Year: 1873




please tell US a story now, while you
have nothing to do !" exclaimed one and
another of group of little ones, climb
ing around their father, as he sat rest.
ing by the evening fire. .,.


"Well, as 1 have nothing to do ]
suppose must. What sort of story
shall it be ?" .-f. .,-b


"a bear story" said one; 80 yes,
tell us about the bear who stole q
dinner p ..- ..-.


Papa protested that he had told that
story over and over again, hut indul-
gently gave it again, as requested.


"a good many years ago, said papa,
"before was born, my father and
mother went to live in the northern
part of New York State. If you look
on your map now you will see towns
and villages dotted about where then
there were scarcely any settlements
nothing but thick woods" .s.


Bears in emp" asked q boy with
wide open eyes.


'Yes, woods with bears in 'em-only
think p -.......,...-.....t...... -.....


81 shouldn't think Your father and
mother would have liked to 60 and live
where the bears were" 4


80, the bears did not often trouble
settlers. / do not know that any ever
came near my fathers place. But
afterwards, when they had come back
to the East to live, and was little
fellow climbing on my fathers knee,
just as You do now, he used to tell me
this story about man who settled out
there-I suppose somewhere near them


This man had built q saw-mill, some
distance from his house, and often he
used to go to the mill to work all day
taking his dinner with him.


You have seen saw-mill? You know
its use is to saw big, heavy logs-the
trunks of trees - into nice, smooth
boards, to build houses with.


Well, one day the man had been hard
at work all the morning at his mill, and
when it drew near noon, he began to
feel hungry, and thought he would stop
and eat his dinner. So he sat down on
q log upon which the saw was working,
with his tin-pail by his side. Was he
afraid of the saw o no, he could
jump off at any moment, if he came too
near the saw. ..-...


While he was eating the good things
which his wife had put up for him, and
thinking of his work, his home, and his
babies, who should come up but a
rough old bearl


Bruin smelled the goodies, and
thought he would put in for a share.
So he quietly mounted the log, on the
other side Of the dinner-pail, and stuck
his nose into it, as if he should say,
Give me some. ....s ... .....


The good man was somewhat startled,
you may believe, by the appearance of
such a visitor. OF course he would not
be so impolite as to refuse him share
of the feast; but he was afraid that
when Bruin had finished his dinner, he
might take it into his head to give him
loving hug by way of thanks so he
prudently withdrew to safe distance,
and gave up the whole to him. Bruin
munched in perfect content, with his
nose in the pail and his back to the saw.
while the owner of the dinner looked
on from his hiding place, and wished
for his gun.


But in the meantime the log had been
gradually working up towards the saw,
and now all at once the bear felt slight
nip in his tail. At this he growled and
gave an angry ehake, moving q little
further down tie log. Presently he
received another zip, and growled more
savagely, but could not turn from his
delightful repast. But when he had
moved third time within reach OF the
saw, and felt another bite, his bear na-
ture could stand it no longer; SO he
turned in rage, and hugged the old
saw with all his might. And what hap
pened then? Why of course he was
cut in two; and the man had bear meat
enough for number of dinners, besides
nice bear-skin caps for his little boys,
to keep their ears warm.


Now you have been told to look out
for moral in story what shall We
learn from this? Why,


1. That he who steals O dinner, is
likely to pay dear for it.


2. That he who filings himself in a
passion against anything which annoys
him, will be apt to get sorely cut and
wounded thereby, and make matters
very much worse"