The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1911-12-02
A BEAR IN HIS BED
Night Of Thrills and Shivers For
an Eccentric Danes Relation.
QUEER TALE FROM RUSSIA.

rarity ana the NonsternatioH " y
kinsman Of the Hostess When
Strange Roommate Appeared.
Livonia is a part Of our globe where
fondness for pets coexists with love
of sport. A Russian subject from that
province tells of the strange consid-
GRAFTON evinced by one of her neigh
bors for the feelings Of bear The
animal had an odd fancy for sleeping
indoors and in bed. To humor him
room In tower was always left
open for the animal. Some nights he
came and awaited himself of the hos
pitality, but often he stayed out In the
woods. If he arrived at his tower and
mounted the long fight Of steps which
led from outside to his own door and
found that anything prevented his en-
trance the bear made horrible noise,
growing and battering the woodwork.
In Livonia during the brief northern
summer the local magnates visit each
other without prior arrangement. and
they arrive prepared to stop the night.
1t not infrequently occurs that many
carriages converge at the same time on
one country house, with the result that
as many as forty beds may be re-
Quired. A large influx Of visitors ar
rived one night at the house where the
bear had his room. The last conner
was q timid youth, cousin OF the
house. The host met him, radiant:
~What pleasure, Ivan! You'll find
half the relations here. But, alas,
you'll not have 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
farther, but the nearest country house
was ten miles off. his horse tired and
the hospitable relations very pressing
In their invitation to him to remain.
He was greatly afraid Of the bear, but
still more afraid of offending host,
hostess and all the other cousins and
neighbors. He decided to stay and at
last retired to rest In large. square
room, with two beds In 1t. He inquir-
ed IL he might not bar out the bear the
door had but latch, but 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 altogether
fastening the door," ut was left on
the latch on purpose" The last words
Of rather sleepy cousin to the new
conner 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 ut first and then bruin him,
self, for In the small hours a sham
bling step and sound Of claws on the
steps and balustrade froZe the blood In
the unhappy youths veins. The noise
came nearer. There was fumbing
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 grumbleA. grunted and
seemed to sniff. That smiling alarmed
the other occupant Of the room most
Of all. for he thought 1t meant that
the bear scented him and might resent
his presence. The wretch dared
scarcely breathe. Dawn was breaking
bait that was only another danger The
bear might see him. Bruin. great.
curled lump above the blankets, be-
came In due time visible to his fellow
ledger. Then the bear snOred. There
was comfort in that sound. But soon
he rolled about and growled and groan-
ed discOntentedly. The heart of the
WATCHER beat painfully loud. He dared
not rise. He had not nerve enough to
pass the sleeping animal and rush
down the steps. Terror paralyzed the
youth, and prudence whispered that
inactivity can be sometimes mastery.
The slow hours dragged on. All the
company had assembled downstairs
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 mes
senger was dispatched to the tower,
there TO find pallid guest and his un.