The laughing bear, and other storiesBell, Robert Bloomer Hare
Science
The laughing bear, and other stories
Bell, Robert Bloomer Hare
Children's stories
Polly turned to look at the picture again. It had changed. The girl
was a saucy little minx, but the boy was full of grace and beauty. The
witch was smiling.
"Why," whispered Polly, "that boy looks like you! But how wild the
little girl looks! The witch is smiling. I never saw the old thing look
like that before."
"It is not a painted picture at all," said Harry, "but only a mirror."
"Oh," screamed Polly, turning round to find the witch. But the old
woman was gone. Polly glanced at the mirror again, and there stood the
two children alone.
"I hope the witch did not hear what I said about her," she exclaimed.
They left the building and wandered along a pretty green carpeted road.
A fat goose with her brood of goslings waddled after them, gabbling
something that sounded like this: "Wait for us! We want to go too. My
little children cannot walk so fast. Hold on! Hold on there!"
Polly stopped and beckoned to the old thing. Immediately the mother
with her group of children came to her. She said that her goslings were
the finest children in all the land. "Why," she said, "they walked as
soon as they were born! Not like humans, who have to be nursed and
cradled for years before they know anything. My children began to do
for themselves when they were an hour old. Now humans are stupid till
they are taught a trade with which to earn a living. There are no idle
children among my youngsters."
"I have always heard people say 'as foolish as a goose,'" replied
Polly. "I am never going to say that again, for I see that I was
mistaken. I should have said 'as stupid as human children!'"
When all were rested they started off to the half-mile creek to see the
big bullfrogs.
"Now watch, Polly," said Harry, when they reached the banks, "and you
will see the great prince of the frogs. He comes out about this time of
the day to review his subjects. There is the band coming already. Like
other monarchs, he likes to be preceded by a great swell of music. The
people of Frogdom must be impressed."
Sure enough, there swam into view a company of frogs, big and little.
They swam to a little island and leaped up the bank. The leader, who
was a little larger than the others, faced them and waved a small twig.
Immediately the frog band struck up.
It was a strange band indeed. They had all the parts, from the bass
up to a high treble. The water trombones sat breast deep in the water
so that they produced a very delightful music. Others stood on their
toes and rubbed themselves against the tall grass to produce a violin
effect. The big frogs played bass; the little fellows shrilled like
piccolos.
The children clapped their hands and sang to the accompaniment of the
frog band. The old goose swung her head from side to side, keeping
time with the music, while the goslings sang all of the tunes they
knew. When the band played a familiar cake-walk, they waddled about
the bridge as gracefully as goslings could, with their necks joined
together.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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