Golden Grain Garnered from the World's Great Harvest-field of Knowledge: Comprising Selections from the Ablest Modern Writers of Prose, Poetry, and Legendary Lore
General
Golden Grain Garnered from the World's Great Harvest-field of Knowledge: Comprising Selections from the Ablest Modern Writers of Prose, Poetry, and Legendary Lore
American literature
Well, when she had eaten, it was getting late in the evening, and she
became sleepy after the journey so she thought she would like to go to
bed. She rang the bell, and had scarcely touched it, before she was in
a room, where she found such a beautiful bed as anyone could wish for,
with silken pillows and curtains, and gold fringes; everything else in
the room was made of gold and silver. But when she had gone to bed and
put out the light, she heard someone coming into the room and sitting
down in the big arm-chair near the bed. It was the white bear, who at
night could throw off his shape, and she could hear by his snoring as
he sat in the chair that he was now in the shape of a man; but she
never saw him, because he always came after she had put out the light,
and in the morning before the day dawned he was gone.
Well, for awhile everything went on happily, but then she began to be
silent and sorrowful, for she went about all day alone, and no wonder
she longed to be home with her parents and her sisters and brothers
again. When the white bear asked what ailed her, she said she was so
lonely there, she walked about all alone, and longed for her home and
her parents and brothers and sisters, and that was the reason she was
so sad.
"But you may visit them, if you like," said the white bear, "if you
will only promise me one thing. You must never talk alone with your
mother, but only when there are others in the room. She will take you
by the hand and try to lead you into a room to speak with you all by
yourself; but you must not do this by any means, or you will make us
both unhappy, and bring misfortune over us."
One Sunday the white bear came and told her that they were now going
to see her parents. Away they went, she sitting on his back, and they
traveled far and long; at last they came to a grand white farm-house,
where her sisters and brothers were running about. Everything was so
pretty that it was a pleasure to see it.
"Your parents are living there," said the bear; "but mind you don't
forget what I have said, or you will make us both unhappy." No, she
would not forget it. When they came to the farm, the bear turned around
and went away.
There was such a joy when she came in to her parents that there was
no end to it. They said they did not know how to thank her fully for
what she had done for them. They had everything they wanted, and
everybody asked after her and wanted to know how she was getting on,
and where she was living. She said that she was very comfortable and
had everything she wished for; but what she otherwise answered I don't
know, but I believe they did not get much out of her.
But one day after dinner it happened exactly as the white bear had
said; her mother wanted to speak with her alone in her chamber. But
she recollected what the bear had told her, and would not go with her.
"What we have got to talk about, we can do at some other time," she
said.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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