he will eat you up, one of these days, if you do." "No, father," said James; "I think I can tame him. I am almost sure that I can, if you will let me try." "There is but one way to tame him," said his father; "and that is, to be kind to him. The law of love is good for all. It is good for man and beast. You must feed him well, and never beat him." James thanked his father, and kept the bear. He fed it, for the first two or three months, on bread and milk, and then he gave it fruit and bread, and now and then some meat. The bear grew large and strong, and was very fond of James; and at last he became as tame as a house dog. JAMES went to a school about a mile from home, and one day the bear followed him. The school boys were afraid of him at first; but when they 1 Pron. brush'wûd. saw how tame and playful he was, they became very fond of him, and James took him to school with him every day. In school hours he was shut up in the woodshed; and when the boys came out they had great sport in playing with him. They gave him a share of the bread and fruit which they brought to school in their bags; and when it was very cold weather, they let him go into the school room, at noon, to warm himself, and to eat his dinner with them. Two years had passed, when one day James called his bear to go to school; but he did not come. Search was made for him, but he could not be found. He had doubtless gone away to live in the woods. James bore his loss as well as he could, but the bear was greatly missed by himself and all the school boys. Four more years passed, and there was a great change in the school. It was now kept by another teacher, and all the boys who had been at school in the time of James and his bear were gone. The ground had been hard with frost and white with snow for six weeks, when, one very cold day, while the teacher was hearing a class spell, a boy went out to get some wood for the fire. He left the door half open, and a large bear walked in. The teacher and children were all in a great fright; but they could not run out, for the bear stood in the doorway. All they could do was to get behind the desks, and keep as still as they could. But the bear took no notice of them. He walked up to the fireplace and warmed himself, and looked as if he were quite at home. At length he walked up to the wall, where, on a row of pegs, the boys and girls had hung their bags. Standing upon his hind legs, he put his fore paws and nose into the bags, one by one, and helped himself to the fruit and bread which he found there. He next tried to open the teacher's drawer; but this was locked. He then went back to the fire, warmed himself once more, and walked leisurely out of the door. As soon as the teacher and the children dared to move, they left their hiding places, and ran out into the road, and called for help. Some men came from a farm house close by, and tracking the bear through the fields, by the print of his feet in the snow, soon came up with him, and surrounded him. They were armed with large clubs, and intended to kill him; but just at that moment James happened to come that way, and he knew the bear by some well-known marks on the skin. When he called to him, the bear was glad to see him, and followed him home. He staid but a few days, however, and then ran away again into the woods, as he probably had found new companions there among the bears. For wilful waste makes woful want, O, how I wish I had the bread That once I threw away! WHENE'ER I take my walks abroad, How many poor I see! Not more than others I deserve, While many early learn to swear, Are these thy favors, day by day, To me above the rest? Then let me love thee more than they, |