No More Learning

Bruin liked that idea and cheerfully con-
sented. Cousin Bear shut his eyes, and Bruin
hurried off to find some good hiding place. First
he tried one and then another, but nothing suited
him, until at last the very thing met his gaze.
Time had worn a great hole in an old oak tree.
There it stood, bending its leafless limbs as
though beckoning Bruin to crawl inside. Such
a splendid chance could not be missed. My ! how
good and warm it was. Bruin was tired, and
before he knew it he had gone sound asleep.
How long he slept he did not know, but when
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? 56 Bruin's Visit.
lie opened his eyes the shadows had crept heavily
over the woods, and night was coming on apaca
Cousin Bear started in surprise when Bruin
rushed breathlessly into his house, for as he
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? Bruin's Visit. 57
could not find him he thought he had gone home,
and then how he laughed when Bruin told of
his hiding place, and thej both thought It a
great joke that Bruin had fallen asleep, while
he was playing. He said he would remember
to look there for him next time they had a game.
Bruin warmed himself by the bright fire, and
then said he must be going. Cousin Bear would
not hear a word as to his leaving until they had
had supper. So he set out the very best his store-
house afforded, and they both had a very merry
time, eating the turkey and fat little lamb, which
the bear had stolen the night before. When they
had cleared the table and washed the dishes,
Bruin trotted off towards his home as fast as he
could. It was dark before he reached his own
woods, but he was not afraid, for he knew every
step of the way. He was pretty well tired out
when he got home, and it did not take him very
long to get ready for bed. As he curled himself
up for a good long sleep, he felt satisfied over a
very happy day.
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? The Owl and the Bat.
"Good evening, Miss Bat/' said the grave gvay
owi, "pray may I come up and chat awhile? ''
"Indeed, you may, Mr. Owl," replied the bat.
"It's such a beautiful evening that I have been
sitting up here ever so long watching the moon,
as she played hide and seek among the trees; the
stars seem to be enjoying the game as much as
I, for they twinkle as brightly as diamonds so
far above us all. "
'T. see you have an eye for
the beautiful, my dear young
lady," said the owl, "but if
you but knew it, the most
beautiful thing I have seen in
all my life is yourself. "
The bat hung her head and
looked quite shy, while the
owl blinked his eves and
looked as though he thought
lie had really said something
most elegant.
"Do you know, my
dear," continued the ? ^^4
owl, "I have watched
? *>vv
S8
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? The Owl and the Bat.
59
you night after night as you floated around so
gracefully, never interfering with the other birds^
but going quietly about your own business, and
I decided that some day or other I would ask you
if you would not consent to be ]\Irs. Owl. The
time has come, Batty dear, and I hope you will
say yes. ''
,^^^^^f^V
The bat did say yes, for she had long admired
^he owl. She liked his solemn ways, and thought
him a very handsome bird.
It was decided that they should be married
very soon -- the very next week, in fact, for the
moon would be shining in all her glory then, and
the guests could not be asked to come in the
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? 6o The Owl and the Bat.
dark, even though it might be pleasanter for the
bride and groom.
The stork wrote the invitations. He wrote
them on the leaves of the water-lilies, using his
long sharp beak for a pen.
The night of the wedding came, and with it
many guests. The stork and the crane came to-
gether, for they lived in the same pond. The
eagle and the buzzard met as they came sailing
through the air.
The happy pair were soon made one, and then
what merry times they had. The lark and the
nightingale sang their brightest songs, and all
joined hands in a lively dance. Morning came
only too soon, and the guests must go, and as
the owl kissed his little bride, he cashed that
all her life might be just as happy as the first
night had been. What a happy time the bridal
party had for the next few weeks. "When the
guests had all gone, they packed their trunks,
and hastened away to spend their honey-moon
among the pine forests of the Green Mountains.
They traveled from place to place, journeying
by night aud resting by day; for strange as it
may seem, these queer creatures can neither of
them see when the beautiful <<un is shining.
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? The Owl and the Bat.
5l
Thj have si: oh curious eyes that the light makes
them blina So thej used to spend the long
summer days nestled close together on the
branch of some high tree. - At night they would
fly about here and there, watching the other
animals and enjoying the pure air.
The owl is a very wise bird, you Iniow, so he
was able to tell his trusting little wife many in-
teresting things.
After spending a very pleasant time, they re-
turned to their home, and settled down to spend
a very happy life.
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? Unhappy Bruin.
