produced by mark c orton , thomas strong , linda mckeown and the online distributed proofreading team at @url@ burgess trade quaddies mark the bedtime story-books the adventures of buster bear by thornton w burgess with illustrations by harrison cady boston little , brown , and company @number@ copyright , @number@ , by little , brown , and company . all rights reserved [ illustration : buster blinked his greedy little eyes and looked again . frontispiece . ] contents chapter page i buster bear goes fishing @number@ ii . little joe otter gets even with buster bear @number@ iii . buster bear is greatly puzzled @number@ iv . little joe otter supplies buster bear with a breakfast @number@ v ..y grandfather frog's common-sense @number@ vi . little joe otter takes grandfather frog's advice @number@ vii . farmer brown's boy has no luck at all @number@ viii . farmer brown's boy feels his hair rise @number@ ix . little joe otter has great news to tell @number@ x . buster bear becomes a hero @number@ xi . blacky the crow tells his plan @number@ xii . farmer brown's boy and buster bear grow curious @number@ xiii . farmer brown's boy and buster bear meet @number@ xiv . a surprising thing happens @number@ xv . buster bear is a fallen hero @number@ xvi . chatterer the red squirrel jumps for his life @number@ xvii . buster bear goes berrying @number@ xviii . somebody else goes berrying @number@ xix . buster bear has a fine time @number@ xx . buster bear carries off the pail of farmer brown's boy @number@ xxi . sammy jay makes things worse for buster bear @number@ xxii . buster bear has a fit of temper @number@ xxiii . farmer brown's boy lunches on berries @number@ list of illustrations buster blinked his greedy little eyes rapidly and looked again frontispiece " here's your trout , mr otter , " said he page @number@ " you take my advice , little joe otter , " continued grandfather frog @number@ reddy glared across the smiling pool at peter @number@ buster bear was running away too @number@ those who could fly , flew . those who could climb , climbed @number@ the adventures of buster bear i buster bear goes fishing once more he yawned , and slowly got to his feet and shook himself . after that he yawned until it seemed as if his jaws would crack , and then sat down to think what he wanted for breakfast . he heard sammy jay way off in the distance screaming , " thief ! thief ! " and grinned . probably he is the thief himself . " he heard chatterer the red squirrel scolding as fast as he could make his tongue go and working himself into a terrible rage . " must be that chatterer got out of bed the wrong way this morning , " thought he . he heard the sweet voices of happy little singers , and they were good to hear . it was the voice of the laughing brook . and as buster listened it suddenly came to him just what he wanted for breakfast . " i 'm going fishing , " said he in his deep grumbly-rumbly voice to no one in particular . " yes , sir , i 'm going fishing . i want some fat trout for my breakfast . " now it just happened that early as he was , some one was before buster bear . who was it ? why , little joe otter to be sure . he was just climbing up the bank with the fat trout in his mouth . buster bear 's own mouth watered as he saw it . little joe sat down on the bank and prepared to enjoy his breakfast . he hadn't seen buster bear , 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 joe otter . " 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 . " buster bear sprang forward and with one of his big paws caught the fat trout just as it was slipping back into the water . " come and get it . " [ illustration : " here 's your trout , mr otter , " said he . page @number@ ] but little joe wouldn't . the fact is , he was afraid to . he snarled at buster 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 great joke 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 brook in a great rage . " it 's too bad to waste such a fine fish , " said buster thoughtfully . " i wonder what i 'd better do with it . " and while he was wondering , he ate it all up . then he started down the laughing brook to try to catch some for himself . ii little joe otter gets even with buster bear little joe otter was in a terrible rage . it was a bad beginning for a beautiful day and little joe knew it . but who wouldn't be in a rage if his 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 quite exactly as it was , but you know he was very badly frightened at the time . he took that fat trout away from me and ate it just as if it belonged to him ! i hate him ! if i live long enough i 'm going to get even with him ! " buster bear hadn't actually taken the fish away from little joe . but looking at the matter as little joe did , it amounted to the same thing . " where is he now ? " asked billy mink . " he 's somewhere up the laughing brook . i wish he 'd fall in and get drowned ! " snapped little joe . billy mink just had to laugh . the idea of great big buster bear getting drowned in the laughing brook was too funny . " let's go see what he is doing , " said billy mink . at first little joe didn't want to , but at last his curiosity got the better of his fear , and he agreed . so the two little brown-coated scamps turned down the laughing brook , taking the greatest care to keep out of sight themselves . they had gone only a little way when billy mink whispered : " sh-h ! there he is . " sure enough , there was buster bear sitting close beside a little pool and looking into it very intently . " what 's he doing ? " asked little joe otter , as buster bear sat for the longest time without moving . " he 's fishing ! " exclaimed billy mink . and that is just what buster bear was doing , and it was very plain to see that he was having great fun . when he had eaten the trout he had caught , he moved along to the next little pool . " they are our fish ! " said little joe