CHILDHOOD'S BUGABOOS 271 



sweet solitudes and made the evening glori- 

 ous with their songs. The rapturous hermit 

 far off, the conversational olive-back a little 

 nearer, and the thrilling veery nearest and 

 dearest of all. Long into the dark I sat on 

 the piazza and listened to the chants of these 

 birds till almost nine o'clock, when all songs 

 were hushed and I went in to enjoy the big 

 roaring fire and the guide's stories. 



These stories were often very droll and 

 always unique to me. Such, for example, as 

 of the man who came to the camp in city 

 rig with a gun so long that he could n't turn 

 around, but had to back out of the woods ; 

 and of an excited fish who sprang out of the 

 water and knocked the fisherman clean over 

 into his own element, where it is to be pre- 

 sumed he gave him tit for tat. 



I was especially interested in the bear 

 stories, which show the peaceable, quiet-lov- 

 ing nature of this bugaboo of childhood. 

 Bruin, it seems, has a wholesome distrust of 

 man, and will always give him a wide berth 

 when possible. If he is cornered and at- 

 tacked he is able, of course, to defend him- 

 self and call out all the wit and the weapons 



