The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-07-09

haunehes on one of the shelves. Before him was a large box of crackers, and he was amusing himself by pulling them out one or two at a time with his fore paws, and dropping them on the floor. As each cracker fell, he looked over the edge of the shelf, as though to see where it went, and then proceeded to drag out another. At this moment, his friend the housekeeper appeared upon the scene, and she made just one wry face at the floor Of the pantry. But as she looked at the comical little face before her, smile broke out and she exclaimed:
 Bless his little heart! He's nothing but baby"
 The other day took Johnny for a long walk, and he was certainly an en- tertaining companion. When We set out, I took one little black paw in my right hand, and he walked along on his hind legs like little man. But he soon became tired of this method of locomo- tion, so let him go on all fours. We had not gone far when his quick eyes caught sight of "No Trespassing' sign nailed to a tree-trunk. about 15 feet above the ground, and up the tree trunk he went. As he came abreast of the sign, he leaned over and examined | it closely, and 1t certainly looked very much as though he were reading the notice. At another point along the road, he climbed sign-post, to the great delight of passing farmer, who, IPriuOiOpr hro 5lxy ,sor1aY aY-1rssd.
 T guess that bar wants ter see how fur he is from hum.
 By and bye we came to a lake and Johnny at once plunged in and took a short swim, after which he came out and shook himself like a dog. Then I sat down to see what he would do. He wandered away. paddling in the shal- low water near the margin, until he was perhaps twenty-five yards away. On flat stone, close to the bank, a muskrat was. sitting, quietly rubbing his nose, and I expected to see him dive long before Johnny came near him. But he didn't move and Johnny failed to see him until they were close to- gether. Then the little bear stuck out his nose to investigate, and the musk rat turned to face him, whereupon Johnny rose on his hind legs, and look ed down on the muskrat, as though not quite sure what to do. Then he came down on all fours and again advanced sniffing for information. The muskrat, perhaps thinking 1t was time to resent this inpudence, made a jump at the bear. snapped his teeth once, and quickly turned to run. But he was not quick enough for. Johnny, had struck out with one black paw and bowled rhs 1nuskrat over on the bank. But the rat quickly recovered his balance, and dived into the water.
 Johnny's blood was up now, and into the lake he plunged. Just what took I place then cannot say, as there was such a splashing of water, but at any rate the muskrat, turned and bit the little bear in the nose, and Johnny, per- hars realizing that he was at disad- 4 vantage in the water, turned and fled, Ihowling and panic-stricken, to the bank. and. taking to his heels, did not stop until he was safe in the branches Of e tree. It was certainly a Imaginable sigkt, and it was a pity that Johnny could, not enjoy it as much as I did. But he stayed up that tree, and amused himself by chewing the leaves and bark until I was ready to go home,
 I When we got back. there was a mnn Idoing something to the roof, and after speaking a fewwords to him went in- Ito the house. Presently heard q Ishout, and. running into the garden. l lsaw the man. white as a sheet, stand- ling 1t the edge of the roof, wiping the lmolsture from his forehead. It appear led that Johnny, seeing some one on | the rcof, had gone up the ladder to see what it was all about. The man, bend ling over his work, did not know of the bears existence. The noise of his ham, Inner drowned the sound of the cubs ap- lproach, and he was scared almost stiff
 when Johnny, in playful mood, jumped
 on his back, threw two black paws laround his neck, and shook him vigor- Iously by the collar.
 Johnny is very interesting to us all Inow, but I cannot help feeling that,
 when he grows big, and weighs say lthree hundred pounds. we may all be livery interesting to Johnny.
 T,ToNEycT, TIAp0T1n HAYNES