Chapter 1

Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Ted Garvin and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

LITTLE BEAR AT WORK AND AT PLAY

By

FRANCES MARGARET FOX

Author of "Doings of Little Bear," "Adventures of Sonny Bear" and "The Kinderkins"

Illustrated by

WARNER CARR

Lovingly dedicated to the FIRST GIRLS

Who lived in the Martha Cook Dormitory, Ann Arbor, Michigan, because they loved

LITTLE BEAR

CONTENTS

WHEN LITTLE BEAR BRAGGED

WHEN MOTHER SKUNK HELPED LITTLE BEAR

WHEN LITTLE BEAR WOULD NOT WORK

HOW LITTLE BEAR LEARNED TO SWIM

LITTLE BEAR AND THE LOST OTTER BABY

WHEN LITTLE BEAR VISITED SCHOOL

LITTLE BEAR GETS HIS WISH

THREE BEARS COME TO BREAKFAST

LITTLE BEAR'S PROMISE

LITTLE BEAR'S SURPRISE PARTY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks are extended to the _Youth's Companion_ for permission to reprint the following stories: "When Little Bear Bragged," "When Mother Skunk Helped Little Bear," "When Little Bear Would Not Work," "How Little Bear Learned to Swim," "Little Bear and the Lost Otter Baby," "When Little Bear Visited School," "Little Bear Gets His Wish," and "Little Bear's Surprise Party"; and to the _Christian Observer_ for permission to reprint the following stories: "Three Bears Come to Breakfast" and "Little Bear's Promise."

LITTLE BEAR AT WORK AND AT PLAY

WHEN LITTLE BEAR BRAGGED

One rainy day the three bears were sitting by the fire in their comfortable house in the woods, telling stories. First Father Bear would tell a story, and then Mother Bear would tell a story, and then Father Bear would have a turn again. Between times Little Bear asked questions.

The three were happy and merry until Mother Bear told the old story about the race between the hare and the tortoise, and how the slow-going tortoise was the first to reach the goal because the hare took a nap and did not wake up until after the tortoise had passed him and had won the race.

"You see," Mother Bear explained, "the hare was so sure he could win that he did not even try to reach the goal quickly. He was so swift-footed that he thought he could go to sleep if he chose and still come out ahead of the patient tortoise."

"Wasn't he silly!" exclaimed Little Bear. "If I were going to run a race with Grandpa Tortoise, I should go this way until I reached the goal!" And Little Bear pranced up and down the room until he made even the porridge bowls rattle in the cupboard. "I guess I should know enough to know that Grandpa Tortoise would keep stepping ahead and stepping ahead and get to the goal in time! You would not catch me taking any naps if I started out to run a race with anyone! No, sir-ree!"

Mother Bear laughed heartily, but Father Bear looked very solemn. He did not like to hear Little Bear brag at all.

"So you think, Son Bear," said he, "that, if you should run a race with Grandpa Tortoise, you would be wiser than our old friend, Peter Hare? Is that what you mean?"

"I know I should," bragged Little Bear. "I'd say, 'Good-by, Grandpa Tortoise!' and off I'd start, and I should beat him before he had time to think. Then, afterward, if I were sleepy and wanted to, I should take a nap."

"Very well," said Father Bear, "I shall see Grandpa Tortoise, and if he is willing to run a race with a silly little fellow like you, you shall have your chance, and Peter Hare shall be the judge."

So it came about that, when the rain was over, the friends of the Three Bears and of the hare and the tortoise met in the woods to see the fun.

Little Bear noticed that, before the race began, the hare and the tortoise were laughing about something, but he did not even wonder what it was. He had nothing to worry about.

At last the word was given: "One, two, three, go!"

Away went the tortoise, slow and easy. Off started Little Bear, running so fast that he was out of breath before he had passed the first oak tree, and was glad to stop a second and have a drink of dew from an acorn cup that Friend Treetoad offered him.

"Thank you," remarked Little Bear, as he returned the cup, "but that was not enough. I shall have to step over to the spring."

"Remember how the hare lost the race," Friend Treetoad warned him.

