The Washington times., 1901-08-04
AN INcoRRIGIBLE BEAR.
..Teddy RooseveIt' the Terror of the
New York Zoo.

| AN INCORRIG1BLE BEAR.
| ssTeddy RoOseveIt'' the Terror of the
New York Zoo.
| About six months ago. when Vice Presi-
dent Roosevelt presented the Bronx Park
Zoo with a tiny black bear that he had
caught alive on his last mountain lion
hunt. the little fellow was a very we'll
behaved youngster, very shy. afraid that
everything would eat him, much afraid or
the other bears. more afraid of Keeper
Hoey, and most of all afraid of the
| crowds that surrounded the bears den
and ogled him and pointed him out the
real thing bear" About all that was
then necessary to frighten the life out of
him was to point finger at him or to
aim a peanut at his head. Then he would
run to the uttermost corner of the den,
and in a most pitiful fashion show his
1 fear that his precious end had come. But
things have changed
! Since those days Teddy Roosevelt, as
/ the bear is called, has grown into quite
/ big boy. He has learned the way of the
| Zoo and its crowds, and has gotten the
sweiled head about something or other.
/ He TO longer fears the other bears Nor
I does he fear Keeper Hoey, and he has
reached a stage where he cares not i
1 tinker's dam whetherzthe crowd points
him out or not. There remains but one
thing he does fear-a six-foot blacksnake
whip that Keeper Hoey has in readiness
| for use at any moment This whip lies
stretched at full length In front of the
bears den with its handle turned toward
whoever may want to enter the bears
den quickly.
Teddy Roosevelt seems to be doing
| hing in pnvusr n disgrace his
! illustrious namesake. for he has become
so mischieyous a scamp that even the
4 blacksnake whip is beginning to dwarf
! in his estimation, for to cut through Ted
/ dys thick coat with a mere blacksnake
whip is something like trying to knock re-
morse into hair mattress.
| Up to quite recently the whip was not
brought into play. New and then Teddy
| got into a bit CT a muss with his elders
| and was knocked down for his pains
which his keepers said was for the good
of Teddy soul and for his behavior. The
big cinnamon bears in the same cage must
have thought so, too, for they knocked
him down with comparative regularity
and with force whenever they could sue
cessfuily lay paws on him.
A week ago the cinnamon bears were
taken from the den, and Teddy and
little Japanese bear had it to themselves
The two got on well together, making
faces al and trying to paw the cinnamon
bears in the adjoining cage through the
bars But the next night pair of Euro
pean bears were put into the cage with
Teddy. They are tiny mites, with hardly
teeth enough to chew milk and with
nothing but sunshine and good win to-
ward both men and the other bears. The
little pair was there because the Zoo So
ciety had bought them and put them
there. The society however Inade mis-
take when they did not first consult with
swelled-headed Teddy.
The two ba bies sat In one corner of the
den and began to play, much in the man
ner of puppies. They rolled over and over
each other, delighted with their new quar-
tiers. Then they wrestled and got on their
hind legs and boxed and did lot OF other
stunts that amused the crowd and made
the little bears themselves very happy.
All day long they played, and between
acts, when they grew tired. they lay to-
sether in one corner, and, with their
baby faces side by side, began to spin on
their backs. top fashion, in the manner
of bears supremely happy
Teddy did not like the kid" play around
him. He also disliked the spinning busi-
hind one of the little bears, named
Bounce, and hit her in the back. Bounce
is the better half of the young pair. The
name of the boy-bear is Towser Bounce
was much frightened when she was
| ''ciouted. and more still when she
| saw Teddy standing over her with open
mouth. Keeper Hoey had seen the per
| formance. He ran to his room to get the
blacksnake whip. and before Teddy had
| fully made up his mind what to do to
| Bounce. the keeper was inside the den
and was laying it on thick all over
J Teddy. Teddy thought quickly, and re-
| tired.
! All went well that day though the
! keeper. knowing bear nature, kept the
whip in surprising readiness Last We'd
| nesday Teddy thought he would try II
\ again. Bounce and Towser were wrest-
| ling and trying To- bite the little noses off
of each other 10 the amusement of big
Iprowd. when someone threw a peanut in
side the bars for the little one to scramble
after. Bounce got IL, and was Just begin
ming to eat II. when up rushed Teddy
| from behind and half hooked Bounce in
/ the back. Then he took the ear of the lit
| tie one between his teeth and began to
make on with her. Never - whimper
| came from bounce. She struck out with
/ her tiny paws and defended herself as
best she could. while Towser ran after
| the escaping Teddy and nipped at his legs
and tried to claw him
Teddy was having a lovely time all TO
himself: Bounce one not quite SO lovely.
! But Keeper Hoey happened to be sitting
| within sight of the whole performance
! He picked up the blacksnake whip, ran
| into the den, and the way things came
redGy's way was a caution. Up and
| down the rocks Teddy ran. and at every
| step the keepers whip landed steadily on
| the spots where it did the most good. 1t
was only when the incorrigible Teddy
found himself literally and safely up
| tree that the keeper decided that he had
| disgraced him enough for one day.
| Bounce limped back into her corner,
| where she Joined by TOwser Their
play was spoiled for the day, but they lay
| with heads close together. Towser licking
and sucking Bounce's ear to make II well
from the cuts of Teddy's teeth. AS night
fell Towser was still sucking the sore car
and Bounce lay spinning away like a good
one.
| But Teddy will need just more les
| son before he is completely educated up
to the ordinances OF his Keeper. and in
| the meantime he lives disgraced-the in
corrigibie Teddy. Another big backsnake
whip lies ever ready to hand.-New York
Times.