The Bear Family at Home, and How the Circus Came to Visit Them

by Curtis Dwight Wilbur

"The little bear was terribly frightened, and was nearly drowned, but he scrambled out on to the tree as fast as he could and you never saw a little bear run so fast in your life. He could not have run faster, if all the dogs you ever saw had been running after him. And when he got home to his den, he ran to the very darkest part, and there he covered his eyes and his ears with his paws, but all the time he could hear a great ringing in his ears, and the terrible, 'Bang! bang! bang!' That night, after the little Club-Foot-Bear finally went to sleep, he suddenly made a great jump, and jumped clear over his Papa Bear, and pretty nearly out of the den. After that you never could get that 'Little-Club-Foot-Bear-that-would-not-mind-his-papa' to eat candles."

After the Papa Bear had finished the story of the "Little-Club-Foot-Bear-that-would-not-mind-his-papa," he said, "Little Cub Bear, what do you think of that story?" And the little Cub Bear scratched his head and said, "I am glad the little bear wasn't killed." And the little Cub Bear ran off and went to sleep.

During the night he dreamed, and several times he gave a jump, just as though he were going to jump out of bed. Can you guess what he was dreaming about?

The next morning the little Cub Bear said to his papa that he had noticed a box marked just like the box from which the "Little-Club-Foot-Bear-that-would-not-mind-his-papa" had eaten the things that looked like candles. The box had been left by some miners away back in the woods, and had in big letters on it the word "D-y-n-a-m-i-t-e."

When the Papa Bear heard this, he began to think and to scratch his head. He was thinking that if the stuff in the box had knocked the big tree down, perhaps it would help them to knock the rocks down, so that they could get into the beautiful cave. The Papa Bear was wondering about it, when he saw the old owl looking so solemn and wise. Then he said to himself, "I will ask the wise old owl. He can't help much digging into the cave, but as he is the wisest bird in the world, maybe he can tell me what to do with this stuff that knocks great trees down."

So the Papa Bear said to little Susie Bear, "Run and tell the old owl that I want to ask him a question."

So Susie Bear ran out as fast as she could and said to the owl, "Papa wants you to come into the cave, so that he can ask a question of you."

And the old owl looked wise and said, "Who-o-o-o? who-o-o-o?"

And Susie Bear said, "You-ou-ou-ou, you-ou-ou-ou-ou."

The old owl solemnly winked his great eyes, and slowly flapped his great wings, and flew to the cave. "Well, we-l-l, w-e-l-l," said the owl; "I am very glad to come into the cave, for you know that the light hurts my eyes, and I usually go out only at night. What can I do for you?"