Upon the whole, his face was so good that I too resolved to put a good face on the matter. I accepted the bear as a spectator, and went on with what I had begun. 6. While I was writing, a large fly alighted on the bleeding ear of my spectator. He slowly raised his right paw, and passed it over his ear with a cat-like movement. The fly took itself off. He looked after it as it went; then, when it had disappeared, he seized his two fore-paws, and, as if satisfied with this faultless attitude, he resumed his contemplation.' I assure you I watched his movements with interèst. 7. I was beginning to get accustomed to his presence, when an unexpected incident occurred. A noise of hasty steps was heard on the high-road, and all at once I saw turning the corner another bear, a large black bear. The first was brown. This black bear arrived at full trot, and perceiving the brown bear, gracefully rolled himself on the ground by his side. The brown bear did not condescend3 to look at the black bear, and the black bear did not condescend to look at me. 4 8. I confess that at sight of this new arrival, which redoubled my perplexity, my hand shook. Two bears! This time it was too much. What did it all mean? Judging from the direction from which the black bear had come, bōth of them must have set out from Paris,-a place where bears are few, especially wild ones. 9. I was all but petrified. The brown bear had at last joined in the gambols of the other, and by dint of rolling in the dust, bōth of them had become gray. Meanwhile I had risen, and was considering whether I should pick up my stick, which had fallen into the ditch at my feet, when a third bear made his appearance-a reddish, diminutive, deformed bear, still more tōrn and bloody than the first; then a fourth, then a fifth, and a sixth, the last two trotting in company. The last four bears crossed the road without looking at any thing, almost running, and as if they were pursued. 1 Con` tem plā' tion, act of the mind in considering with attention. 2 Assure (ash shor'), to make sure or certain; to declare. 4 Per plex' i ty, difficulty; a troubled state; not knowing what to do. 5 Pět' ri fied, changed to stone or 'Con` de scend', to stoop or de- stony substance. scend; deign; yield. 6 Di min′ ũ tive, of small size. 10. This became too puzzling. I could not but be near the explanation. I heard barkings and shoutings; ten or twelve bull-dogs, seven or eight men armed with iron-shod sticks, and with muzzles in their hands, ran up at the heels of the fugitive bears. One of these men paused while the others were bringing back the muzzled beasts, and he explained to me this strange riddle. 11. The proprietor of a circus was taking advantage of the Easter holidays to send his bears and his dogs to give some performances in the country. The whole party traveled on foot; at the last resting-place the bears had been loosed, and while their keepers were dining at the neighboring tavern, they had taken advantage of their liberty to proceed merrily and alone on their journey. They were bears out for a holiday. II. 8. A FROST-BITTEN NOSE. NE day I took it into my head to go my rounds on foot. to foot against the inroads or the cold; I enveloped myself in a large Astrakhan' frock-coat; I buried my ears in a fur cap; I wound round my neck a Căsh'mere scarf, and sallied into the street, the only part of me that was exposed to the air being the tip of my nose. 2. At first, every thing went on ădʼmirably; I was even surprised at the little impression the cold made upon me, and I laughed to myself at the many tales I had heard on the subject. I was, moreover, delighted that chance had given me this opportunity of becoming acclimatized. However, as the first two pupils on whom I called were not at home, I began to think that chance managed matters too well, when I fancied I saw the people I met looking at me with a certain uneasiness, but still without speaking. 3. Presently, a gentleman more communicative, it would 1 East' er, a church feast-day in memory of Christ's resurrection. "Astrakhan (ås trå kån ́), a city of Russia, capital of a government of its own name, situated on an clevated island in the Volga. 3 Aċ ċli ma tized, inured or accustomed to a climate different from that which is natural. 4 Com mu ni ca tive, inclined or ready to converse with, or impart to, others. . seem, than the rest, said to me in passing, "Nofs!" As I did not know one word of Russ, I thought it was not worth while to stop for the sake of a monosyllable, and I walked on. At the corner of Pear street I met a countryman, who was passing at full speed, driving his sledge; but, rapid as was his course, he too thought himself bound to speak to me, and called out, "Nofs! nofs!" 4. At length, on reaching Admiralty square, I found myself face to face with a strong fellow, who said nothing (nŭth' ing) at all, but who, picking up a handful of snow, threw himself upon me; and before I could free myself from all my wrappers, began to besmear my face, and to rub it, and more especially my nose, with all his might. I did not much relish the joke, especially considering the weather; and, drawing my hand out of my pocket, I dealt him a blow that sent him rolling ten yards off. 5. Unfortunately or fortunately for me, two peasants just then passed, who, after looking at me for a moment, seized hold of me, and in spite of my resistance, held me fast by the arms; while the desperate fellow who first attacked