The Adventures of Buster Bear Read online

  Produced by Mark C. Orton, Thomas Strong, Linda McKeownand the Online Distributed Proofreading Team athttps://www.pgdp.net

  BURGESS TRADE QUADDIES MARK The Bedtime Story-Books

  THE ADVENTURES OF BUSTER BEAR

  BY

  THORNTON W. BURGESS

  Author of "The Adventures of Reddy Fox," "Old Mother West Wind," "Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories," etc.

  _With Illustrations by HARRISON CADY_

  BOSTON LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 1920

  _Copyright, 1916_, BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.

  _All rights reserved_

  Buster blinked his greedy little eyes and looked again._Frontispiece_.]

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE

  I. BUSTER BEAR GOES FISHING 1

  II. LITTLE JOE OTTER GETS EVEN WITH BUSTER BEAR 7

  III. BUSTER BEAR IS GREATLY PUZZLED 12

  IV. LITTLE JOE OTTER SUPPLIES BUSTER BEAR WITH A BREAKFAST 17

  V. GRANDFATHER FROG'S COMMON-SENSE 22

  VI. LITTLE JOE OTTER TAKES GRANDFATHER FROG'S ADVICE 27

  VII. FARMER BROWN'S BOY HAS NO LUCK AT ALL 33

  VIII. FARMER BROWN'S BOY FEELS HIS HAIR RISE 38

  IX. LITTLE JOE OTTER HAS GREAT NEWS TO TELL 43

  X. BUSTER BEAR BECOMES A HERO 48

  XI. BLACKY THE CROW TELLS HIS PLAN 53

  XII. FARMER BROWN'S BOY AND BUSTER BEAR GROW CURIOUS 58

  XIII. FARMER BROWN'S BOY AND BUSTER BEAR MEET 63

  XIV. A SURPRISING THING HAPPENS 68

  XV. BUSTER BEAR IS A FALLEN HERO 73

  XVI. CHATTERER THE RED SQUIRREL JUMPS FOR HIS LIFE 78

  XVII. BUSTER BEAR GOES BERRYING 83

  XVIII. SOMEBODY ELSE GOES BERRYING 88

  XIX. BUSTER BEAR HAS A FINE TIME 93

  XX. BUSTER BEAR CARRIES OFF THE PAIL OF FARMER BROWN'S BOY 99

  XXI. SAMMY JAY MAKES THINGS WORSE FOR BUSTER BEAR 104

  XXII. BUSTER BEAR HAS A FIT OF TEMPER 110

  XXIII. FARMER BROWN'S BOY LUNCHES ON BERRIES 115

  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  BUSTER BLINKED HIS GREEDY LITTLE EYES RAPIDLY AND LOOKED AGAIN _Frontispiece_

  "HERE'S YOUR TROUT, MR. OTTER," SAID HE PAGE 5

  "YOU TAKE MY ADVICE, LITTLE JOE OTTER," CONTINUED GRANDFATHER FROG 26

  REDDY GLARED ACROSS THE SMILING POOL AT PETER 45

  BUSTER BEAR WAS RUNNING AWAY TOO 71

  THOSE WHO COULD FLY, FLEW. THOSE WHO COULD CLIMB, CLIMBED 112

  THE ADVENTURESOF BUSTER BEAR

  I

  BUSTER BEAR GOES FISHING

  Buster Bear yawned as he lay on his comfortable bed of leaves andwatched the first early morning sunbeams creeping through the GreenForest to chase out the Black Shadows. Once more he yawned, and slowlygot to his feet and shook himself. Then he walked over to a bigpine-tree, stood up on his hind legs, reached as high up on the trunk ofthe tree as he could, and scratched the bark with his great claws. Afterthat he yawned until it seemed as if his jaws would crack, and then satdown to think what he wanted for breakfast.

  While he sat there, trying to make up his mind what would taste best, hewas listening to the sounds that told of the waking of all the littlepeople who live in the Green Forest. He heard Sammy Jay way off in thedistance screaming, "Thief! Thief!" and grinned. "I wonder," thoughtBuster, "if some one has stolen Sammy's breakfast, or if he has stolenthe breakfast of some one else. Probably he is the thief himself."

