The Tale of Cuffy Bear

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Tale of Cuffy Bear, The

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Title: The Tale of Cuffy Bear
Author: Arthur Scott Bailey
Release Date: April 4, 2005 [eBook #15528]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
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Sleepy-Time Tales
THE TALE OF CUFFY BEAR
by
ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
Illustrated by Harry L. Smith
New York Grosset & Dunlap Publishers
1915

[Illustration: Cuffy Gave It One Good, Hard Cuff]

+-------------------------------+ | | | _SLEEPY-TIME TALES_ | | by | | ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY | | ---- | | THE TALE OF CUFFY BEAR | | THE TALE OF FRISKY SQUIRREL | | THE TALE OF TOMMY FOX | | THE TALE OF FATTY COON | | THE TALE OF BILLY WOODCHUCK | | THE TALE OF JIMMY RABBIT | | THE TALE OF PETER MINK | | THE TALE OF SANDY CHIPMUNK | | THE TALE OF BROWNIE BEAVER | | THE TALE OF PADDY MUSKRAT | | | +-------------------------------+

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I
CUFFY WAKES UP
II CUFFY BEAR FINDS A PORCUPINE
III CUFFY AND THE WONDERFUL SPRING
IV CUFFY LEARNS SOMETHING
V CUFFY AND THE MAPLE-SUGAR
VI CUFFY MEETS A MAN
VII THE ICE GOES OUT OF THE RIVER
VIII CUFFY LEARNS TO SWIM
IX A SURPRISE
X CUFFY CLIMBS BLUE MOUNTAIN
XI MRS. EAGLE IS ANGRY
XII CUFFY BEAR GOES TO MARKET
XIII HAYING-TIME
XIV CUFFY LIKES BAKED BEANS
XV HUNTING FOR A BEE-TREE
XVI THE BEES STING CUFFY
XVII CUFFY BEAR GOES SWIMMING
XVIII CUFFY FRIGHTENS HIS MOTHER
XIX THE LITTLE BEAR PETER
XX LEARNING TO BOX
XXI THE FOREST FIRE
XXII THE RAIN COMES
XXIII CUFFY BEAR GROWS SLEEPY

I
CUFFY WAKES UP
Far up on the side of Blue Mountain lived Cuffy Bear with his father and mother and his little sister Silkie. Mr. Bear's house was quite the finest for many miles around. It was what people call a cave, being made entirely of stone, and so there was no danger of its ever catching fire; and since it was built straight into the side of the mountain the roof was so very, very thick that Cuffy's father never had to worry for fear a tree would fall upon his house and hurt his family. No matter how hard the wind blew, Mr. Bear was never afraid of that.
Little Cuffy was not a bad bear at heart. But often when he was playing with Silkie, his sister, he would lose his temper and cuff her on the head and make her cry. Then his father or his mother would cuff him. Somehow, he never could learn not to strike out when he became angry. That was why he was called Cuffy. It happened sometimes that a day or two would pass without Cuffy's cuffing his sister. And Mr. Bear and Mrs. Bear would begin to think that at last Cuffy had been cured of his bad habit.
"I do believe the child is growing better mannered," Mrs. Bear would say to her husband, as they watched their son and daughter playing upon the floor. And then just as likely as not, the first thing they knew Cuffy would give Silkie a good, hard box on the ear, or a slap right on the end of her nose.
But for a long time every winter Cuffy was never naughty. You might think that that was just before Christmas. But no--it was not then. All winter long Cuffy was just as good as any little bear could be. He was good because he was asleep! You see--when cold weather came, Mr. and Mrs. Bear and their children stayed in their cozy house, which was snug and warm, and slept and slept and slept for weeks and weeks until spring came.
Now, this tale begins on the very first day of spring. And on that day Mr. Bear waked up. He rose slowly to his feet, for his bones felt stiff because he had been asleep for such a long time. And he was hungry--oh! very hungry, because he had not eaten anything for months and months, since he went to sleep at the beginning of winter.
He went to the door of his house and looked out. And he saw that the weather was warm and fine. So he stepped back into the bedroom and said--
_"Ou-e-e-ee!"_ Just like that. And then Mrs. Bear awaked. "Spring has come," Mr. Bear told her, "and I am going out to fetch something to eat. Wake up Cuffy and Silkie