"Oh, but it looked just like a real bear!" gasped Amy in self-defense.
"Listen to her," said Betty. "A real bear—why, of course it is. Did you think it was the Teddy variety?"
"Oh, you know what I mean," spoke Amy, "I thought it was a wild bear."
"It probably was—once," remarked Grace.
They were all out in the road now, and the two men, with the bears, were slowly approaching. Evidently the foremost man had seen the precipitate flight of the girls, so, taking off his hat, and bowing with foreign politeness, he said:
"Excuse—please. Juno him get away from me—I chase after—I catch.
Excuse, please."
"That's all right," said Betty, pleasantly. "We were frightened for a minute."
"Verra sorry. Juno made the dance for the ladies!"
He blew some notes on a battered brass horn, and began some foreign words in a sing-song tone, at which the bear moved clumsily about on its hind feet.
"Juno—kiss!" the man cried.