"Oh, I shall not go to sleep," answered Little Bear, "and, really, Grandpa Tortoise walks slower than I thought he did."

Beside the spring were a number of Little Bear's old friends dressed in green satin coats, who were playing leapfrog. They asked Little Bear to play with them, and soon he was showing the frogs what long leaps he could make. And then, in a little while, many baby rabbits came and joined in the fun. The next that Little Bear knew, he was chasing baby rabbits over the rocks and catching nuts that the squirrels threw to him from the tree tops and having a joyful playtime.

An hour passed quickly, and then Little Bear suddenly remembered that he had started out to run a race. Back he ran to the path and away he flew toward the goal, while the baby rabbits laughed and danced and danced and laughed. Father Bear had sent them to play with Little Bear, but they did not know why he had sent them until that minute.

Stepping along, stepping along, slowly but surely, Grandpa Tortoise had reached the goal, just as he had in the long-ago day when he ran the race with the hare. Little Bear, as he came near the goal, heard the neighbors shouting, "Hurrah for the champion! Hurrah for the champion! Hurrah for Grandpa Tortoise!" Even Father Bear was shouting.

Little Bear remembered his manners and, as his father had told him what to do if he lost the race, straightway walked up and shook hands with Grandpa Tortoise. And the hare, although he must have been laughing in his sleeve, remembered his manners, too, and did not let anyone see him laugh.

After that the old friends and neighbors went home with the Three Bears to eat blackberries and honey and to tell stories round the fire. Grandpa Tortoise went too. He had traveled so slowly that he was not even tired. Little Bear asked a few questions, as usual, that afternoon when the stories were told, but he did not brag. And when Peter Hare winked at him once or twice he laughed.

WHEN MOTHER SKUNK HELPED LITTLE BEAR

Once upon a time Little Bear went for a long walk along the river path. He was alone, and so did not know that he had gone far from home until Father Kingfisher saw him and called:

"It is time for you to turn round and go back, Little Bear! You must remember that it will soon be dark in the woods, and you might get lost, for you have no wings with which to fly home quickly."

Little Bear looked for the sun. Sure enough, it was sinking behind the trees and leaving a long, shining trail on the river. It was time to go home.

"Thank you, Father Kingfisher," answered Little Bear. "I was having such a good time that I forgot I was far from our little house, but I shall run back fast now. So good night!"

And away he ran. But before he had passed more than three bends of the river he saw a man fishing, and in the woods near by was a tent, with a bright camp fire burning, and beside the camp fire, a man cleaning a gun.

Little Bear was so frightened that he sat down and

cried. Mother Skunk heard him, for she and her six children were out hunting beetles for supper.

"What is the trouble?" she asked. "What is the matter, Little Bear?"

Little Bear told her about the two men, one on either side of his path. "And I am afraid to go by them!" he wailed.

"Come, come, child, dry your eyes," said Mother Skunk. "You have always been kind to my children, and now I will take care of you. Stop crying and follow me."

"But won't the men catch you?" asked Little Bear.

"Oh, no," answered Mother Skunk, "They will not touch us. You follow me. Come, children."

On walked Mother Skunk, slowly and comfortably, with Little Bear and her six pretty children following one behind another, as she had told them to do.

When the man who was fishing saw Mother Skunk walking by with her children and Little Bear, he sat still as a mouse. All he did was wink. The man by the fire stopped cleaning his gun when he saw Mother Skunk walking by with her children and Little Bear, and he, too, sat still as a mouse.

All he did was wink. "Now, Little Bear," said Mother Skunk, when they had gone a few steps more, "The children and I will [Illustration: On walked Mother Skunk] stay here a while and catch beetles, but you must run along home. The men will not trouble you while we are in their path, never fear!" "I thank you, Mother Skunk!" Little Bear called over his shoulder, as he pit- patted for home as fast as he could travel. And when he reached home, he told what had happened to him and walked up and down in front of the fireplace to show Father Bear and Mother Bear how Mother Skunk had walked past the two big men, as if she were not afraid of anyone in the woods. And how the Three Bears laughed!

