THE PAPA BEAR'S LULLABY
"Once there was a big black papa bear, and he had a little black cub bear. They lived in the woods a long way from any one. The mamma bear had gone to the bear heaven, and so they lived alone.
"One night, as it was getting very, very cold, the papa bear went a long, long way to find something to eat for the little bear, and he walked and walked until he was very tired; but he could not find anything to eat, for the snow had come and covered the ground, and all the berries were gone.
"The papa bear grew more and more tired; he was so tired that as he walked his eyes would close, and he could not keep them open, and his head would nod so sleepily, but he kept on, hoping that he would soon find something to eat for his little cub bear.
"So he walked and he walked. His eyes closed—he was so sleepy, sleepy, sleepy. Soon he started home, and walked, and walked, and walked, until he met the little cub bear, who had come out to meet him; and he said:
"'Dear little cub bear, I am so sleepy that I can not keep my eyes open at all.'
"And the little cub bear said, 'I am so sleepy that I can not keep my eyes open at all.'
"Then the papa bear said, 'I am going to find you a nice place to sleep.'
"So they walked, and walked, and got sleepier, and sleepier, until they came to a great hollow tree. Way up at the top of the tree was a hole large enough for the little cub bear to get in. The papa bear told the little cub to climb up the tree and go in the hole, and see if there was a good place in the tree to sleep.