Arkansaw Bear: A Tale of Fanciful Adventure Read online

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  THE ARKANSAW BEAR

  NEW YORK R. H. RUSSELL PUBLISHER

  BOSEPHUS AND HORATIO]

  THE ARKANSAW BEAR

  A TALE OF FANCIFUL ADVENTURE

  TOLD

  IN SONG AND STORY BY

  ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE

  IN PICTURES BY

  FRANK VER BECK

  NEW YORK: R. H. RUSSELL LONDON: KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUeBNER & CO.

  MDCCCXCVIII

  COPYRIGHT, 1898, BY

  ROBERT HOWARD RUSSELL

  Printed in the United States of America

  DEDICATION

  TO MASTER FRANK VER BECK,

  FOR WHOSE

  BEDTIME ENTERTAINMENT

  THE ARKANSAW BEAR

  FIRST PERFORMED

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE I The Meeting of Bosephus and Horatio 11 II The First Performance 20 III Horatio and the Dogs 29 IV The Dance of the Forest People 38 V Good-bye to Arkansaw 46 VI An Exciting Race 55 VII Horatio's Moonlight Adventure 64 VIII Sweet and Sour 73 IX In Jail at Last 83 X An Afternoon's Fishing 92 XI The Road Home 101 XII The Bear Colony at Last. The Parting of Bosephus and Horatio 111

  CHAPTER I

  THE MEETING OF BOSEPHUS AND HORATIO

  Music]

  "Oh, 'twas down in the woods of the Arkansaw, And the night was cloudy and the wind was raw,

  Music]

  And he didn't have a bed and he didn't have a bite, And if he hadn't fiddled he'd a travelled all night."

  BOSEPHUS paused in his mad flight to listen. Surely this was someoneplaying the violin, and the tune was familiar.

  He listened more intently.

  "But he came to a cabin and an old gray man, And says he, 'Where am I going? Now tell me if you can----'"

  It was the "Arkansaw Traveller" and close at hand. The little boy torehastily through the brush in the direction of the music. The moon hadcome up, and he could see quite well, but he did not pause to pick hisway. As he stepped from the thicket out into an open space the fiddlingceased. It was bright moonlight there, too, and as Bosephus took in thesituation his blood turned cold.

  In the center of the open space was a large tree. Backed up against thistree, and looking straight at the little boy, with fiddle in positionfor playing, and uplifted bow, was a huge Black Bear!

  Bosephus looked at the Bear, and the Bear looked at Bosephus.

  "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" he roared.

  "I--I am Bo-se-Bosephus, an' I--I g-guess I'm l-lost!" gasped the littleboy.

  "Guess you are!" laughed the Bear, as he drew the bow across thestrings.

  "An-an' I haven't had any s-supper, either."

  "Neither have I!" grinned the Bear, "that is, none worth mentioning. Ayoung rabbit or two, perhaps, and a quart or so of blackberries, butnothing real good and strengthening to fill up on." Then he regardedBosephus reflectively, and began singing as he played softly:--

  "Oh, we'll have a little music first and then some supper, too, But before we have the supper we will play the music through."

  "No hurry, you know. Be cool, please, and don't wiggle so."

  But Bosephus, or Bo, as he was called, was very much disturbed. So faras he could see there was no prospect of supper for anybody but theBear.

  "You'll forget all about supper pretty soon," continued the Bear,fiddling.

  "You'll forget about your supper--you'll forget about your home-- You'll forget you ever started out in Arkansaw to roam."

  "My name is Horatio," he continued. "Called Ratio for short. But I don'tlike it. Call me Horatio, in full, please."

  "MAYBE YOU CAN PLAY IT YOURSELF."]

  "Oh, ye-yes, sir!" said Bo, hastily.

  "See that you don't forget it!" grunted the Bear. "I don't likefamiliarity in my guests. But I am clear away from the song I wassinging when you came tearing out of that thicket. Seems like I neversaw anybody in such a hurry to see me as you were.