PooE Bruin's life seemed marked with mib-
fortunes. Bruin was not one of the happj crea-
tures who have the good fortune to be bom
under a luckj star -- the night must have been
cloudj and most miserably starless when he
opened his eyes in this wide, wide world. As
the years went on poor Bruin's troubles seemed
to grow. Fortune had no kindly smile for him,
and try as he might, all his efforts to succeed
were in vain.
One time Bruin left his home, and went
strolling through the woods. He was all alone,
, for the other bears had gone off long before, but
Bruin had not been wanted. Sorrowfully and
lonely he trotted along, taking no heed of where
he was going, until all at once he was brought to
his senses by a sharp click, and try with all his
might, he could not move. You've guessed what
had happened -- he had stumbled into a trap, and
was held there as fast as fast could be. The hot
sun poured dov/n upon him, but no one came to
release him ; but at last, just as twilight fell upon
the world, two great big men drove up in a cart,
and with a loud shout at their horses, stopped
62
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? Unliappy Bmin. 63
in front of Bniin. 'Tine luck we liave had to-
day," said one of them. "We will make a good
thing out of him/' said the other. Then, as
quick as a wink, a big black bag was thro-^Ti
jver Bruin's head, and he was hoisted into the
wagon.
This was the beginning of poor Bruin's new
life. These men were street players -- one of
them brought forth squeaky sounds from an old
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? 64 Unhappy Bruin.
fiddle, while the other made most dismal noises
upon the harp.
Bruin was taken to their miserable home, and
day by day was trained to dance and play tricks
to amuse the people. Bruin found it was wisest
to please these men, for cruel blows and kicks
rewarded his failures.
One day they rigged him up in a suit of
clothes, put shoes on his feet and a hat in his
hand, and led him out to dance upon the street.
All day long he kept it up, and when night came
he could scarcely move. His masters had gone
to join some friends and chat with them, and
had left Bruin in charge of a boy. The boy
grew tired of being alone, and seeing a chum,
hurried after him, leaving Bruin to his own de-
vices. Bruin knew his chance had come, and
trotted away just as fast as ever his tired feet
would carry him. He wandered on and on, until
at last the woods were reached. Then he lay
down under a tree, nearly worn out, but very
happy he felt that at last the wheel had turned
and fortune had surely smiled on him.
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? The Ostrich.
Did yo" ever think anything about the way in
which we jbtain the beautiful feathers that help
to ornament our hats and bonnets '^ Away off,
in a country called Africa, lives a bi^'d known as
the ostrich. It is a large bird with long, slender
legs, and such a great long neck that it is as tall
as a very tall man. IsTature has given it these
long legs to help it go over ground very rapidly.
"When pursued, it travels across the sandy plains
where it lives with strides that carry it twenty-
five miles an hour. The ostrich has very keen
sight and sharp hearing, and its long neck aids
it in seeing great distances.
The nest where the mother bird lays the e^gs
is just a hollow made in the sand, with a shallow
border all around it. The old bird sits on the
eggs and keeps them warm at night, but the
rays of the hot tropical sun do the work in the
day-time. These eggs are very large, weighing
from two to three pounds.
The baby ostriches are very pretty birds. They
look like young partridges, only they are many,
many times larger and have littlo brist'ies all
over them mixed with down.
6i
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? 66
The Ostricli.
When the ostrich is about a year and a half
old it falls a vistim to the hunter's pursuit.
There are a number of ways for catching them.
Sometimes the hunter clothes himself in the
>>kin of the bird, and imitates its motion so ex-
actly that it is almost impossible to tell the sham
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? King lyco's Resolve. 67
from the real bird. Then, when he is within
bow-shot of some Tinluckj bird, his arrow pierces
it, and it falls his prey. Sometimes the bird is
caught with a lasso, and in some places the
hunter mounts on horse-back and pursues it in
that way.
Way off in California ihere are a number of
ostrich farms, and when you get to be big, per-
haps you will be able to go there and see them.
But the very next time you go to the Zoological
Garden, you must get your mammas to take you
to see these wonderful birds. I am sure you will
wonder how such beautiful feathers can come
from such ugly looking birds.
King Leo's Resolve.
Mother Nattiee had carpeted the earth with
a covering soft and brown and rustling. Deep
in the reds and yellows she had dipped her paint
brush, and the trees gleamed in their grandeur
like a Ifaming forge.
The squirrels had been
busy for weeks filling their store-houses with the
nuts that would serve for the winter's food, and
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? 65 King Leo's Resolve*
the song cf the birds had long since ceased, iot
far away they'd flown, seeking a warmer homa
All the woods seemed hushed and forsaken.
