BEARS I HAVE NEVER MET 287 



although the lad often lingered outside of the pal- 

 ings in hopes of a chance smile or word from 

 Mandy Jane. 



THE BRAVE FARMERS' 



sons did not even venture to lounge around outside 

 of the lot, but with a frightened look at the peach 

 tree and a wistful one at the vine-clad kitchen door, 

 they hurried by, their cowhide boots resounding 

 on the brick sidewalk. 



Cuffey had been deceived once by a cat and he 

 never forgot it. He had been idly swinging one 

 arm back and forth wondering why the boys had 

 ceased to play with him, when a beautiful big tom- 

 cat came cautiously up to examine the food trough. 

 The bear delightedly caught the cat with his paws 

 and began to bounce Tom up and down as he had 

 seen people dandle babies. 



THE LONG UNDER LIP OF THE BEAR 



projected from his mouth, in an idiotic fashion 

 whenever he was amused, and the cat amused him ; 

 but the cat was frantic with fear and reaching for 

 anything in sight, caught the bear's tender lip with 

 his hooked claws. 



Blood trickled from Cuffey's lacerated mouth 

 and gleamed in his little eyes, and he held the hap- 

 less cat to the ground with his paws and deliber- 

 ately turned a somersault on the spitting and growl- 

 ing animal. 