me took up another handful of snow, and, as if determined not to be beaten, threw himself once mōre upon me. This time, taking advantage of my utter inability to defend myself, he again began his frictions;' but though my arms were tied, my tongue was free. Thinking myself the victim of some mistake, or of some concerted attack, I shouted most lustily' for help. 6. An officer came up running, and asked me in French what was the matter. "What, sir!" I exclaimed, making a last effort, and getting rid of my three men, who, with the most unconcerned air in the world, went on their way,-"do you not see what those rascals were doing to me?" 7. "Well, what were they doing to you?" "Why, they were rubbing my face with snow. Would you think that a good joke, I wonder, in such weather as this ?" "But, my good friend, they were rendering you an enormous service," replied my interlocutor, looking at me, as we French say, in the věry white of the eyes. 1 Friction (frik' shun), the act of rubbing the surface of one body against that of another. ' Lus' ti ly, vigorously. 3 In ter loo' u tor, one who speaks in dialogue. 8. "How so?" "Why, of course, your nose was being frozen.” “Good heavens !" I exclaimed, feeling with my hand the threatened feature. 9. "Sir," said a passer-by, addressing my friend the officer, "I warn you that your nose is freezing.” "Thank you, sir,” said the officer; and, stooping down, he gathered up a handful of snow, and performed for himself the same service which had been rendered to me by the poor fellow whom I had rewarded so badly. 10. "You mean to say, sir, if it had not been for the man who first attacked me, that ""You would have lost your nose," rejoined the officer, while rubbing his own. and off I ran in pur 11. "In that case, sir, allow me". suit of my friend, who, thinking that I wanted to kill him outright, began running also; so that, as fear is generally mōre nimble than gratitude, I should probably never have overtaken him, had not some people, seeing him running away and me in pursuit, taken him for a thief, and seized him. When I came up, I found him talking with great volubility,' trying to show that he was only guilty of too much kindness. 12. Ten florins' which I gave him explained matters. He kissed my hand, and one of the bystanders, who spoke French, recommended me to take mōre care of my nose in future. The recommendation was unnecessary; during the rest of my walk I never lost sight of it. DUMAS.3 I III. 9. A TALE OF TERROR. 5 WAS once traveling in Calabria, a land of wicked people, who, I believe, hate every one, and especially the French. To tell you the reason why would take too long: suffice it to 1 Vŏl'ū bil' i ty, ready motion of 3 Alexandre Dumas (do må') a the tongue in speaking; readiness French novelist and dramatist, born in speech. in Paris, July 28, 1824. 'Flor ins, coins first made at Florence. The silver florin was valued at from twenty-three to fifty-four cents: the gold florin about a dollar and a half. 4 Că la brĭ a, the south part of the kingdom of Naples, separated from Sicily by the Straits of Messina. 5 Suffice (suf fiz), to satisfy or content. say, that they hate us with a deadly hātrèd, and that one of our countrymen gets on very badly when he falls into their hands. 2. In these mountains the roads are precipices.' It was with much difficulty that my horse made his way over them. I had for my companion a young man who went first. Taking a path' which appeared to him shorter and more practicable,' he led us ăstray. It served me right. Why did I trust to a head of only twenty years? 3. While daylight lasted, we tried to find our way through the wood; but the mōre we tried the more we were bewildered; and it was pitch dark when we arrived at a very black-looking house. We entered,-not without fear,-but what could we do? We found a whole family of charcoal-burners, seated round a table, at which they immediately invited us to take places. 4. My young man did not wait to be pressed. We soon made ourselves at home, and began to eat and drink; or at least my companion did. My time was chiefly occupied in examining the place and the appearance of our hosts. They had quite the look of charcoal-burners; but as for the house, you would have taken it for an arsenal." 5. What an assortment of guns, pistols, swords, knives, and cutlasses! Every thing displeased me, and I saw very well that I displeased everybody. My companion, on the contrary, making himself quite one of the family, laughed and chatted with them, and with an imprudence that I ought to have foreseen (but, alas! it was so decreed), told them at once where we came from, where we were going, and who we were. He informed them, in short, that we were Frenchmen! 6. Just imagine! We, all the while, alone, out of our road, so far from all human aid, and in the power of our mortal' cnemies! And then, as if to omit nothing that might insure 1 Prěcí i pĭce, a headlong descent; a very steep overhanging place. * Path (påth). 3 Prǎć' ti ċa ble, capable of being done; admitting of use, or of being passed or traveled; passable. 4 Hōst, one from whom another receives food, lodging, or entertainment; a landlord. Ar' se nal, a public building, or buildings, for the storage, or for the manufacture and storage, of arms and all other military equipments, whether for land or sea service. • Cutlass, a broad, curving sword, with but one cutting edge.. 'Mor' tal, bent on one's destruc tion; deadly. |