“Why, it surely is raining buns!” cried Beckie in delight. “I mustn’t eat them all. I’ll save some to take home to Neddie.”
So she began to put the buns in her pocket, and she never noticed that each one she picked up brought her nearer and nearer and nearer to the cave of the bad bears.
The last bun was almost on their doorstep, and, just as Beckie reached over for it, the bad bear jumped out and grabbed her.
“Oh dear!” cried poor Beckie Stubtail.
But the bad bears did not get a chance to take her into their house. Just as they were going to do it along came Mr. Whitewash, the kind polar bear. He was looking for Neddie to tell him Uncle Wigwag was only joking about the red paint to make a log green. And then Mr. Whitewash saw the bad bear grab Beckie who had picked up the buns.
And what do you think Mr. Whitewash did?
Why, the big, brave white polar bear went right up to the bad black bear and he cuffed him on the ears with his broad paws, and pushed him back inside his own house, and then he tickled that furry creature in the ribs until the bad bear had to laugh whether he wanted to or not, and then Mr. Whitewash just grabbed Beckie up under his paw and hurried away home with her. And, oh, how angry the bad bears were, because they could pull no one’s hair.
“Beckie, you must be very careful about going near that bear house again,” said her mamma when she heard the story.
“I will, but, anyhow, I got the buns,” said Beckie, as she gave Neddie some.
So that’s all now, if you please, but the next story will be about Neddie and the bees’ nest—that is, if the nutmeg grater doesn’t scratch the piano and make it cry when the rubber doll tries to play a song on it.