  "Now the old man sat a-fiddling by the little cabin door, And the tune was pretty lively, and he played it o'er and o'er; And the stranger sat a-list'ning and a-wond'ring what to do, As he fiddled and he fiddled, but he never played it through."

  Bo was very fond of music, and as Horatio drew from the strings themellow strains of "The Arkansaw Traveller" he forgot that both he andthe Bear were hungry. He could dance very well, and was just about to doso as the Bear paused.

  "Why don't you play the rest of that tune, Horatio?" he asked,anxiously.

  "Same reason the old man didn't!" growled the Bear, still humming theair,

  "Oh, raddy daddy dum--daddy dum--dum--dum--

  "Why!" continued Bo, "that's funny!"

  "Is it?" snorted Horatio; "I never thought so!

  "Then the stranger asked the fiddler 'Won't you play the rest for me?' 'Don't know it,' says the fiddler, 'Play it for yourself!' says he----"

  "Maybe you can do what the stranger did, Bosephus--maybe you can play ityourself, eh?" grunted the huge animal, pausing and glowering at thelittle boy.

  "Oh, no, sir--I--I--that is, sir, I can only wh-whistle or s-sing it!"trembled Bo.

  "What!"

  "Y-yes, sir. I----"

  "You can sing it?" shouted the Bear, joyfully, and for once forgettingto fiddle. "You don't say so!"

  "Why, of course!" laughed Bo; "everybody in Arkansaw can do that. Itgoes this way:--

  Music]

  "Then the stranger took the fiddle, with a ridy-diddle-diddle, And the strings began to jingle at the tingle of the bow,

  Music]

  While the old man sat and listened, and his eyes with pleasure glistened, As he shouted 'Hallelujah! And hurray--for--Joe!'"

  When Bo had finished, Horatio stood perfectly still for some moments inastonishment and admiration. Then he came up close to the little boy.

  "Look here, Bo," he said, "if you'll teach me to play and sing thattune, we'll forget all about that sort o' personal supper I was planningon, and I'll take you home all in one piece. And anything you want toknow I'll tell you, and anything I've got, except the fiddle, is yours.Furthermore, you can call me Ratio, too, see?

  'Oh, ridy-diddy, diddy-diddy----'

  how does it go? Give me a start, please."

  Bo brightened up at once. He liked to teach things immensely, andespecially to ask questions.

  "Why, of course, Ratio," he said, condescendingly; "I shall be mosthappy. And I can make up poetry, too. Ready, now:--

  "I am glad to be the teacher of this kind and gentle creature, Who can play upon the fiddle in a----"

  "Wait, Bo! wait till I catch up!" cried Horatio, excitedly. "Now!"

  "Hold on, Ratio. I want to ask a question!"

  "All right! Fire away! I couldn't get any further anyhow."

  "Well," said Bo, "I want to know how you ever learned to play thefiddle."

  Horatio did not reply at first, but closed his eyes reflectively anddrew the bow across the string soft
ly.

  "Oh, raddy daddy dum--daddy dum--dum--dum---

  "I took a course of lessons," he said, presently, "but it is a longstory, and some of it is not pleasant. I think we had better go on withthe music now:--

  "Oh, there was a little boy and his name was Bo, Went out into the woods when the moon was low, And he met an Old Bear who was hungry for a snack, And his folks are still awaiting for Bosephus to come back."

  "Go right on with the rest of it," said Bo, hastily.

  "For the boy became the teacher of this kind and gentle creature, Who can play upon the fiddle in a very skilful way."

  "But I say, Ratio," interrupted Bo again, "how did it come you neverlearned to play the second part of that tune?"

  Horatio scowled fiercely at first, and then once more grew quitepensive. He played listlessly as he replied:--

  "Ah," he said, "my teacher was--was unfortunate. He taught me to playthe first part of that tune. He would have taught me the rest of it--ifhe had had time."