Ws<<<<. . . ^4. -V T> _ . ? . ->l<>9i_
^
'King Leo nc*^*oed all this as he paced throngji
the forest with rt^tless strides this antumn daj.
Things had gone wrong with his majesty, and
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? King Leo's Resolve, 69
he wondered that the trees should glow in such
brilliancy when all else seemed dressed in som
bre colors. "Why must nature/' muttered he,
^Tiav-c this dash of brightness in her adorning
while my life is all gloom and all sadness? Long
have I reigned in the forest as Eing of Beasts-
Pve held sway over the largest of them all, the
tigers, wolves and bears have trembled at my
roar, and at my command all have yielded. 'Now
Vm deserted. Xo longer am I consulted in
affairs of wisdom. It's months since I have sai
on my throne of holly boughs. I'm forsaken
and alone. Is there no way in which I can win
them again? Must all my life be thus, sorrow
and g''oom? "
He sat down to think, and as he thought, his
heart grew lighter, and something ;ilmost like
a smile came over his face. ^'I'll try it," he said
to himself, as he rose from the rock on which he
had been sitting and went towards home.
And this was what King Leo had been think-
ing: Have I ever done anything to make them
care for me? They crowned me their king, but
all my reign I have governed through fear.
My roars were as mighty as the thunder; my
will was hard and cruel. Vot a trifling offence
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? ^? '
Mm
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? The Willful Young Gobbler. 71
I have taken their lives, and now I am reaping
my reward. If it is not too late, I will begin
again. Love, not fear, shall be my motto this
time, and perhaps some day my life will be full
of happiness, instead of woe and misery.
And poor King Leo did begin again, and al-
though the struggle was hard and the time of
conquest long, he did prove himself victor at
last, and died at a very old age, loved and re-
spected by all the beasts of the forest, having
proved to them all that Love hath greater power
than Fear.
The Willful Young Gobbler.
Madame Ttiekey put on her shawl and bonnet
to go to hunt for the silliest young turkey about
the place, because that silly young turkey was
her son. He had been gone since early morning,
and what had kept him his mother could not
guess. Mother Turkey and her young offspring
lived on a great big farm, and had been a very
happy pair, but Mother Turkey was fi;rowing
anxious. The fields had become bare and yel-
low, the trees stood around them tall and leafless,
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? 74 The Bears and the Hive.
But old heads are often the wisest, and had
this silly young gobbler only listened to his
mother he might still be strutting around the
barnyard, or perhaps wandering through the
wheat field, picking up the full, ripe grains that
he loved so dearly. The farmer one day, as he
sauntered through the poultry-yard, spied this
well-fed gobbler, and decided that no finer bird
than he could be found, and before Mr. Turkey
had time to run, he was firm in the farmer^s
clutches, and before many minutes his life was
over. What a foolish bird he was, and how
much better it would have been had he only
listened to the words of warning from his good
old mother.
The Bears and the Hive.
Hug and Squeeze were two fat little cubs,
who lived with their grandmother. Their
mother had been captured in a trap vrhen they
were little, tiny bears, and Mother Bruin had
taken them to her home and cared for them ever
since. Such times as she had with them -- they
seemed to have been born under an unlucky
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? The Bears and tlie Hive.
75
star, and poor old Grandmother Bruin had her
hands lull. They had of course fallen yictims
to the measles, and next to the whooping-cough,
and they would eat so many sweets that the
toothache was almost a daily visitor. Grand-
mother Bruin used to shake her poor old head
until her stiffly starched cap with its large pur-
ple bow would slip away off over her ear. She
did want very much that they should be good
little bears, and she would talk to Hug and
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? 74 The Bears and the Hive.
But old heads are often the wisest, and had
this silly young gobbler only listened to his
mother he might still be strutting around the
barnyard, or perhaps wandering through the
wheat field, picking up the full, ripe grains that
he loved so dearly. The farmer one day, as he
sauntered through the poultry-yard, spied this
well-fed gobbler, and decided that no finer bird
than he could be found, and before Mr. Turkey
had time to run, he was firm in the farmer's
clutches, and before many minutes his life was
over. What a foolish bird he was, and how
much better it would have been had he only
listened to the words of warning from his good
old mother.
The Bears and the Hive.