  He heard Chatterer the Red Squirrel scolding as fast as he could makehis tongue go and working himself into a terrible rage. "Must be thatChatterer got out of bed the wrong way this morning," thought he.

  He heard Blacky the Crow cawing at the top of his lungs, and he knew bythe sound that Blacky was getting into mischief of some kind. He heardthe sweet voices of happy little singers, and they were good to hear.But most of all he listened to a merry, low, silvery laugh that neverstopped but went on and on, until he just felt as if he must laugh too.It was the voice of the Laughing Brook. And as Buster listened itsuddenly came to him just what he wanted for breakfast.

  "I'm going fishing," said he in his deep grumbly-rumbly voice to no onein particular. "Yes, Sir, I'm going fishing. I want some fat trout formy breakfast."

  He shuffled along over to the Laughing Brook, and straight to a littlepool of which he knew, and as he drew near he took the greatest care notto make the teeniest, weeniest bit of noise. Now it just happened thatearly as he was, some one was before Buster Bear. When he came in sightof the little pool, who should he see but another fisherman there, whohad already caught a fine fat trout. Who was it? Why, Little Joe Otterto be sure. He was just climbing up the bank with the fat trout in hismouth. Buster Bear's own mouth watered as he saw it. Little Joe sat downon the bank and prepared to enjoy his breakfast. He hadn't seen BusterBear, 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 JoeOtter. "Woof, woof!" said he in his deepest, most grumbly-rumbly voice."That's a very fine looking trout. I wouldn't mind if I had it myself."

  Little Joe Otter gave a frightened squeal and without even turning tosee who was speaking dropped his fish and dived headfirst into theLaughing Brook. Buster Bear sprang forward and with one of his big pawscaught 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 outof water to see who had frightened him so. "Come and get it."

  "Here's your trout, Mr. Otter," said he. _Page 5._]

  But Little Joe wouldn't. The fact is, he was afraid to. He snarled atBuster Bear and called him a thief and everything bad he could think of.Buster didn't seem to mind. He chuckled as if he thought it all a greatjoke and repeated his invitation to Little Joe to come and get his fish.But Little Joe just turned his back and went off down the Laughing Brookin a great rage.

  "It's too bad to waste such a fine fish," said Buster thoughtfully. "Iwonder what I'd better do with it." And while he was wondering, he ateit all up. Then he started down the Laughing Brook to try to catch somefor himself.

  II

  LITTLE JOE OTTER GETS EVEN WITH BUSTER BEAR

  Little Joe Otter was in a terrible rage. It was a bad beginning for abeautiful day and Little Joe knew it. But who wouldn't be in a rage ifhis 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 quiteexactly as it was, but you know he was very badly frightened at thetime.

  "I was sitting on the bank of the Laughing Brook beside one of thelittle pools," he told Billy Mink, "and was just going to eat a fattrout I ha
d caught, when who should come along but that great bigbully, Buster Bear. He took that fat trout away from me and ate it justas if it belonged to him! I hate him! If I live long enough I'm going toget even with him!"

  Of course that wasn't nice talk and anything but a nice spirit, butLittle Joe Otter's temper is sometimes pretty short, especially when heis hungry, and this time he had had no breakfast, you know.

  Buster Bear hadn't actually taken the fish away from Little Joe. Butlooking at the matter as Little Joe did, it amounted to the same thing.You see, Buster knew perfectly well when he invited Little Joe to comeback and get it that Little Joe wouldn't dare do anything of the kind.

  "Where is he now?" asked Billy Mink.

  "He's somewhere up the Laughing Brook. I wish he'd fall in and getdrowned!" snapped Little Joe.

  Billy Mink just had to laugh. The idea of great big Buster Bear gettingdrowned in the Laughing Brook was too funny. There wasn't water enoughin it anywhere except down in the Smiling Pool, and that was on theGreen Meadows, where Buster had never been known to go. "Let's go seewhat he is doing," said Billy Mink.

