THE BEAR-STORY

W'y, wunst they wuz a Little Boy went out

In the woods to shoot a Bear. So, he went out

‘ Way in the grea’ - big woods — he did.— An’ he

Wuz goin'along — an'goin' along, you know,

An’ purty soon he heerd somepin’ go “Wooh!” —

Ist thataway — “Woo-ooh!” An’ he wuz skeered,

He wuz. An’ so he runned an’ clumbed a tree —

A grea’ - big tree, he did,— a sicka-more tree.

An’ nen he heerd it agin: an’ he looked round,

An’‘ t'uz a Bear!— a grea’ - big, shore-nuff Bear!—

No:‘ t'uz two Bears, it wuz — two grea’ - big Bears —

One of‘ em wuz — ist one's a grea’ - big Bear.—

But they ist boff went “Wooh! “— An’ here they come

To climb the tree an’ git the Little Boy

An'eat him up!

An’ nen the Little Boy

He‘ uz skeered worse'n ever! An’ here come

The grea’ - big Bear a-climbin’ th’ tree to git

The Little Boy an’ eat him up — Oh, no!—

It‘ uz n't the Big Bear‘ at clumb the tree —

It‘ uz the Little Bear. So here he come

Climbin’ the tree — an’ climbin’ the tree! Nen when

He git wite clos't to the Little Boy, w'y nen

The Little Boy he ist pulled up his gun

An’ shot the Bear, he did, an’ killed him dead!

An’ nen the Bear he falled clean on down out

The tree — away clean to the ground, he did

Spling-splung! he falled plum down, an’ killed him, too!

An’ lit wite side o’ where the’ Big Bear's at.

An’ nen the Big Bear's awful mad, you bet!—

‘ Cause —‘ cause the Little Boy he shot his gun

An’ killed the Little Bear.—‘ Cause the Big Bear

He — he‘ uz the Little Bear's Papa.— An’ so here

He come to climb the big old tree an’ git

The Little Boy an’ eat him up! An’ when

The Little Boy he saw the grea’ - big Bear

A-comin’, he‘ uz badder skeered, he wuz,

Than any time! An’ so he think he'll climb

Up higher —‘ way up higher in the tree

Than the old Bear kin climb, you know.— But he —

He can n't climb higher‘ an old Bears kin climb,—

‘ Cause Bears kin climb up higher in the trees

Than any little Boys In all the Wo-r-r-ld!

An’ so here come the grea’ - big Bear, he did,—

A-climbin’ up — an’ up the tree, to git

The Little Boy an’ eat him up! An’ so

The Little Boy he clumbed on higher, an’ higher.

An’ higher up the tree — an’ higher — an’ higher —

An’ higher'n iss-here house is!— An’ here come

Th’ old Bear — clos'ter to him all the time!—

An’ nen — first thing you know,— when th’ old Big Bear

Wuz wite clos't to him — nen the Little Boy

Ist jabbed his gun wite in the old Bear's mouf

An’ shot an’ killed him dead!— No; I fergot,—

He did n't shoot the grea’ - big Bear at all —

‘ Cause they‘ uz no load in the gun, you know —

‘ Cause when he shot the Little Bear, w'y, nen

No load‘ uz anymore nen in the gun!

But th’ Little Boy clumbed higher up, he did —

He clumbed lots higher — an’ on up higher — an’ higher

An’ higher — tel he ist can n't climb no higher,

‘ Cause nen the limbs‘ uz all so little,‘ way

Up in the teeny-weeny tip-top of

The tree, they'd break down wiv him ef he do n't

Be keerful! So he stop an’ think: An’ nen

He look around — An’ here come th’ old Bear!

An’ so the Little Boy make up his mind

He's got to ist git out o’ there some way!—

‘ Cause here come the old Bear!— so clos't, his bref's

Purt‘ nigh so's he kin feel how hot it is

Aginst his bare feet — ist like old “Ring's” bref

When he's ben out a-huntin’ an's all tired.

So when th’ old Bear's so clos't — the Little Boy

Ist gives a grea’ - big jump fer‘ nother tree —

No!— no he do n't do that!— I tell you what

The Little Boy does:— W'y, nen — w'y, he — Oh, yes —

The Little Boy he finds a hole up there

‘ At's in the tree — an’ climbs in there an’ hides —

An’ nen the old Bear can n't find the Little Boy

Ut-tall!— But, purty soon th’ old Bear finds

The Little Boy's gun‘ at's up there —‘ cause the gun

It's too tall to tooked wiv him in the hole.

So, when the old Bear find’ the gun, he knows

The Little Boy ist hid‘ round somers there,—

An’ th’ old Bear‘ gins to snuff an’ sniff around,

An’ sniff an’ snuff around — so's he kin find

Out where the Little Boy's hid at.— An’ nen — nen —

Oh, yes!— W'y, purty soon the old Bear climbs

‘ Way out on a big limb — a grea’ - long limb,—

An’ nen the Little Boy climbs out the hole

An’ takes his ax an’ chops the limb off!... Nen

The old Bear falls k-splunge! clean to the ground

An’ bust an’ kill hisse'f plum dead, he did!

An’ nen the Little Boy he git his gun

An’‘ menced a-climbin’ down the tree agin —

No!— no, he did n't git his gun —‘ cause when

The Bear falled, nen the gun falled, too — An’ broked

It all to pieces, too!— An’ nicest gun!—

His Pa ist buyed it!— An’ the Little Boy

Ist cried, he did; an’ went on climbin’ down

The tree — an’ climbin’ down — an’ climbin’ down!—

An’ - sir! when he‘ uz purt’ - nigh down,— w'y, nen

The old Bear he jumped up agin!— an he

Ai n't dead ut-tall — ist‘ tendin’ thataway,

So he kin git the Little Boy an’ eat

Him up! But the Little Boy he‘ uz too smart

To climb clean down the tree.— An’ the old Bear

He can n't climb up the tree no more —‘ cause when

He fell, he broke one of his — He broke all

His legs!— an’ nen he could n't climb! But he

Ist wo n't go‘ way an’ let the Little Boy

Come down out of the tree. An’ the old Bear

Ist growls‘ round there, he does — ist growls an’ goes

“Wooh! woo-ooh!” all the time! An’ Little Boy

He haf to stay up in the tree — all night —

An’‘ thout no supper neever!— Only they

Wuz apples on the tree!— An’ Little Boy

Et apples — ist all night — an’ cried — an’ cried!

Nen when‘ tuz morning th’ old Bear went “Wooh!”

Agin, an’ try to climb up in the tree

An’ git the Little Boy.— But he can n't

Climb t'save his soul, he can n't!— An’ oh! he's mad!—

He ist tear up the ground! an’ go “Woo-ooh!”

An’ — Oh, yes!— purty soon, when morning's come

All light — so's you kin see, you know,— w'y, nen

The old Bear finds the Little Boy's gun, you know,

‘ At's on the ground.— ( An’ it ai n't broke ut-tall —

I ist said that! ) An’ so the old Bear think

He'll take the gun an’ shoot the Little Boy:—

But Bears they do n't know much‘ bout shootin’ guns:

So when he go to shoot the Little Boy,

The old Bear got the other end the gun

Agin his shoulder,‘ stid o’ th'other end —

So when he try to shoot the Little Boy,

It shot the Bear, it did — an’ killed him dead!

An’ nen the Little Boy dumb down the tree

An’ chopped his old wooly head off:— Yes, an’ killed

The other Bear agin, he did — an’ killed

All boff the bears, he did — an’ tuk‘ em home

An’ cooked‘ em, too, an’ et‘ em!

— An’ that's