Hug and Squeeze were two fat little cubs,
who lived with their grandmother. Their
mother had been captured in a trap vrhen they
were little, tiny bears, and Mother Bruin had
taken them to her home and cared for them ever
since. Such times as she had with them -- they
seemed to have been born under an unlucky
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? The Bears and the Hive.
75
star, and poor old Grandmother Bruin had her
hands lull. They had of course fallen victims
to the measles, and next to the whooping-cough,
and they would eat so many sweets that the
toothache was almost a daily visitor. Grand-
mother Bruin used to shake her poor old head
until her stiffly starched cap with its large pur-
ple bow would slip away off over her ear. vShe
did want very much that they should be good
little bears, and she would talk to Hug and
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? 76 The Bears and the Hive.
Squeeze so earnestly that thev would promiso to
be ever so much better, and they really meant it
when they promised, but when mischief came
into their heads, like a good many littlj bojB
and girls -- tLey forgot.
Tommy Jones was the gardener's son, and
Tommy wanted very much to become rich. He
had been given some money one day in the fall
for gathering chestnuts for his master's children.
Tom was proud to have money of his own, aud
tried and tried to think of some plan to make ife
more. One day, as he passed a shop window, he
saw little boxes with honey in them for sale;
this put an idea into Tommy's head. lie would
go home, build some hives, and when spring
came get a swarm of bees, and then he, too,
could have honey to sell. Tommy was a wise
little chap to settle on this plan, for the rosae
grew in great profusion, the lilies and honey-
Euckle made rich food for the bees, and the
buckwheat fields that gleamed so white and
beautiful had sweetness beyond measure for
these busy little food gatherers.
"Well, spring came, and Tommy c. med with
delight upon the neatly built hives that were to
be the homes of the honey makers and the source
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? The Bears and the Hive. 7^
of his wealth. Then summer came, and the
work went bravely on until die cones were
dripping with the store of golden honej.
I\ ow Hug and Squeeze had been growing all
this while, and the spirit foi- adventure kept
growing with them. One night Grandmother
Bruin had put them to bed and bade them be
good, obedient children. They lay very still un-
til their grandmother had gone, and then, as
qmetly as mice they crept out of bed and stole
cautiously away. Through the wooils thej
scampered, wild vrith joy over their frccdonL
The road reached, they could not make up their
minds where to go, but the apples in the gar-
dener's yard had made such fine balls before tha-
they deciilcvl to try a game once nioio. 0. 7 they
trotted, reached the garden, but stopped with
wonder when they saw numbers of queer loot-
ing houses standing side by side. They Iiad
never seen hives before, and knew nothing a}yom,
the savage little creatures that lived inside.
''We will take one home," said Hug, "it will
he fine to play with. "
Ball was forgotten, and Hug shouldered the
hive, while little Squeeze scampered along at hii
side. But they had not gone far when Hug fell
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? 78
The Bears and the Hive.
a sharp pinch on his ear, then one on his arm,
and then he began to feel as though he was being
stabbed all over. The bees were not long in find-
ing out Squeeze, and run as they might, the cubs
could not escape their tormentors.
"Thej are in the box," said Squeeze, "throw
it away, do. "
Hug threw away the box, but the bees still
held fast. The more the bears tried to get rid
of them the closer they clung, and the deeper
they drove their stings. What a dreadful time
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? The Bears and the Hive. 79
thej had getting rid of them, and what pitiful
sights thej were when thej reached home.
Their faces were so swollen that it was hard
to tell who thej were. Their ears were as largt
as two, and their poor paws were smarting as if
from a burm Thej were almost afraid to go
home, for they knew thej were to blame for all
their suffering, but they felt so very badlv that
thej decided thej must go to grandmother for
help. For little bears are like Httle children;
when thej get hurt, thej alwajs want to get
home right awaj. So off thej trotted as fast as
possible, and grandmother was verj kind to them
in their trouble; she did not punish them, for she
thought thej had been well rewarded for their
disobedience and meddlesome wajs, but as she
tucket them in bed once more, after spreading
mud on their swollen hands and faces, she leaned
over them and said: ^^ill jou trj to let this be
a lesson, and listen more carefullj hereafter tc
jour old grandmother's advice? " I think th^
little bears learned a lesson which lasted them all
their lives, for thej lived a great many years in
their old home, and never again meddled with
what did not belong to them.
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? The Fox's Story.
Iell you a story, little chap? Well, wliat do
you suppose an old fellow like grandfather can
tell to please you and Bushy? It's something
that happened when I was young, you want?
Well, let me think. So many things happened
then, for grandfather was a gay young fox.