Part 1 (1/2)

The Adventures of Buster Bear

by Thornton W Burgess

I

BUSTER BEAR GOES FIshi+NG

Buster Bear yawned as he lay on his co sunbeah the Green Forest to chase out the Black Shadows Once ot to his feet and shook hi pine-tree, stood up on his hind legs, reached as high up on the trunk of the tree as he could, and scratched the bark with his great claws After that he yawned until it seemed as if his jaould crack, and then sat down to think what he wanted for breakfast

While he sat there, trying toto the sounds that told of the waking of all the little people who live in the Green Forest He heard Sa, ”Thief! Thief!” and grinned ”I wonder,” thought Buster, ”if some one has stolen Sammy's breakfast, or if he has stolen the breakfast of some one else Probably he is the thief hi as fast as he could e ”Must be that Chatterer got out of bed the wrong way thisat the top of his lungs, and he knew by the sound that Blacky was getting into mischief of soers, and they were good to hear

But h that never stopped but went on and on, until he just felt as if heBrook And as Buster listened it suddenly ca fishi+ng,” said he in his deep gruoing fishi+ng I want so over to the Laughing Brook, and straight to a little pool of which he knew, and as he drew near he took the greatest care not to make the teeniest, weeniest bit of noise Now it just happened that early as he was, soht of the little pool, who should he see but another fisherht a fine fat trout Who was it? Why, Little Joe Otter to be sure He was just cli up the bank with the fat trout in his mouth Buster Bear's own mouth watered as he saw it Little Joe sat down on the bank and prepared to enjoy his breakfast He hadn't seen Buster Bear, and he didn't know that he or any one else was anywhere near

Buster Bear tiptoed up very softly until he was right behind Little Joe Otter ”Woof, woof!” said he in his deepest,trout I wouldn't htened squeal and without even turning to see as speaking dropped his fish and dived headfirst into the Laughing Brook Buster Bear sprang forward and with one of his big paws caught the fat trout just as it was slipping back into the water

”Here's your trout, Mr Otter,” said he, as Little Joe put his head out of water to see who had frightened hiet it”

[Illustration: ”Here's your trout, Mr Otter,” said he _Page 5_]

But Little Joe wouldn't The fact is, he was afraid to He snarled at Buster Bear and called hi bad he could think of

Buster didn't seereat joke and repeated his invitation to Little Joe to coet his fish

But Little Joe just turned his back and went off down the Laughing Brook in a great rage

”It's too bad to waste such a fine fish,” said Buster thoughtfully ”I wonder what I'd better do with it” And while he ondering, he ate it all up Then he started down the Laughing Brook to try to catch some for himself

II

LITTLE JOE OTTER GETS EVEN WITH BUSTER BEAR

Little Joe Otter was in a terrible rage It was a bad beginning for a beautiful day and Little Joe knew it But ouldn't be in a rage if his breakfast was taken from him just as he was about to eat it? Anyway, that is what Little Joe told Billy Mink Perhaps he didn't tell it quite exactly as it was, but you knoas very badly frightened at the ti Brook beside one of the little pools,” he told Billy Mink, ”and was just going to eat a fat trout I had caught, ho should co bully, Buster Bear He took that fat trout away froed to hiet even with hi but a nice spirit, but Little Joe Otter's tery, and this time he had had no breakfast, you know

Buster Bear hadn't actually taken the fish away fro at the

You see, Buster knew perfectly hen he invited Little Joe to co of the kind