“I guess maybe,” agreed Freddie. Neither of the Bobbsey twins felt surprised because they had an idea a bear might be in the attic with them. Nor were they afraid. A sleeping bear is not dangerous, of course. Any little boy or girl knows that!
Freddie crawled a little way farther under the sloping roof and, by stretching out his hand, managed to touch the fur. It felt warm and soft to his fingers.
“Oh, it is a bear!” he whispered, and he was delighted. “Let’s go and tell mother, and we can bring it downstairs and play with it. I guess it’s a little bear!”
“Yes, we’d better tell mother,” agreed Flossie. Somehow, the more she thought of a bear being up in the attic the more she thought it better to have some of the older folks know about it.
Down the stairs went the two Bobbsey twins, walking softly so as not to awaken the bear. They didn’t want him suddenly aroused from his sleep and made cross. Who would?
“Where have you children been?” cried Mrs. Bobbsey, as she saw the two twins. They were covered with dust and cobwebs from having crawled so far under the sloping roof in the attic. The floor was dirty, too, not having been swept in many months, and they had sat right down in the worst of the dust.
“Oh, Mother!” gasped Flossie, “we’ve been up in the attic, and what do you think’s up there? It’s a——”
“Bear!” burst out Freddie, not wanting his sister to tell all the wonderful news. “He’s asleep, an’ I touched him!”
“Nonsense!” exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey. “A bear? It can’t be!”
And yet she knew there were bears in the North Woods, and it might be possible that one had crawled into the cabin before they had come, and had gone to the attic to have his long winter sleep.