And this was why Baby Jane came to Africa.
Stories of mere travels are often very dull, so I will not bother you with the long account of how she got there.
Now, dancing was the amusement that Baby Jane thought pleasantest; so upon the stem of a shady palm beside a gurgling stream that ran through the middle of the wide, white desert, she stuck up a notice:
Dancing Lessons Given.
Nobody need Pay Anything.
And then sat down to wait for pupils.
By and bye a big brown Bear, holding a green-lined umbrella over him and smoking a great drooping German pipe, came strolling along. He saw the notice board and stared at it a long time as if he were reading, then he turned towards Baby Jane and stood there smiling in a friendly, but rather silly way.
The Bear looked up at the sky and began whistling.
She thought he was considering how he should ask about the dancing lessons, but he only said, with an air of joyful pride—
'What do you think of my pipe and my umbrella?'