“Oh, yes you do—you must.”
“Tell us a bear story.” cried Bob. “And tell it quick, or dad’ll be telling one of those he gets off in after dinner speeches, and we’ll all be asleep.”
“Bob, I’m too sore and tired to thrash you,” laughed the congressman.
“But you’re never too tired to tell a story, dad. Hurry, Mr. Mills, I can see one coming now!”
“If I had a child like that, I’d—I’d——” Mr. Elkins began.
“You’d send him to Congress to listen to all the speeches there for punishment,” chortled the irrepressible Bob. “Please, Mr. Mills, a bear story.”
“Yes, a bear story!”—from the men.
“A grizzly bear story!”—from Alice. “A great, BIG grizzly bear story!”—from Lucy. “And put in the middle-sized bear, and the little weeny bear, too, if you want to.”
The Ranger laughed. “Well,” he said, “I can tell you a bear and a lion story, if that’ll do.”
He threw another driftwood log on the fire, and began.