BOXER GETS A SPANKING
Who fails to spank should have a care;
The well spanked cub, the well trained Bear.
_Mother Bear._
Wherever Mother Bear went the twins went. In the first place they were
so full of life and mischief that Mother Bear didn’t dare leave them
for any length of time. Then, too, it was good for them to be with her,
for thus they learned many things that they could not have learned
otherwise.
But there were times when Mother Bear found Boxer and Woof-Woof very
much in the way. Such times she was likely to send them up a tree and
tell them to remain there until her return. She always felt that they
were quite safe so long as they were up in a tree, where there was no
real mischief they could get into.
It happened that one morning Mrs. Bear sent them up a tall pine tree
with strict orders to stay there until her return. “Don’t you dare come
down from that tree until I tell you you may,” said she in her deep,
grumbly-rumbly voice, as the twins scrambled up the tree.
“No’m,” replied Woof-Woof meekly. But Boxer didn’t say a word.
No sooner was their mother out of sight than Boxer proposed that they
go down on the ground to play. “She won’t be back for some time,” said
he.
“By the time she does return, we will be back up here and she will
never know anything about it. Come on, Woof-Woof.”
Woof-Woof shook her head. “I’m going to stay right here,” said she,
“and you’d better do the same thing, Boxer. If you get caught, you’ll
get a spanking.”
“Pooh! Who cares for a spanking!” exclaimed Boxer. “Besides, I’m
not going to get one. There isn’t any sense in making us stay up
in this tree. We can’t have any fun up here. Come on down and play
hide-and-seek.”
But Woof-Woof wouldn’t do it. “You’re afraid!” declared Boxer.
“I’m not afraid!” retorted Woof-Woof indignantly. “You heard what
Mother Bear said and you better mind. You may be sorry if you don’t.”
“Fraidy! Fraidy!” jeered Boxer, as he slid down the trunk of the tree.
Now Boxer hadn’t intended to go more than a few feet from the foot of
that tree. He wanted to be near enough to scramble up again at the
first hint of Mother Bear’s approach. But there was nothing to do down
there, and without Woof-Woof to play with he found it very dull.
Little Bears are very restless and uneasy. Boxer walked round and round
that tree because he could think of nothing else to do. By and by a
Merry Little Breeze happened along and tickled his nose with a strange
smell. The Merry Little Breezes were always doing that. Boxer used to
wonder if he ever would learn all the smells of the Green Forest.
Not having anything else to do just then, Boxer decided that he would
follow up that smell and find out where and what it came from. Off he
started, his inquisitive little nose sniffing the air. After a little
that smell grew fainter and fainter, and finally there wasn’t any.
You see, the Merry Little Breezes were carrying it in quite another
direction.
Boxer turned to go back. He thought he was going straight toward that
tree where Mother Bear had left him. But he wasn’t, and by and by he
discovered that he was lost. Then he began to run, and as he ran he
whimpered. Suddenly out from behind a tree stepped Mother Bear. Boxer
was so glad to see her he quite forgot that he had disobeyed.
But Mother Bear didn’t forget, “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
Boxer hung his head and didn’t say a word.
“A cub who disobeys must be punished,” said Mother Bear, and she
promptly gave Boxer the first real spanking he ever had received. How
he did wish he had stayed up in that tree with Woof-Woof.