But when Mother Bear tucked Little Bear into bed that night, she kissed him and said:

"Let us always be thankful for good, kind friends!"

One morning when Little Bear wanted to play, his mother sent him out to pull weeds in the blackberry patch. When his mother went out to see how he was getting on, she found him lying on the ground and looking at the sky.

"Little Bear," said his mother, "Have you finished your weeding?"

"No, Mother Bear," was the answer, "It is too hard work. I shall pull no more weeds."

Never before had Mother Bear heard Little Bear speak like that. So she took him by the hand and led him into the house, where Father Bear sat in his big chair.

"Father Bear," she said, "Little Bear will not work." Then behind Little Bear's back she made motions that meant, "But please do not spank him!"

"Ah-hum! Ah-hum!" began Father Bear, gazing hard at Little Bear. "Do I understand that you will not pull weeds, Son Bear?"

"It is too hard work," explained Little Bear. "I am not big enough to pull weeds in the blackberry patch."

"Ah-hum! Ah-hum!" repeated Father Bear, who was really too surprised at first for words. Then he said, "Son Bear, I ought to spank you and send you out to work, and that is what I will do if your mother is willing. But--" Father Bear said "But" in such a loud, loud voice that Little Bear jumped at the tone. "But little bears who will not pull weeds in the blackberry patch shall not eat blackberries." So upstairs went Little Bear, followed by his mother, who carried a plate of bread and a brown pitcher full of water from the spring. Mother Bear said nothing when she left Little Bear upstairs with the bread and the water, but he did not mind that, because at first he thought it was all a joke. At dinner time, when he smelled fish frying he felt hungry. But his mother did not bring him any fish, and his father said nothing. So Little Bear ate bread and drank water.

The afternoon lasted a long, long time. Little Bear was asleep when his mother brought him more bread and water.

When he awoke, he again smelled fish frying. He felt hungry, but still his mother did not bring him any fish, and his father said nothing. Then he called his mother and his father.

"What is the trouble with Son Bear?" inquired Father Bear, when Mother Bear led the little fellow downstairs.

"I am hungry!" wailed Little Bear.

"Have you no bread?" asked Father Bear.

"I cannot eat just bread," answered Little Bear, "not when I smell fish. Besides, I am lonesome. I will weed the blackberry patch and the whole garden, and I'll hoe the corn, and I'll work like Sally Beaver, if you'll just let me have fish for my supper, and blackberries, and honey, and milk."

"Very well, Son Bear," agreed Father Bear. "You shall sit down to supper, and weed the blackberry patch before dark."

Little Bear passed his plate, and Father Bear filled it with trout, and mashed potatoes, and currant jelly. Mother Bear passed him the johnnycake, and gave him a big dish of blackberries and a brown mug full of milk.

Little Bear was so hungry that he ate two whole speckled trout, and five pieces of johnnycake, and three heaping dishes of blackberries, and drank two mugfuls

of milk before he went out and weeded the blackberry patch. He was tired when he went to bed that night, and on many other nights afterward, but he said nothing about it, nor did he ever stop his work in the garden until he had done it all as well as he could. For he soon found out that when he had worked hard, even bread and water tasted good, but that when he had not worked, there was no taste in fish, or honey, or milk, or in a heaping dish of blackberries.

Last summer Little Bear went on a long journey with his father and mother. The Three Bears had a beautiful time traveling through the big forest until they reached the banks of a deep, swift river. Then there was trouble, for Little Bear could not swim, nor did he wish to learn how to swim. He said he was afraid of the water.

"Father Bear can easily carry me over the river," he suggested.

"Nonsense!" replied big Father Bear in gruff tones. "Nonsense, my son! You are old enough and strong enough to learn to swim. I will not carry you across the stream. Neither shall your mother."

Just then there came Father Otter, swimming like a seal, and twisting and turning in the water like a fish.

"Perhaps the good otter will teach Little Bear to swim," Mother Bear said, and then called to him.

"It is the easiest thing in the world to teach a little bear how to swim," answered Father Otter. "Just throw him in!" And away he went, laughing over his shoulder.