  At first Little Joe didn't want to, but at last his curiosity got thebetter of his fear, and he agreed. So the two little brown-coated scampsturned down the Laughing Brook, taking the greatest care to keep out ofsight themselves. They had gone only a little way when Billy Minkwhispered: "Sh-h! There he is."

  Sure enough, there was Buster Bear sitting close beside a little pooland looking into it very intently.

  "What's he doing?" asked Little Joe Otter, as Buster Bear sat for thelongest time without moving.

  Just then one of Buster's big paws went into the water as quick as aflash and scooped out a trout that had ventured too near.

  "He's fishing!" exclaimed Billy Mink.

  And that is just what Buster Bear was doing, and it was very plain tosee that he was having great fun. When he had eaten the trout he hadcaught, he moved along to the next little pool.

  "They are _our_ fish!" said Little Joe fiercely. "He has no businesscatching _our_ fish!"

  "I don't see how we are going to stop him," said Billy Mink.

  "I do!" cried Little Joe, into whose head an idea had just popped. "I'mgoing to drive all the fish out of the little pools and muddy the waterall up. Then we'll see how many fish he will get! Just you watch me geteven with Buster Bear."

  Little Joe slipped swiftly into the water and swam straight to thelittle pool that Buster Bear would try next. He frightened the fish sothat they fled in every direction. Then he stirred up the mud until thewater was so dirty that Buster couldn't have seen a fish right under hisnose. He did the same thing in the next pool and the next. Buster Bear'sfishing was spoiled for that day.

  III

  BUSTER BEAR IS GREATLY PUZZLED

  Buster Bear hadn't enjoyed himself so much since he came to the GreenForest to live. His fun began when he surprised Little Joe Otter on thebank of a little pool in the Laughing Brook and Little Joe was sofrightened that he dropped a fat trout he had just caught. It had seemedlike a great joke to Buster Bear, and he had chuckled over it all thetime he was eating the fat trout. When he had finished it, he started onto do some fishing himself.

  Presently he came to another little pool. He stole up to it very, verysoftly, so as not to frighten the fish. Then he sat down close to theedge of it and didn't move. Buster learned a long time ago that afisherman must be patient unless, like Little Joe Otter, he is just asmuch at home in the water as the fish themselves, and can swim fastenough to catch them by chasing them. So he didn't move so much as aneye lash. He was so still that he looked almost like the stump of an oldtree. Perhaps that is what the fish thought he was, for pretty soon, twoor three swam right in close to where he was sitting. Now Buster Bearmay be big and clumsy looking, but there isn't anything that can movemuch quicker than one of those big paws of his when he wants it to. Oneof them moved now, and quicker than a wink had scooped one of thosefoolish fish out on to the bank.

  Buster's little eyes twinkled, and he smacked his lips as he moved onto the next little pool, for he knew that it was of no use to staylonger at the first one. The fish were so frightened that they wouldn'tcome back for a long, long time. At the next little pool the same thinghappened. By this time Buster Bear was in fine spirits. It was fun tocatch the fish, and it was still more fun to eat them. What finerbreakfast could any one have than fresh-caught trout? No wonder he feltgood! But it takes more than three trout to fill Buster Bear's stomach,so he kept on to the next little pool.

  But this little pool, instead of being beautiful and clear so thatBuster could see right to the bottom of it and so tell if there were anyfish there, was so muddy that he couldn't see into it at all. It lookedas if some one had just stirred up all the mud at the bottom.

  "Huh!" said Buster Bear. "It's of no use to try to fish here. I wouldjust waste my time. I'll try the next pool."

  So he went on to the next little pool. He found this just as muddy asthe other. Then he went on to another, and this was no better. Bustersat down and scratched his head. It was puzzling. Yes, Sir, it waspuzzling. He looked this way and he looked that way suspiciously, butthere was no one to be seen. Everything was still save for the laughterof the Laughing Brook. Somehow, it seemed to Buster as if the Brook werelaughing at him.

  "It's very curious," muttered Buster, "very curious indeed. It looks asif my fishing is spoiled for to-day. I don't understand it at all. It'slucky I caught what I did. It looks as if somebody is trying to--ha!" Asudden thought had popped into his head. Then he began to chuckle andfinally to laugh. "I do believe that scamp Joe Otter is trying to geteven with me for eating that fat trout!"

