OUT IN THE GREAT WORLD
The Great World calls, and soon or late
Must each obey and rule his fate.
_Mother Bear._
Not in all the Green Forest is there a wiser or better mother than Mrs.
Bear. No one knows better than she the dangers of the Great World, or
the importance of learning early in life all those things which a Bear
who would live to a good old age should know. So after allowing the
twins, Boxer and Woof-Woof, to play around the entrance to their home
under the great windfall for a few days, she took them for their first
walk in the Green Forest.
“Now,” said she, as she prepared to lead the way, “you are to do just
as I do. You are to follow right at my heels, and the one who turns
aside for anything without my permission will be spanked. Do you
understand?”
“Yes’m,” replied Boxer and Woof-Woof meekly.
My, my, my, how excited they were as Mother Bear led the way out from
under the old windfall! This was to be a great, a wonderful adventure.
They tingled all over. They were actually going out to see something of
the Great World.
The first thing Mother Bear did was to sit up and carefully test
the wind with her nose. Boxer sat up and did exactly the same thing.
Woof-Woof sat up and did exactly the same thing. The Merry Little
Breezes tickled their noses with many scents. Mother Bear knew what
each one was, but of course the twins didn’t know any of them. All they
knew was that they smelled good.
Mother Bear cocked her ears forward and listened. Boxer cocked his ears
forward and listened. Woof-Woof cocked her ears forward and listened.
Mother Bear looked this way and looked that way. Boxer looked this way
and looked that way. So did Woof-Woof.
“These are the things you must always do whenever you start out in the
Great World,” explained Mother Bear in her deep, grumbly-rumbly voice.
“You must learn to know the meaning of every scent that reaches your
nose, of every sound that reaches your ears, of everything you see, for
only by such knowledge can you keep out of danger. But you must never
trust your ears or your eyes only. Your nose is more to be trusted than
either ears or eyes or both ears and eyes. But always use all three.”
“Yes’m,” replied Boxer and Woof-Woof.
Then Mother Bear started off among the great trees, shuffling along
and swinging her head from side to side. Right at her heels shuffled
Boxer, swinging his head from side to side, and right at his heels
shuffled Woof-Woof, swinging her head from side to side. Whatever
Mother Bear did the twins did. They did it because Mother Bear did it.
They were keeping their promise. And little as they were, they felt
very big and important, for now at last they were out in the Great
World.
Chatterer the Red Squirrel saw them start out, and he chuckled as he
watched those two funny little cubs do exactly as Mother Bear did. He
followed along in the tree tops, jumping from tree to tree, but taking
the greatest care to make no noise. He was fairly aching for a chance
to scare those cubs. But as long as Mother Bear was with them, he
didn’t dare to try.
Mother Bear stopped and sniffed at an old log. Then she went on.
Boxer stopped and solemnly sniffed at that old log. Then he went on.
Woof-Woof stopped and sniffed at that old log. Then she went on. And so
at last they came to a place where the earth was soft and where grew
certain roots of which Mrs. Bear is very fond.