Evening star., 1937-07-22

But just As hieh the priee that nalo.
MOTHER BEARS cubs, two OF
them. had spent the first three
months of their lives in the den in
which they were born, in the middle
OF Winter. Very small and helpless
were those twins then. 1t was over 40
days before they even got their eyes
open. Even then there was little
enough use for them. You see. there
wasn't much light In that den. All
through the remainder Of the Winter
and the early Spring the cubs did
nothing but eat, sleep and grow.
Came a time when the cubs were
restless, no longer content to do moth
ing but eat, sleep and grow. Mother
Bear used to leave them in the den
while she went out to look for food.
Before leaving she always warned
them to remain inside. They mustn't
put so much as a claw outside, she
told them. At first they didn't mind
this, but as they grew older and be-
came more restless they did mind it.
IF you can go out why can't we?"
asked one
Because here you are safe, while
outside is the Great World. where
you would not be safe at all You
are too innocent" replied Mother
Bear The Great World is no place
for innocent babies without their
mothers" she added.
IF you please, what is innocent?"
asked the other cub.
s"One who knows nothing about the
Great World and its way is innocent" ="
growled Mother Bear.
But if we don't 90 out in the Great
World how are we to learn about it?"
the first cub asked.
you'll 60 out with me when the
time comes, and not before. You've
got lot to learn, and the first and
most important lesson is to obey. If
you do not learn this in the beginning
you never will be anything but inno-
cent Of the Great World, for you won't
live long enough to be anything else
Now, I'm going out. and don't you so
much as put nose outside. Remem-
ber what I have said, that the most
important lesson is obedience Little
Bears who disobey are not likely to
grow up to be big Bears. Remember
that"
Yes M replied the cubs, and they
meant it. suppose that if Mother
Bear had ever heard of the bogey-
man she would have told the cubs that
the bogeyman would get them if they
didn't watch out and obey. Perhaps
she told them that bogeybear would
catch them. I never have heard of a
bogeybear, but why not a bogeybear
as well as bogeyman?
Mother left the den The cubs took
nap. There was nothing else to do.
1t was what they were in the habit of
doing when Mother Bear left them
alone.
Usually they slept until her return.
This time they slept shorter time
than usual, or Mother Bear was gone
longer than usual. Anyway, when
they awoke she was not there. They
couldn't 60 to sleep again. They
tried, but they were not sleepy. They
played with each other as you have
seen puppies play. They wandered
about in the den. They wondered
what was keeping Mother Bear. What
if she shouldn't come back? What
would they do? What was it like out
side in the Great World where she
had gone?
Finally they went to the entrance
and there for the longest time they
stood, looking out. They couldn't see
much but the trunks Of trees ano
ferns, but these simple things were
wonderful. How they longed to &c
out where they could see more! What
possible harm could there be in just
stepping outside where they could SEE
better? What possible harm coulc
come to them there? None. They
were sure Of that. But Mother Beal
had warned them not to put so much
as q nose outside. How silly that was
They twitched their funny little nose.
at the mere thought Of such foolish
ness.
Then they remembered what sht
had said about obedience. They
looked at each other. They looked
outside. Then they looked at each
other again, sighed and lay dowr
with their noses just as close as pos.
sible to being outside without &C.
tually' being 50. And, being such
wholly innocent little cubs, not as yet
even having had a single fright, they
just couldn't understand at all what
possible harm there could be in ths
Great World or why Mother should
keep them there in the dark, wher
outside looked to be so much nicer.
(Copyright. 1872