Its notes slowly stole over the senses of the man with such alluring power, that in spite of his annoyance he began to smile.
The girl stopped, placed the child on the floor, ran to the corner of the room, dropped on all fours and started slowly toward him, her voice imitating the deep growl of a bear.
"Now the bears are going to get him!—Boo-oo-oo."
The baby screamed with delight. The graceful young she-bear capered around her victim from side to side, smelling his hands and jumping back, approaching and retreating, growling and pawing the floor, while with each movement the child shouted a new note of joy.
The man, watching, wondered if this marvelous creamy yellow animal could get into an ungraceful position.
The keen eyes of the young she-bear saw the boy had worn himself out with laughter and slowly approached her victim, tumbled his happy flushed little form over on the rug and devoured him with kisses.
"Don't, Cleo—that's enough now!" the little mother cried, through her tears of laughter.
"Yessum—yessum—I'm just eatin' him up now—I'm done—and he'll be asleep in two minutes."
She sprang to her feet, crushing the little form tenderly against her warm, young bosom, and walked past the man smiling into his face a look of triumph. The sombre eyes answered with a smile in spite of himself.
Could any man with red blood in his veins fight successfully a force like that? He heard the growl of the Beast within as he stood watching the scene. The sight of the frail little face of his invalid wife brought him up against the ugly fact with a sharp pain.