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

by Curtis Dwight Wilbur

"The little cub did as his papa told him to; he climbed up and up until he came to the hole in the top of the tree, and then he looked into the hole to see if there was a good place in the tree for him to climb down on the inside. The little cub bear turned around and backed into the hole, and soon the papa bear could see nothing of the little cub bear, for he was inside the tree. But he could hear him scratch as he slid down on the inside of the tree.

"The papa bear listened, as he stood outside of the tree on the ground, and he could hear the little cub's claws scratch, scratch, scratch. And he listened again, and he could hear the little cub bear's claws scratch, scratch, scratch. And he listened again, but he couldn't hear anything. And he listened, and he couldn't hear anything. And he wondered, and wondered, where the little cub was.

"So he listened again. This time he heard a faint sound, just inside the tree, and he knew that the little cub bear was clear down inside the tree at the bottom.

"The papa bear said, 'Go to sleep, dear little cub.'

"The little cub lay down in the bottom of the hollow tree, and curled up into a little ball and closed his eyes. It was a nice, warm, soft, sleepy place. And the papa on the outside heard the little bear lie down, and so he listened and listened. And soon he heard the softest little snore. Just the softest snore.

"And then the papa bear went a little farther, and found another hollow tree, and he climbed up, and up, until he came to a big hole in the top of the big tree, and he backed into the hole and scratched his way down and down inside the hollow tree, until he came to the bottom, and then he rolled himself up into a big, black ball, so snug and warm, and went to sleep.

"He snored so quietly, and the little cub bear and the papa bear slept all winter long in the cozy warm hollow trees, but once in a while the papa bear would climb up, and up, out of the tree and go over to the little cub's tree, and listen, and he would hear the faintest little snore, so gentle.

"And then the papa bear would say, 'Dear little cub, I love you,' and pat the tree.

"Then he would go back to his own hollow tree, up and up he would climb outside, and down and down inside, until he came to the nice warm place where his bed was.