“Oh, cheer up, cheer up!” cried Father Thrift briskly. “Why should you want to die?”
“That’s it—I don’t!” returned the bear sorrowfully. “But I believe my time has come.”
“Where do you feel the worst—in your stomach?” asked Father Thrift.
“Yes,” replied Shaggy Bear. “That is where the trouble started.”
“I thought so; I thought so,” said Father Thrift. “I wonder that you were not sick before.
“Now, first of all, let me tell you that you are not going to die, not yet. But should you keep on eating as you have eaten in the past few weeks, you could never expect to be strong and healthy.”
“Why?” asked the bear, brightening up suddenly.
But Father Thrift did not answer his question.
