New Britain herald., 1928-12-19

l, Buster Bear knew that he ought to keep away from that little house. like trap which had been set for him. He didn't know that it had been set for him. but he suspected ihat it might have been. So the sise thing to do was 10 keep away from there altogether. And this Bus ter would have done but for his curiosity. He had to go back there and find out whether that door that he had sprung had been opened again.
 T won't go real near it." said Buster, Tt can't hurt me If I don't go into if. It certainly can't hurt me If stay a distance from it. But I do want to know if that door has been opened again."
 So Buster finally gave way to curi- osity and shuffled along through the woods until he was over near the queer little house, which really was trap. He approached it from the rear, so of course he couldn't tell if
 
 he had to circle around and this he started to do.
 Now, Bears are just like us. In that they are more or less creatures of habit. They are very likely 10 walk in the same path in places they visit frequently. That is what the trapper had counted on in Busters case. It looked as if the trapper was right. Buster circled wide and so swung around 10 come in front of the log trap. He had been there many times before and so without thinking anything about it he fol- lowed his old tracks.
 Now you will remember that the trapper has buried q great steel trap-a wicked steel trap-right in Busters trail. He had set it with the greatest care and very carefully GOV cred it with leaves and dust To look at the ground where that was hidden, you never would have sus- pected that there was trap there. No. sir, you never would have sus- pected 1t. Buster didn't suspect it. In the first place. he wasn't looking for it. He had never had any eXperi- ence with traps set for him. The wonder was that he hadn't been caught in that log trap, or ''pen trap" as the trappcr called if. He probably would have been had not Bobcat gotten into it first. That had been enough to make Buster suspicious. Then when the trap had been reset. he had climbed up on he roof and had sprung the door so that f. had dropped. giving him d great scare. All this was enough to make fnster very cautious now and E,ry suspicious of that log trap, but -H're was nothing to suggest steel 5" with its great wicked jaws. So
 'u-t"r paid little attention 10 any 'lHg except the little log house. As ,Dnu as he was far enough around ha saw at once that the door was open. He stopped and stood up 10 study 4. He sniffed and he thought he caught the odor Of meat. He sniff.a again and this iimc Na knew he did.
 Tt is q trap said Iiustar 70 him self. That door was shut and now it is open. II is a good placs to stay away from. But l do wish could get that meat witho.f going in there. I'll go along q litt.- farther. So Buster dropped down to all fours and started 10 sfuffla along oyer his old trail to his fdVorite spot directly in front of the log trap. As he moved along. Buster kept his eyes fixed on the open doorway He didn't look 10 Isee where he was going and he didn't use that nose of his as h. should have uand it. The trouble was. ha was using fl to smell that meat over ir the log trap. So it was that presently Buster w.s where one