Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-01

side world.
"well." he tapped one paw witt
the other. cts fine to be great blacl
bear like myself. Goodness-me, how
people do fear me. They'll run miles
and miles to get out Of my sight. And
they don't know that I'm not such s
| powerful fellow, after all. Even bob
cat can make me hide myself behind
the bushes. I look pretty fierce. but
when put to the test, I'd rather run
than fight"
Thus musing,, Bruno sat as the last
rays of the evening sun dazzled his
eyes. Then, after the red ball had
dropped behind the crest Of the noun
tain, he got up and went leisurely on
down the path which led to a fine
spring Of cold sweet water.
And while Bruno was going in the d.
rection of the spring, there were two
other creatures making in the same di'
rection. But they were not bears, nor
were they bobcats, the enemies OF
Bruno. They were little creatures in
human form, dear little boy Of seven
and dear little girl of six. And they
were hurrying along in the gathering
darkness, hand in hand, their eyes full
OF fastflowing tears, and their mouths
all acquiver. They were lost on the
mountain side.
1t was in the early afternoon Of the
day that Tad and Bah had wandered
away from their home in the village
at the foot Of the mountain. Their
mother had permitted them to go to
play with some neighboring children,
Fenny and Benny Shivers. And Fen
ny and Benny had persuaded Tad and
Bah to take "a long, long walk to
hunt for spring flowers" And after
they had gone quite way round q
long foothill, Fenny and Benny had
grown tired and had returned to their
home. which was in sight. But Tad
and Bah were anxious to find some
blossoms before returning to their
home, so had gone on and on, and
pretty soon, when they too became
very tired, and wished to retrace
their steps, they did not know which
direction to take. So, as Is always
the case with children who are lost,
they took the wrong course. And so
they went on and on, up long hill,
then down 1t, then up another sleeper
and greater one. And so the evening
sharows began to fall, and still Tad
and Bah were not in sight of their
front gate with the vine growing over
It.
And so they began to cry softly, as,
hand in hand, they went along. "Oh, 1
want mamma walled poor little Bah.
ooh. want mamma, too,' walled lit
tie Tad. Then they wept together.
After long, long time they came to
a strange, wild path in the woods. 1t
did not look like path made by hui
man feet 1t looked as thought 1t
might have been made by the soft
paws of wild creatures. And SO it had.
Old Bruno's paws had helped in max
ing that path.
After following the path for some
time Tad and Bah came to clear,
had come early to chase away the sun
was peeping at herself in it, and
Tad saw a Shiny little snake creeping
close to the waters edge. This gave
him an extra fright. but he was too
thoughtful to speak OF it to Bah. She
was bis baby sister, you know, and he
felt that he, must protect her.
But just as the tiny snake had hid
den itself from sight there was the
sound Of heavy, soft paws coming on
the path. In another instant Tad and
Bah saw a huge black creature coming
toward them. coming down the steep
path. Old Bruno saw them at the
same instant and his eye glowed wick
edly. "Infants!" he muttered to him
SELF 81 can kill them with one stroke
Of my paw"
But you'll not kill them," said a
voice just above Bruno's head. you'll
carry them home on your back. Come
follow my Instructions Then the
fairy-for the voice came from sure
enough fairy in tree-came to earth
and approached Tad and Bah. AS
children and fairies always know each
other on sight, it did not take Tad
and Bah long to agree to do anything
that their good friend, the fairy, told
them to. "Come. you old black bear"
repeated the fairy, lend your strength
to carry these lost children home"
And Bruno, like all wild creatures
and children. loved fairies, even
though he was a very fierce fellow,
and he came willingly forward and
stopped low so that Tad and Bah
might mount upon his broad back.
And the fairy flying above his head
made him go at very lively gait,
and before long the little ones came
in sight of the village and their own
home
At the outskirts Of the village the
fairy had them dismount and point
ing toward their house, said: Now,
there is no danger of your becoming
lost again. You can see even your
own gate, and the moonlight is as day
light. Goodby, and never, never, run
away in search of wild blossoms
again. Next time a fairy might not
rescue you, and bear would certain
ly made quick work of killing you"
Then the fairy was gone. Also Old
Bruno was fast disappearing up the
mountain path. And then the children
heard their mothers and fathers
voices calling to them. And they ran
home as fast as they could, and when
they told their story their parents
shook their heads, saying to one an
other: 1.-THE darlings have been
asleep in the meadow and have dreamt
that fairy and bear brought them
home
But Tad and Bah knew; and the
fairy knew. and Old Bruno. sitting in