DRAWING-LESSON BY HARRISON WEIR.
SOLOMON AND THE TAME BEAR.
Uncle Reuben was a farmer; and he had a great many cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, geese, and turkeys, all of which, you know, are usually found on a large farm; and, besides these, he had one animal not usually found on a farm, and that was a tame bear. He hired a large boy to do the "chores," as the easy part of farm-work is called; and this boy's name was Solomon Sturtevant.
Now, although the bear was tame, he was kept chained; for there was no knowing what mischief even a tame bear might take it into his head to do. He might take a notion to find out how a nice tender pig would taste.
Solomon thought it fine sport to tease the bear, and there was one way of doing it more amusing than any other, and that was to pelt him with green chestnut-burs.
Chestnut-burs, you know, are covered with sharp thorns; and yet the bear, being very fond of chestnuts, would try to get at the nuts which he knew were in them,—snarling and whining, and making up very comical faces, because the burs pricked his mouth.