t spring o ts of it dropped from trees and made little ening sno noon all ttle er rembling at tips.

    Pa said  go to too trade trapping all er.

    So one evening  oget as big as Pa.

    Very early one morning Pa strapped tarted to o too carry t  take his gun.

    Ma  Pa said t by starting before sun-up and  all day  home again before dark.

    t toore. toget t in a toore full of candy and calico and ot, and salt, and store sugar.

    t Pa rade o torekeeper for beautiful toing ts reetops and no more drops fell from tips of to ch eagerly for Pa.

    t of sig come. Ma started supper and set table, but  come. It ime to do till  come.

    Ma said t Laura mighe cow.

    Laura could carry tern. So Laura put on  and Ma buttoned it up.

    And Laura put o tens t ring around ed tern.

    Laura o be ern very carefully.

    Its sides in,  in t to shrough.

    o ttle bits of candle-ligern leaped all around   yet quite dark. t t on tars. I pat stars. tars did not look as le lig came from tern.

    Laura o see tanding at te. Ma oo.

    It oo early in to be let out in to eat grass. S sometimes on  tall open so so ting for them.

    Ma  up to te, and pus it to open it. But it did not tanding against it. Ma said,  quot;Sukey, get over! quot; Se and slapped Sukeys shoulder.

    Just ttle bits of ligern jumped bete, and Laura satle, glittering eyes.

    Sukey , brown fur. Sukey le eyes.

    Ma said, quot;Laura, o the house.”

    So Laura turned around and began to o cern and all, and ran. Ma ran o t;Ma,  a bear?

    quot;Yes, Laura,quot; Ma said. quot;It was a bear.”

    Laura began to cry. So Ma and sobbed, quot;O Sukey? “

    quot;No,quot; Ma said, ;Sukey is safe in to keep bears out. No, t get in and eat Sukey. “

    Laura felt better t;But  us, couldnt ; she asked.

    quot;  us,quot; Ma said. quot;You o do exactly as I told you, and to do it quickly,  asking why.”

    Ma rembling, and so laugtle. quot;to t; s;Ive slapped a bear!

    t supper on table for Laura and Mary. Pa  come yet.  come.

    Laura and Mary o trundle bed.

    Ma sat by ts. till and strange,  Pa.

    Laura listened to t crying as t  in tened.

    Ma finis. Laura sa to tcring ts  nobody could get in from outside unless sed tcook Carrie, all limp and sleeping, out of the big bed.

    S Laura and Mary ill a;Go to sleep, girls. Everyt. Pa will be he morning.”

    t back to  tly and holding Baby Carrie her arms.

    Sting tip late, ing for Pa, and Laura and Marv meant to stay aoo, till  at last t to sleep.

    In t candy for Laura and Mary, and tty calico to make ttern on a tle golden-bros on it. Ma oo; it e pattern all over it.

    t suc o get tiful presents.

    tracks of t Sukey and the horses were safe inside.

    All t day ted, and little streams of er ran from time gre t nigracks  snow.

    After supper Pa took Laura and Mary on ory to tell them.

    tory of Pa and t to toerday   sno took me a long time to get to too do trading. torekeeper  until lie could look at my furs.

    quot;to bargain about to pick out ted to take in trade.

    quot;So it art home.

    quot;I tried to  tired, so I  gone far before nig my gun.

    quot;till six miles to  as I could. t gre of ter dens. I racks o tohe morning.

    quot;Bears are  time of year; you knoer long o eat, and t makes they wake up.

    I did not  to meet one.

    quot;I ars gave a little lig ill black as pitc in ttle anding all around me. I  light.

    quot;All time I cening for or the bushes.

    quot;to an open place, and t in the middle of my road, I saw a big black bear.

    quot;anding up on  me. I could see . I could even see one of arlight.

    quot;My scalp prickled, and my ood straigopped in my tracks, and stood still. t move. tood, looking at me.

    quot;I kne o try to go around o tter t  to figer starved bear in the dark. Oh, how I wished for my gun!

    quot;I o pass t bear, to get  t if I could scare  get out of t me go by. So I took a deep breated  and ran at him, waving my arms.

    quot; move.

    I did not run very far toward ell you!

    I stopped and looked at ood looking at me. ted again. tood. I kept on sing and   budge.

    quot;ell, it o run a meet one any time. I migo  Ma and you girls. I   scared me.

    quot;So at last I looked around, and I got a good big club, a solid,  ree by t of snoer.

    quot;I lifted it up in my raig t bear. I s down, bang! on his head.

    quot;And till stood, for  a big, black, burned stump!

    quot;I  on my o to morning. It  a bear at all. I only t it  bears and being afraid Id meet one.”

    quot;It really  a bear at all?quot; Mary asked.

    quot;No, Mary, it  a bear at all. trying to scare a stump! “

    Laura said: quot;Ours   scared, because  it was Sukey.

    Pa did not say anyt ighter.

    quot;Oo-oo! t bear migen Ma and me all up!quot; Laura said, snuggling closer to ;But Ma  all.  hing?

    quot;I guess oo surprised to do anyt; Pa said. quot;I guess ern so  afraid.”

    quot;ell, you oo,quot; Laura said. quot;Even if it ump,, you t it was a bear. Youd   you, Pa?”

    quot;Yes,quot; said Pa, quot;I would. You see, I o.”

    t ime. Ston up tgo dorundle bed and said their prayers.

    quot;Noo sleep,  I pray to keep. If I so take.”

    Ma kissed tucked t Mas smooted . tle clicking sounds against  softly, sy calico t Pa raded furs for.

    Laura looked at Pa, ws.

    ac, and t were gay. led chen he sang:

    quot;tle and t;t I laid omb.”

    It  build it up. All around ttle tle sounds of falling snoing icicles.

    In just a little ting out the woods.

    tories by t nig all day long Laura and Mary rees, for it would be spring.