“I don’t know,” answered Neddie, and he looked all around, ready to run in case there should be danger.
“Maybe it’s a hunter and his dogs,” suggested Beckie. “Oh, Neddie, I’m so frightened!”
“Don’t be frightened, Beckie,” he said gently. “I’ll take care of you. Maybe, after all, it’s only the nice trained bear, George, and the professor man who toots on his brass horn.”
“Oh, but if it’s he maybe he’ll want to take us back to the circus barn,” went on Beckie. “I wouldn’t like that.”
“Nor I,” said Neddie. “But I don’t believe it is. Let’s take a look.”
So the two bear children looked all around, and then they heard the tooting horn again. And this time they saw who was blowing it. It was a hunter man, and he had his gun and his dog with him.
“Quick! Jump behind this big tree!” cried Neddie, and he helped Beckie to hide herself. They were only just in time, too, for just then the hunter looked around, and he might have seen the bear children, except for the tree.
Then the hunter blew his horn again, and, not seeing anything to shoot, he whistled to his dog, put his gun over his shoulder and slinging the horn by his side, down the hill he went, leaving Beckie and Neddie alone. And, oh, how happy they were!
“Well, I’m glad that’s over,” said Beckie, with a long breath. “We won’t come to these woods again.”
“I guess not,” said Neddie. “Let’s hurry home.”