The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-13
The Good-Natured Bear.

AL a very neat white house. with blue
shutters, In tho best street Of n pretty
German village, about twenty miles from,
Dresden, party Of children was assem-
bled one Christmas evening. This house
where the merry meeting was held. was
the country residence OF the celebrated
z DR. Littlepump. Nancy. who had such
very blue eyes. and her younger brother
little Valentine, were the children OF Dr.
Ijttlepump, and they had invited q mum
Der OF other children to come and spend
tho evening With them.
Very happy they ali were. They danced
10: the music OF a mute and addle. and
ran about and sang. and squealsed, and
hoped upon one Log, and Crept upon al
fclirs and Jumped over small cushions
and stools, and then they sat down. They
MI sat In circle round the stove, ana
laughed at the IRE. @
Tho stoye was red hot III some pla ces,
70 they were obliged to open its d t
widely. and then everybody Saw Yhnt
hustle the FIRE was IN. putting nno pian
ing away inside On the top Of the stVve
was d ldrge dish Of stcwed prunes. smok-
Ing hot, land all round the dial, were
chcstnuts roasting an fast as ever tney
could ronst, and sometimes cracking ana
filing over the chiidre,,'s heads ~ al VI:
. rccltons, and sometimes right amongst
them, which made % great shouting ana
7cramhling out OF the way and great
ln. Of course.
The door Of the stove was now closed.
"a Or. L.lttlepump took out his flute
i'd played a few HoarIshes. He then
commenced 4 mruet dance. and was
about to Indicate the proper step by ex-
tending one leg and making q. bow. when
suddenly cracking volley OF fye nor
chestnuts struck him upon the top o.
the head and he imm edlately LAID the
Z r1fut nj
the poker. He was about 70 continue
#rlnylng tie fninuet on the poker. through
absence Of mind. but recollecting him
self directly he heard the children laugh.
ing, he pointed the poker TO tho door o.
the stove and again set 1t vide open
There they now saw a glowing red,ho'
mountain. with dirt pie on It's top
Presently they noticed mouse creeping
out at the bottom. when Or. Litt.rpump
quoted a rare a nd select Latin saying, TO
the effect OF very great expectations Of
tel, producing very small things and at
the same time he gave the mountain
good dig In It's stomach With the poker.
In a moment the glowing red mountain.
fell TO pieces, and there they saw the
Shah OF Persia. in all his jewels. seated
upon a golden throne with black eagle
4 on n rock to gersa peck at his right ear.
Then Dr. Littlapump put up the toe o.
his boot. and slammed-to the hot door
OF the stove
Besides DR.. and Mrs. Littlepump and
the children. there were several others
in the room to Join in the merrimcnl.
first, there was the swect-voced Grct-E
chcn, with her small but bright brown
eyes. tho dear pretty nursery governess
OF Nancy ana little' Valentine. All the
children were SO fond OF her. shcs was
about twenty years Of age. and one OF
the incest girls In Froltcksdorf She was
seated In the middle OF all the children
Then there was Lydia the hohsematd, and
Dorothea the cook. and Wallis the gar
dener In new pair Of, very large spec
taclss.s Flo was obliged to wear very
large round spectacles. In order to read
the IatlI1 names OF the plants.
But we have forgotten to mention one
pcrson who was present, and this one
was Uncle Abraham. He was the young
er brother OF Or. Littlepump. and a pro-
lessor Of mlthe mntics. very grave. ST.
lent man, was Uncle Abraham; but he
was always doing kind things In his quiet
way. and everybody was extremely fond
OF him. He was dressed in long brown
coat and long grey wooden CATERS, and
he chose to wear a small auburn wig
: though his own hair was flaxen
BY these means he made himself look
more like the elder than the younger
brother Of the Doctor. He said he
thought 1t proper that mathematician