Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-11-14
A Joke on
Father Bear

| The morning that Father and Moth
or Bear went to Seven Mile Point. they
put Little Bear in his cart and took hin
along.
Because we may not get home to.
night" explained Mother Bear. BE.
sides, it will be easier to bring oul
lblackberries home in a cart"
I All the way to Seven Mile Point Lit
tie Bear sang and asked questions, anc
asked questions and sang. He was the
happiest and the most bothersome lit
tie bear in the big forest that morning.
Later in the forenoon, when Father
Bear and Mother Bear were busy pick
| ing hlackberries, Little Bear spied
| Goldilocks. with her mother, her aunt
and her little cousin. They were picking
blackberries on the other side Of the
| clearing.
Straightway Little Bear began tc
dance up and down. and shout: Il am
going to scare somebody! I am going
to scare women and children. women
and children!"
Where are there any women and
children" asked Father Bear.
over there. over there!" answered
Little Bear. And one is Goldilocks, and
| I'll scare her!'
Are you sure there isn't man with
them?' inquired Mother Bear.
mo. they are all alone! Goody
goody! I'm going to scare them!'
How do you think you are going to
scare them?'' demanded Father Bear.
II am going to creep along under the
bushes. so that they can't see me, and
| then, when I am close to Goldilocks,
shall jump up and say, Boo! Boo!
Boot and then shall watch them run,
| and maybe shall say Boot again"
Father and Mothe Bear smiled: but
Father Bear stopped picking blackber-
ries and said in sever tones:
young Bear you must never scare
women and children. Do you under
stand? You must never scare women
and children!"
"But 1 should like to see them rum"
said Little Bear. But he added quick
ly, of course I won't scare them-but
would it be all right to scare a man ?"
ooh, yes there would be no harm in
soaring man. but women and children
no, you must never do that"
Little Bear ran back to his play, and
for got Goldilocks until an hour later,
and then he looked down from a hill
top and saw strange sight.
On one side Of a clump of blackberry
bushes he saw his father and mother.
On the other side of that same clump
of bushes he saw Goldilocks and her
mother and her little cousin and her
picking blackberries
Father Bear and Mother Pear did not
know that Goldilocks and her family
had crossed the clearing, and you may
be sure that GOldilocks and her family
did not know that they were SO near a
big. big bear and middle-scized bear.
Little Bear watched with delight. Pres
emily he saw Goldiiocks move toward
her mother.
II think heard somebody ON the
other side of the bushes" whispered
Goldilocks. Little Bear. Of course, could
not hear what either of them said; he
could only see that they were speaking
to gether
Her mother answered, my child, you
hear the wind in the bushes"
But mother" Goldilocks said again,
as Big Bear stepped on dry twig II
am sure | heard a noise"
my child answered Mother Goldi-
locks, you hear the squirrels
Again Goldilocks whispered, Moth
er, I know that I heard somebody on
the other side of the bushes.
my child, you probably hear the
birds flying about"
Hardly has Mother Goldilocks spoken
these words when a funny thing hap
round the bushes. and almost bumped
into Mother Goldilocks. My, she was
scared! When Mother Goldilocks saw
that huge brown bear standing close
beside her, she dropped her b1ackber-
ries, seized the hand of little Goldi-
locks and ran, screaming, from the
spot.
Aunt Goldilocks and little Cousin Col
dilocks dropped their baskets and ran,
too, as II all the lions and tigers in the
jungle were after them. They did look
funny as they ran away from three
friendly bears!
At First Father Bear was too aston
ished for words, but Little Bear ran
down the hillside, laughing lilariously
and Mother Bear laughed. too.
Never, never scare women and chill
dren!" quoted Mother Bear, while Lit
tie Bear began to dance up and down
for joy.
''Well. that is a joke on Daddy Bear,
I must say" admitted Father Bear, and
and then he laughed too.
but" he added TT is not right to
scare women ad children. certainly
should never 90 it on purpose
Then the three bears Joined hands
and danced round and round and sang
'Ta de-dum, dunn, dunn. ia, de dun,
dunn, dum!'' and they kept it up until
the Goldilocks family were we'll out Of
sight
until she came to a spring which was
| i y