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 
