Johnny Bear 



spot of all where the Bear could not stand it, 

 and then worked backward to a point outside 

 the sweep of Grumpy's claws. After one or 

 two vain attempts to shake the spotted fury off, 

 old Grumpy did just as most creatures would 

 have done under the circumstances : she turned 

 tail and bolted out of the enemy's country into 

 her own woods. 



But Puss's fighting blood was up. She was 

 not content with repelling the enemy ; she 

 wanted to inflict a crushing defeat, to achieve 

 an absolute and final rout. And however fast 

 old Grumpy might go, it did not count, for the 

 Cat was still on top, working her teeth and claws 

 like a little demon. Grumpy, always erratic, 

 now became panic-stricken. The trail of the 

 pair was flecked with tufts of long black hair, 

 and there was even bloodshed (in the fiftieth 

 degree). Honor surely was satisfied, but Pussy 

 was not. Round and round they had gone in 

 the mad race. Grumpy was frantic, absolutely 

 humiliated, and ready to make any terms ; but 

 Pussy seemed deaf to her cough-like yelps, and 

 no one knows how far the Cat might have 

 ridden that day had not Johnny unwittingly 



i«3 