  Horatio drew the bow lightly across the strings and began to sing, in afar-away voice:--

  "Oh, there was an old man, and his name was Jim, And he had a pet bear who was fond of him; But the man was very cruel and abusive to his pet, And one day his people missed him, and they haven't found him yet."

  "Oh!" said Bo; "and w-what happened, Horatio?"

  Horatio paused and dashed away a tear.

  "It happened in a lonely place," he said, chewing reflectively, "alonely place in the woods, like this. We were both of us tired andhungry and he grew impatient and beat me. He also spoke of my parentswith disrespect, and in the excitement that followed he died."

  "Oh!" said Bo.

  "Yes," repeated Horatio, "he died. He was such a nice man--such a nicefat Italian man, and so good while--while he lasted."

  "Oh!" said Bo.

  Horatio sighed.

  "His death quite took away my appetite," he mused. "I often miss himnow, and long for some one to take his place. I kept this fiddle,though, and he might have been teaching me the second part of that tuneon it now if his people hadn't missed him--that is, if he hadn't beenimpatient, I mean."

  "Oh, Ratio!" said Bo, "I will teach you the tune all through! And I willnever be the least bit impatient or--or excited. Are you ready to begin,Ratio?"

  "All ready! Play."

  "Oh, it's fine to be the teacher of a kind and gentle creature Who can play upon the fiddle in a very skilful way, And I'll never, never grieve him, and I'll never, never leave him, Till I hear the rooster crowing for the break--of--day."

  "That was very nice, Bo, very nice indeed!" exclaimed Horatio, as theyfinished. "Now, I am going to tell you a secret."

  "Oh!" said Bo.

  "I have a plan. It is to start a colony for the education andimprovement of wild bears. But first I am going to travel and see theworld. I have lived mostly with men and know a good deal of theirtaste--tastes, I mean--and have already travelled in some of the States.After my friend, the Italian, was gone, I tried to carry out his plansand conduct our business alone. But I could only play the first part ofthat tune, and the people wouldn't stand it. They drove me away withguns and clubs. So I came back to the woods to practice and learn therest of that music. My gymnastics are better--watch me."

  Horatio handed Bo his fiddle and began a most wonderful performance. Hestood on his head, walked on his hands, danced on two feet, three feet,and all fours. Then he began and turned somersaults innumerable. Bo wasdelighted.

  "It wasn't because you couldn't play and perform well enough!" he cried,excitedly. "It was because you went alone, and they thought you were acrazy, wild bear. If I could go along with you we could travel togetherover the whole world and make a fortune. Then we could buy a big swampand start your colony. What do you say, Ratio? I am a charity boy, andhave no home anyway! We can make a fortune and see the world!"

  At first Ratio did not say anything. Then he seized Bo in his arms andhugged him till the boy thought his time had come. The Bear put him downand held him off at arm's length, joyously.

  "Say!" he shouted. "Why, I say that you are a boy after my own heart!We'll start at once! I'll take you to a place to-night where there arelots of blackberries and honey, and to-morrow we will set forth on ourtravels. Here's my hand as a guarantee of safety as long as you keepyour agreement. You mean to do so, don't you?"

  "Oh, yes," said Bo.

  "And now for camp. We can play and sing as we go."

  As the little boy took Horatio's big paw he ceased to be even the leastbit afraid. He had at last found a strong friend, and was going forthinto the big world. He had never been so happy in his life before.

  "All right, Ratio!" he shouted. "One, two, three, play!"

  And Ratio gave the bow a long, joyous scrape across the strings, andthus they began their life together--Bosephus whistling and the Bearplaying and singing with all his might the fascinating strains of "TheArkansaw Traveller":--

  "Oh, there was a little boy and his name was Bo, Went out into the woods when the moon was low, And he hadn't had his supper and his way he didn't know, So he didn't have a bite to eat nor any place to go. Then he heard the ridy-diddle of Horatio and his fiddle, And his knees began to tremble as he saw him standing there; Now they'll never, never sever, and they'll travel on forever-- Bosephus, and the fiddle, and the Old--Black--Bear."