumbling at the latch. With great growing and grumbling, bruin entered and put him. self to bed in the couch near the door There the beast grumbIed, grunted and seemed to sniff. That sniffing alarmed the other occupant of the room most of all, for he thought it meant that the bear scented him, and might resent his presence. The wretch dared scarcely breathe. Dawn was breaking, but that was only another danger; the bear might see him! Bruin, a great, curled lump above the blankets, became in due time visible to his felow-lodger. Then the bear snored! There was com fort in that sound. But soon he rolled about, and growled and groaned discon- tentedly. The heart of the watcher beat painfully loudly. He dared not rise. He had not nerve enough to yass the sleeping animal and rush down the steps. Terror paralyzed the youth, and prudence whispered that inactivity can be sometimes 'masterly."
 The slow hours dragged on. All the company had assembled down stairs at breakfast. but bruin still slept, and the timid cousin watched him with eyes | that burned and throbbed. At last the | host said: Where's Ivan? Where's the | bear. too?" and a messenger was dis patched to the tower, there to find l pallid guest and his uninvited compan- | ion The messenger routed out the | bear. who had been kept as a pet when | a cub, and who was really only half | wild beast-and helped the nerve-shat- tered youth to dress and join the break fast party.-Lonaon Daily News.