"He must be joking," observed Mother Bear quickly, because she was afraid that Father Bear would toss Little Bear into the river, and she did not like the idea.

At that moment Mother Otter came swimming down the river with her children. One of them climbed upon her shoulders and stared solemnly at Little Bear on the river bank.

"Good morning!" said Mother Bear.

"Good morning!" answered Mother Otter.

"Your children are fine swimmers," added Mother Bear.

"Certainly," answered Mother Otter. "Every one of them knows that our people have all been famous swimmers for centuries."

"I suppose, then," ventured Mother Bear, "that your children were born swimmers. You probably had trouble in keeping them out of the water when they were babies."

Mother Otter laughed. "The trouble was to get them into the water," she said, "because the silly little things were afraid. All young otters are afraid of the water and have to be put into it by force."

"You do not mean it!" exclaimed Mother Bear, with great amazement in her tones.

"Indeed I do," replied Mother Otter. "We had to push every one of our children into the water. Does Little Bear know how to swim?"

"No," answered Mother Bear, shaking her head, "he is afraid to try."

"Duck him," advised Mother Otter, "duck him. There is no other way to teach a little bear to swim."

And away she went, down the stream, intending to overtake Father Otter.

The little Otters kept looking back, hoping to see Father Bear toss Little Bear into the river. But Mother Bear begged him not to teach Little Bear to swim that day, and so the little Otters missed the fun.

That night the Three Bears camped beside the deep, swift river. After Little Bear was cuddled down in his bed of leaves and springy boughs, Mother Bear made Father Bear promise not to toss Little Bear into the river unless Little Bear said he wanted him to.

The next morning Father Bear was sorry that he had made the promise, because an honest-looking polecat who came across the stream and went into the woods told Father Bear and Mother Bear that the largest, sweetest blackberries in the forest were ripe on the other shore.

"And now," whispered Mother Bear to Father Bear, "aren't you sorry that you told him that we wouldn't carry him over?"

"Sure enough, I am," agreed Father Bear. And then he laughed at the joke on himself.

"Well," suggested Mother Bear at last, "I shall coax Little Bear to let you toss him gently into the river, and I shall catch him if he finds he cannot swim."

"Nonsense!" grumbled Father Bear, and stopped laughing. "While you coax," he said, "I shall go for a walk."

Coaxing did not do any good. When Little Bear saw his father wander away, he told his mother that he did not feel like going into the water that morning. He hoped she would please excuse him. And so she excused him.

Soon Father Bear came back, smiling and happy. "I have found a bridge," said he. "An old log has fallen across the river a little way upstream, where, on the other side, blackberries are almost as big as ducks' eggs. Little Bear can walk across on the log."

"All right, I'll do it," promised Little Bear, and gladly followed his father until the Three Bears reached the bridge.

But while Little Bear was skipping joyfully over the log, trying to reach the opposite bank before his father and mother could swim across, the log turned over and sent Little Bear head first into the river. Fortunately, he knew enough to keep his mouth shut, and in a little while he bobbed up, shaking his head to get the water out of his eyes and his ears and paddling like a duck. That was all there was to it, because, ever after, Little Bear could swim.

Mother Bear believes to this day that Father Bear knew that the log would roll over. She believes it because, whenever anyone asks him, he says nothing, but just laughs.

One morning, while Little Bear was out camping with his father and mother, he went into the woods to pick daisies and bluebells with which to decorate the entrance to their cave. His hands were full of flowers, and he was ready to go back with them to his mother, when he heard a baby crying. Little Bear stood still and listened. Then he knew that the child who was crying was an Otter baby. He had heard Otter babies cry before.

"What is the matter, baby one?" called Little Bear. "What are you crying about and where are you? Did you bump your nose?"

"I am lost! Come and find me!" answered Baby Otter.

"You are hiding behind the oak stump!" exclaimed Little Bear, as he scrambled through the thicket and fairly pounced upon Baby Otter. "I spy!" he shouted.

"It isn't a game!" wailed the Otter baby. "I tell you I am lost! I don't know where my mother went and I can't find my father! I want to go home. Oh, boo-hoo-hoo!"