  And then, because Buster Bear always enjoys a good joke even when it ison himself, he laughed until he had to hold his sides, which is a wholelot better than going off in a rage as Little Joe Otter had done."You're pretty smart, Mr. Otter! You're pretty smart, but there areother people who are smart too," said Buster Bear, and still chuckling,he went off to think up a plan to get the best of Little Joe Otter.

  IV

  LITTLE JOE OTTER SUPPLIES BUSTER BEAR WITH A BREAKFAST

  Getting even just for spite Doesn't always pay. Fact is, it is very apt To work the other way.

  That is just how it came about that Little Joe Otter furnished BusterBear with the best breakfast he had had for a long time. He didn't meanto do it. Oh, my, no! The truth is, he thought all the time that he waspreventing Buster Bear from getting a breakfast. You see he wasn't wellenough acquainted with Buster to know that Buster is quite as smart ashe is, and perhaps a little bit smarter. Spite and selfishness were atthe bottom of it. You see Little Joe and Billy Mink had had all thefishing in the Laughing Brook to themselves so long that they thought noone else had any right to fish there. To be sure Bobby Coon caught a fewlittle fish there, but they didn't mind Bobby. Farmer Brown's boy fishedthere too, sometimes, and this always made Little Joe and Billy Minkvery angry, but they were so afraid of him that they didn't dare doanything about it. But when they discovered that Buster Bear was afisherman, they made up their minds that something had got to be done.At least, Little Joe did.

  "He'll try it again to-morrow morning," said Little Joe. "I'll keepwatch, and as soon as I see him coming, I'll drive out all the fish,just as I did to-day. I guess that'll teach him to let our fish alone."

  So the next morning Little Joe hid before daylight close by the littlepool where Buster Bear had given him such a fright. Sure enough, just asthe Jolly Sunbeams began to creep through the Green Forest, he sawBuster Bear coming straight over to the little pool. Little Joe slippedinto the water and chased all the fish out of the little pool, andstirred up the mud on the bottom so that the water was so muddy that thebottom couldn't be seen at all. Then he hurried down to the next littlepool and did the same thing.

  Now Buster Bear is very smart. You know he had guessed the day beforewho had spoiled his fishing. So this morning he only went far enough tomake sure that if Little Joe w
ere watching for him, as he was sure hewould be, he would see him coming. Then, instead of keeping on to thelittle pool, he hurried to a place way down the Laughing Brook, wherethe water was very shallow, hardly over his feet, and there he satchuckling to himself. Things happened just as he had expected. Thefrightened fish Little Joe chased out of the little pools up above swamdown the Laughing Brook, because, you know, Little Joe was behind them,and there was nowhere else for them to go. When they came to the placewhere Buster was waiting, all he had to do was to scoop them out on tothe bank. It was great fun. It didn't take Buster long to catch all thefish he could eat. Then he saved a nice fat trout and waited.

  By and by along came Little Joe Otter, chuckling to think how he hadspoiled Buster Bear's fishing. He was so intent on looking behind him tosee if Buster was coming that he didn't see Buster waiting there untilhe spoke.

  "I'm much obliged for the fine breakfast you have given me," said Busterin his deepest, most grumbly-rumbly voice. "I've saved a fat trout foryou to make up for the one I ate yesterday. I hope we'll go fishingtogether often."

  Then he went off laughing fit to kill himself. Little Joe couldn't finda word to say. He was so surprised and angry that he went off by himselfand sulked. And Billy Mink, who had been watching, ate the fat trout.

  V

  GRANDFATHER FROG'S COMMON-SENSE

  There is nothing quite like common sense to smooth out troubles. Peoplewho have plenty of just plain common sense are often thought to be verywise. Their neighbors look up to them and are forever running to themfor advice, and they are very much respected. That is the way withGrandfather Frog. He is very old and very wise. Anyway, that is what hisneighbors think. The truth is, he simply has a lot of common sense,which after all is the very best kind of wisdom.