Judge — July 30, 1921 — page 31: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Drawn by Cuartes A. Hucues Mr. Monk—Keep your EYE ON ME AND YOU'LL LEARN SOME- THING ABOUT GOLF. When It Took Courage to Keep Still By } Girone and Hazel Gordon spent finnte Leona Upton most of their vacation on Grand- father Gordon’s farm in Maine. The north end of the farm is part wood- land and part blueberry pasture. Grand- father Gordon told Geoffrey and Hazel they might pick berries “on halves”— that is, they might have half of the money he got for the berries they picked, after he had boxed and crated them, and sent them to Boston to market. As blueberries brought such a good price they were quite rich before the season was nearly over. Geoffrey had twenty dollars in his bank, and Hazel had fifteen. Grandmother Gordon said Hazel had done very well, considering that she was two years younger than Geoffrey. They had not written their Mother about earning money. It was to be a great surprise for her when they should reach home. They had their plans all made, to buy her a tea-set that she had ad- mired in a china-shop window. “The prettiest tea-set in the world!”’ she had called it. At last came the day before they were to return to the city. They meant to spend the whole day blueberrying. The berries were not as plentiful as they had been, but there was still good picking. They carried a lunch, so as net to have to spend time going to the house to eat at noon. They picked into dippers, and emptied these into their four pails. It was nearly sunset, when, coming around a clump of bushes, to empty his dipper, Geoffrey had a big surprise. “Whew!” he whistled. There, eating berries from one of his overturned pails, was a chubby brown creature! “Old Mrs. Atherton’s chow Mr. Hippo—Notuinc To rt! Just watcu me! dog!” he exclaimed. ‘But I didn’t know dogs liked blueberries. Hi there!” And he threw a big pine cone at the woolly- coated thief. With a funny “ Woof!” the animal raised its head. Then Geoffrey saw it wasn’t a dog at all! Just then up came Hazel. ‘“Oooh— what—?” she began. But suddenly they heard a great crackling in the bushes not far away. It was an old mother bear, coming as fast as her fat legs would carry her, to look out for her baby—the little blueberry-stealing cub! She had come down from the Northern forest, with her baby, to grow fat and lazy on sweet berries. Usually the bears who do this are not cross at all; they only want to keep out of the way of dogs and guns. But you see this old mother bear had heard Photograph by H. Anustrona Ronents Tue Most Important Matter 1n THE Wortp. 31 Mr. Monk — Take my ADVICE—QUIT GOLF AND STICK TO TIDDLEDY-winks! her baby say “Woof!” and she thought something meant to hurt him. So on she came, her little eyes shining, her white teeth glistening! It was then Geoffrey remembered the story Grandfather Gordon had once told, of how he fooled a bear when he was a little boy, lost in the woods, far from home. “Play dead, Hazel!” he whispered. “Play dead! Quick. Down—the way Grandpa said!” He dropped to the ground, as he whis- pered, and so did Hazel. Madame Bruin came up to them. She seemed puzzled. She nuzzled Geoffrey. She smelled all over his face and head. Her warm breath made him feel faint, but he did not stir. She poked him with her paw. Then she rolled him over. Then she left him, and did all the same things to Hazel. But Hazel was just as plucky as Geoffrey. She “played ‘dead’ perfectly. She hardly breathed. Then the anxious Mother went back to Geoffrey, and poked and nuzzled him again. She did the same a second time to Hazel. Then she seemed to decide they were harmless things. She gave a funny “Woof!” and walked over to the blueberry pails, where the greedy cub was still eating: and between them they ate up every one of those berries! Then they both said “ Woof! Woooo!”’ and ambled off into the bushes. Geoffrey and Hazel lay quite still, listening till they could not hear the faintest crackling of a twig. Then they got up and ran home as fast as they could scamper! “I’m glad we got berries enough for the tea-set, first!” said Hazel, when they told their adventure. ‘(Me too!” said Geoffrey. “T’m glad that I have grand- children who can keep their wits about them!” said Grandfather Gordon. “Me, too!” repeated Grandmother Gordon.