"There, there, don't cry!" said Little Bear. "Tell me where your camp is, and I will take you home just as fast as we can go."

"But we do not live here!" complained the lost baby. "Our home is Brookside, a long way off across country, and we are only camping out, and I do not know where our camp is! Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"

"Come, come, cheer up!" said Little Bear, using the very words his father often used when speaking to him. "I tell you I will take you home, and if it is too far away I'll ask my father to go. We are camping out, ourselves, down the river a little way. Now tell me how you happened to get lost."

So the Otter baby told him that the Otter family had gone out together after breakfast that morning, and that while they were laughing and chatting Baby Otter had strayed away from the path to pick flowers. The next thing that he knew he had been alone, and, not knowing what else to do, he had sat down and cried.

"Well, wipe your eyes now, and give me your paw!" said Little Bear in big, grown-up tones. "My father showed me your camp only yesterday, and, if you are one of the campers, you live only a little way from here and I can take you home."

Of course Baby Otter wiped his eyes and walked happily behind Little Bear. He wished to travel in single file, Otter fashion.

It happened that Father Bear had been teaching Little Bear how to follow the woods trails, and Little Bear knew the Otters' path, because they always went round stumps and under logs; besides, their legs were short and their bodies so heavy they left well-worn trails behind them.

At last Little Bear reached the end of the crooked path, and Baby Otter, without so much as saying "Thank you!" to Little Bear, ran to the cave by the river bank where his family was camping out.

"Some people always forget their manners," said Little Bear to himself, as he ran home to tell his father and mother what he had done.

"I am glad you were good to the baby," said Little Bear's mother, as she took the bluebells and daisies that he had brought and put them into a hollow stump beside the cave door. She had filled the stump with water from the spring while Little Bear was gone.

"The flowers are lovely!" said Mother Bear. "Now please run into the woods for some green leaves and vines to put with them, Little Bear."

Before he could do as she told him, Uncle John Kingfisher came flying to invite the Three Bears to a party. "The Otters," said he, "request your presence at a fish dinner. Come now."

"We thank you, Uncle John Kingfisher," said Father Bear. "We will start at once. Come, Little Bear, wash your hands and face and get ready."

That is how it came about that the Three Bears dined with the Otters that day, on trout, salmon, and eels, and were served with only one bite from each fish, and that bite taken from the meat just behind the head. Mother Bear thought that the Otters chose only one dainty morsel from each fish just because they had invited company for dinner. But Father Bear told her afterward that she was mistaken; Otters always serve fish in that way when fish are plentiful.

After dinner the Otters and their guests rested for a while, and then Father Otter urged the children to come out and play with him and with Mother Otter. Much surprised, the Three Bears followed the Otters to their playground. And the next Father Bear and Mother Bear knew, Little Bear was sliding down the Otters' toboggan slide and shouting with glee. All the Otters went down that slide, one behind the other, and landed splashety-splash! in the river below.

It was a wonderful sight to see the Otters swimming about in the stream, because they are beautiful swimmers. But what Father and Mother Bear liked best was the picture of Little Bear running up the roundabout path to the top of the bank and going down the slide three times as fast as the Otter children and their parents. The Otters were more at home in the water than Little Bear was, but they could not run on land as he could.

Their next game they played with sticks. One Otter took the end of a stick in his mouth and another Otter took the other end, and then they pulled and pulled to

see which was the stronger. Little Bear did not like that game so well as he did the toboggan slide.

"We have had a delightful time at your party," said Mother Bear to Mother Otter, at last, "and we thank you for inviting us over. If you ever wander into our home woods, come to our little house and have porridge with us."

"We shall be glad to do so," said Mother Otter, "and we shall always think kindly of Little Bear because he brought our baby home when he was lost. If we do go to visit you, you must let us make Little Bear a toboggan slide."

"Ask them to come as soon as we get home!" urged Little Bear in a whisper to his mother so loud that the Otter children heard it, and laughed.

And that night Little Bear dreamed of taking home a baby otter and of being invited to slide down that baby otter's toboggan slide all the afternoon.