Public-domain ebook
Language: en319 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Children & Young Adult Reading·Adventure
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #52229.
The opening · free to read
When middle-sized Mother Bear came down one morning to get breakfast, she carried Baby Bear in her arms and put him in his wooden cradle with the rockers. He was wide awake, but while he lay there watching the fire in the big fireplace and listening to the teakettle singing and the porridge bubbling, he fell asleep again.
Quietly Mother Bear filled the big, big porridge bowl and the middle-sized porridge bowl. Then she motioned for Father Bear to sit at the table.
"Isn't the porridge too hot?" whispered Father Bear, in a big, gruff whisper.
Middle-sized Mother Bear tasted the porridge and it burned her mouth. "Yes, it is too hot," she agreed.
"I will go for a walk in the forest while the porridge cools," said Father Bear as he reached for his big hat and tiptoed softly to the door.
A few moments later Mother Bear stepped out to get a basin of rain water for Sonny Bear's bath. Sonny Bear was sound asleep, but Mother Bear carefully closed the door behind her when she left the little house.
One moment later, a man, carrying a gun, saw the house in the forest, and, wondering who might live there, walked up the path and knocked at the door. He had been walking since daylight and was tired and hungry.
Straightway Mr. Man lifted the latch, went in, and walked over to the cradle. Instead of a little pink and white baby in the cradle, there lay a baby bear, sound asleep. Mr. Man smiled and stooped over to take Little Bear in his arms.
"I'll carry you home to my children for a pet," said Mr. Man.
At that moment middle-sized Mother Bear opened the door. Oh, but she was frightened when she saw a man with a gun in his hand leaning over her baby's cradle! She feared he would run away with the baby and shoot whoever tried to stop him. Middle-sized Mother Bear tried to think what to do and in a second she remembered that sometimes men are afraid of fire. Running to the fireplace she seized a blazing log and darted at Mr. Man. One end of the log was not on fire, so Mother Bear didn't get burned.
But that man! When he saw Mother Bear coming toward him with a blazing log, he jumped for the door and was gone before she had time to think twice! And he was never again seen near the Three Bears' home!
Little Bear loves to hear about that man to this day.
Little Bear's parents had never told him about his Grandfather Grizzly, but Auntie Cinnamon's twins told Little Bear that Grandfather Grizzly talked like this: "Gr-gr-gr-ger-ger-row-rowl!"—only they made it sound like the north wind in November.
Little Bear shivered with fear. That pleased the twins so much they told one story after another, just to see Little Bear look frightened. But the joke was on them, because, while they were trying to scare Little Bear, they had frightened themselves so badly they jumped every time the friendly owl spoke in the forest.
Of course Little Bear straightway asked Father Bear many questions about Grandfather Grizzly and his folks. At last he said, "If I ever meet a grizzly, up I go, up I go, to the top of the highest tree!"
"No, indeed! You shall not be a coward!" answered Father Bear. "If ever you see a grizzly coming, even Grandfather Grizzly himself, you walk on and meet him."
"Meet him!" echoed Little Bear, in faint tones.
"Yes, Son Bear, you meet him. Meet him face to face, and say, 'Good morning, sir.'"
"_I'm of the old, old family of the Three Bears_" ]
After that Little Bear did not feel so happy in the big woods. He feared he might see a grizzly coming, and be obliged to meet him and say, "Good morning, sir!"
One day soon afterward, Little Bear fell asleep on a shelf of rock; he was comfortable in the warm sunshine. When he awoke he saw below him a huge bear patiently trying to take a bunch of burrs from the back of his neck. The burrs were sticking tight in his fur.
Little Bear might easily have slipped off the back of the rock and run softly away; instead, he offered to help the stranger get the burrs out of his coat.
Straightway the big bear turned a troubled face upward. "Then do so," he growled. "Jump down on my back, and use your sharp claws, young cub, and be quick about it." His tones were rough, but Little Bear did not blame the old fellow for that.
When the burrs were out, Little Bear jumped to the ground.
"I thank you, sir," said the stranger, rising and shaking his huge body. "What's your name?"
"Little Bear. I'm of the old, old family of the Three Bears, if you please," was the prompt and fearless answer.
"I am pleased to have met you," said the big bear, scratching his ear with his hind paw. "Tell your father and mother old Grandfather Grizzly says you are a brave young cub. If I can ever be of use to your family, I shall be glad. Good day, sir!" And off he went through the woods, "slipslop, slipslop," on his huge flat feet.
Little Bear ran home as fast as he could.
"What did I tell you?" inquired Father Bear, when he had heard Little Bear's story.
"I'll never be afraid of the grizzlies again," answered Little Bear, gayly hopping about.
But Auntie Cinnamon's twins still tremble at the thought of meeting Grandfather Grizzly.
"I'll tell you what we'd better do, Father Bear," said Mother Bear. "You take a walk around the edge of the woods and find out what the birds like best to eat."
Father Bear set out gayly enough, but he came back looking sad and discouraged.
"We can't have the party!" he said. "I have been asking questions, and what do you suppose I have learned? The robins eat worms, and they eat so many that we couldn't dig enough to satisfy one robin!"
"Then suppose we give a little party, and invite only catbirds," said Mother Bear.
"Catbirds!" exclaimed Father Bear, in a big, gruff voice. "Catbirds eat grasshoppers—thirty at a time! You can't buy jumping grasshoppers by the quart."
Baby Bear saw hundreds of birds in the garden, searching for bugs ]
"How about the kingbirds?" questioned Mother Bear.
"Kingbirds must have gadflies," grumbled Father Bear, "gadflies by the peck!"
"How about the swallows?" asked Mother Bear, who saw Baby Bear winking hard to keep back the tears.
The book keeps going
Reading is free forever. Sign up and watch scenes appear while you read.
Scenes Storieta drew for other classics.
New illustrated classics
Once or twice a month: the latest books to get full character casts, scene art, and free comic editions. No account needed.
