92 WILD BROTHER 



quently asked/'How long are you going to keep 

 that bear?" And my answer usually was, "As 

 long as he will keep me." 



It was a mooted question in the town, which 

 would go first, Underwood or the bear; but I did 

 not want to lose my cub, for of all the long list of 

 animal pets that I had owned Bruno was easily the 

 best and most interesting. Winter was close at 

 hand, and with the cold weather the bear would 

 probably be asleep most of the time. Under these 

 circumstances no harm could come to anyone, and 

 I made up my mind to keep him at least until the 

 following spring. 



The advent of a new calf in our cow-barn made 

 it necessary that Bruno should take up other 

 quarters, for the mother cow was now seriously op- 

 posed to his presence. Out in front of the house 

 was a fair-sized cage, which in former days had 

 been occupied by my various other animal friends. 

 Just outside, a few feet from the end of the cage, I 

 dug a deep hole in the ground, and in it I placed a 

 large dry-goods box, then covered it with earth. I 

 connected the box with the cage by an underground 

 passage, using two empty flour-barrels to form a 

 tunnel. Bruno's home was now ready for occu- 

 pancy, and presently he moved in. He found no 

 fault with his new quarters, except when he was 

 left alone; then he was uneasy and fretted and 



