the small bears at the table cried: "we are sad, boo-hoo!"
said papa bear: "cheer up, my dears, for this will never do!"
mama and papa bear and sixteen little bears sat down to supper.
"boo-hoo," said the first little bear.
"boo-hoo," said the second little bear.
now will you believe it? in two minutes all the bears were crying.
"hush! hush!" said papa bear.
what do you suppose mama bear did? she got out sixteen little pocket handkerchiefs and told the little bears to dry their eyes!
papa bear turned to the first little bear and said:
"what were you crying about?"
then the little bear began to cry again. "boo-hoo," he said, "i don't remember what i was crying about."
then the second little bear said, "i remember what we were crying about. we were crying because we miss little bear!"
then every one of those little bears shouted:
"we miss little bear, we want him to come home!"
just at that minute, there was a loud knock at the door, and in bounded bushy tail!
bushy tail had the newspaper with him, and he felt very proud.
"you have to pay one dollar a copy," he said.
papa bear was so pleased to see the paper that he paid bushy tail the dollar without saying a word, and then he sat down in his big arm-chair and began to read.
"read the advertisements," roared bushy tail.
then papa bear read:
"lost, a pair of mittens; finder return to bushy tail.
"lost, a pair of glasses; finder return to susan cotton-tail."
then what do you suppose those sixteen little bears did?
they clapped their paws together and laughed and cried, and shouted all together:
"oh, dear! oh, dear! how funny!
susan cotton-tail has lost her glasses again!"
"five dollars reward," read papa bear.
the first little bear shouted: "i want to find the glasses," and the second little bear shouted: "no, i want to find them," and all of them made a dreadful noise.
then bushy tail roared: "read the next page!"
papa bear read: "wanted, a name for a fine little bear. apply at the house of susan cotton-tail."
"oh! oh! oh!" cried all the little bears, "we know now where little bear is."
mama bear wiped her eyes, and papa bear laughed until he cried. the little bears all capered about the room; then they put on their little caps and went by twos down the road.
they said, "we will find little bear. we will bring him home."
the first little bear said: "i will find little bear."
the second little bear said: "i will find little bear."
then all the bears shouted: "we will all find little bear," and they went down the road shouting and singing all the way.
bushy tail was a very rude fellow, a very rude fellow, indeed.
he snatched the newspaper away from papa bear, and jumped out of the window.
"give me back my dollar," roared papa bear.
"we have only one paper," bushy tail shouted back. "you pay one dollar to read it!"
"give me back my dollar," roared papa bear again, but bushy tail was far down the road by this time and did not turn his head.
mama bear said: "he is a sly old fellow, but i am glad to know about little bear."
papa bear nodded. "i want my dollar back," he said.
as bushy tail passed bunny's house, he stopped and said: "give me a cookie. i must have a cookie. i cannot wait!"
susan said: "i have a whole panful, but they are not fit to eat this time."
"i can eat them all," cried bushy tail. so saying, bushy tail snatched the pan of cookies out of susan's paw, and ran down the road as fast as he could.
when bushy tail got a good bite of the first cookie he choked, and he coughed, and growled, and ran until he found a stream, and he drank a lot of water.
"too much pepper that time," he said.
"i don't believe he will want any more cookies," said bunny cottontail. susan shook her head.
"he will have forgotten by tomorrow," she said.