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 moing 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 te. so laura put on and ma buttoned it up.

  and laura put o tens t ring around ed te.

  laura o be e very carefully.

  its sides in, in t to shrough.

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

  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, “sukey, get over! “ se and slapped sukeys shoulder.

  just ttle bits of lige jumped bete, and laura satle, glittering eyes.

  sukey , brown fur. sukey le eyes.

  ma said, “laura, o the house.”

  so laura tued around and began to o ce and all, and ran. ma ran o t;ma, a bear?

  “yes, laura,“ ma said. “it was a bear.”

  laura began to cry. so ma and sobbed, “o sukey? “

  “no,“ 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.

  “ us,“ ma said. “you o do exactly as i told you, and to do it quickly, asking why.”

  ma rembling, and so laugtle. “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 moing.”

  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 tte on a tle golden-bros on it. ma oo; it e patte 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.

  “to bargain about to pick out ted to take in trade.

  “so it art home.

  “i tried to tired, so i gone far before nig my gun.

  “till six miles to as i could. t gre of ter dens. i racks o tohe moing.

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

  i did not to meet one.

  “i ars gave a little lig ill black as pitc in ttle anding all around me. i light.

  “all time i cening for or the bushes.

  “to an open place, and t in the middle of my road, i saw a big black bear.

  “anding up on me. i could see . i could even see one of arlight.

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

  “i kne o try to go around o tter t to figer starved bear in the dark. oh, how i wished for my gun!

  “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.

  “ 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.

  “ell, it o run a meet one any time. i migo ma and you girls. i  scared me.

  “so at last i looked around, and i got a good big club, a solid, ree by t of snoer.

  “i lifted it up in my raig t bear. i s down, bang! on his head.

  “and till stood, for a big, black, bued stump!

  “i on my o to moing. it a bear at all. i only t it bears and being afraid id meet one.”

  “it really a bear at all?“ mary asked.

  “no, mary, it a bear at all. trying to scare a stump! “

  laura said: “ours  scared, because it was sukey.

  pa did not say anyt ighter.

  “oo-oo! t bear migen ma and me all up!“ laura said, snuggling closer to ;but ma all. hing?

  “i guess oo surprised to do anyt; pa said. “i guess e so afraid.”

  “ell, you oo,“ laura said. “even if it ump,, you t it was a bear. youd  you, pa?”

  “yes,“ said pa, “i would. you see, i o.”

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

  “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:

  “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.