fiercely . " he has no business catching 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 'm going to drive all the fish out of the little pools and muddy the water all up . then we 'll see how many fish he will get ! just you watch me get even with buster bear . " little joe slipped swiftly into the water and swam straight to the little pool that buster bear would try next . he frightened the fish so that they fled in every direction . then he stirred up the mud until the water was so dirty that buster couldn't have seen a fish right under his nose . he did the same thing in the next pool and the next . buster bear 's fishing was spoiled for that day . iii buster bear is greatly puzzled buster bear hadn't enjoyed himself so much since he came to the green forest to live . when he had finished it , he started on to do some fishing himself . presently he came to another little pool . he stole up to it very , very softly , so as not to frighten the fish . then he sat down close to the edge of it and didn't move . so he didn't move so much as an eye lash . he was so still that he looked almost like the stump of an old tree . one of them moved now , and quicker than a wink had scooped one of those foolish fish out on to the bank . the fish were so frightened that they wouldn't come back for a long , long time . at the next little pool the same thing happened . by this time buster bear was in fine spirits . it was fun to catch the fish , and it was still more fun to eat them . what finer breakfast could any one have than fresh-caught trout ? no wonder he felt good ! but it takes more than three trout to fill buster bear 's stomach , so he kept on to the next little pool . it looked as 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 would just waste my time . i 'll try the next pool . " so he went on to the next little pool . he found this just as muddy as the other . then he went on to another , and this was no better . buster sat down and scratched his head . it was puzzling . yes , sir , it was puzzling . he looked this way and he looked that way suspiciously , but there was no one to be seen . everything was still save for the laughter of the laughing brook . somehow , it seemed to buster as if the brook were laughing at him . " it 's very curious , " muttered buster , " very curious indeed . it looks as if my fishing is spoiled for to-day . i don't understand it at all . it 's lucky i caught what i did . it looks as if somebody is trying to ha ! " a sudden thought had popped into his head . then he began to chuckle and finally to laugh . " i do believe that scamp joe otter is trying to get even with me for eating that fat trout ! " " you 're pretty smart , mr 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 buster bear with the best breakfast he had had for a long time . he didn't mean to do it . oh , my , no ! the truth is , he thought all the time that he was preventing buster bear from getting a breakfast . spite and selfishness were at the bottom of it . to be sure bobby coon caught a few little fish there , but they didn't mind bobby . but when they discovered that buster bear was a fisherman , 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 guess that 'll teach him to let our fish alone . " so the next morning little joe hid before daylight close by the little pool where buster bear had given him such a fright . then he hurried down to the next little pool and did the same thing . now buster bear is very smart . you know he had guessed the day before who had spoiled his fishing . things happened just as he had expected . when they came to the place where buster was waiting , all he had to do was to scoop them out on to the bank . it was great fun . it didn't take buster long to catch all the fish 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 had spoiled buster bear 's fishing . he was so intent on looking behind him to see if buster was coming that he didn't see buster waiting there until he spoke . " i 'm much obliged for the fine breakfast you have given me , " said buster in his deepest , most grumbly-rumbly voice . " i 've saved a fat trout for you to make up for the one i ate yesterday . i hope we 'll go fishing together often . " then he went off laughing fit to kill himself . little joe couldn't find a word to say . he was so surprised and angry that he went off by himself and 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 . people who have plenty of just plain common sense are often thought to be very wise . their neighbors look up to them and are forever running to them for advice , and they are very much respected . that is the way with grandfather frog . he is very old and very wise . anyway , that is what his neighbors think . the truth is , he simply has a lot of common sense , which after all is the very best kind of wisdom . little joe wouldn't tell , but billy mink told the whole story . so did grandfather frog . so did jerry muskrat , who had been listening . of course this made little joe angrier than ever . " he 's nothing but a great big bully and thief ! " declared little joe . " chug-a-rum ! " didn't he catch my fish and eat them ? " snapped little joe . " doesn't that make him a thief ? " " they were no more your fish than mine , " protested billy mink . " well , our fish , then ! he stole our fish , if you like that any better . that makes him just as much a thief , doesn't it ? " growled little joe . grandfather frog looked up at jolly , round , bright mr sun and slowly winked one of his great , goggly eyes . " there comes a foolish green fly , " said he . " who does he belong to ? " " nobody ! " snapped little joe . " what have foolish green flies got to do with my i mean our fish ? " " nothing , nothing at all , " replied grandfather frog mildly . " i was just hoping that he would come near enough for me to snap him up ; then he would belong to me . as long as he doesn't , he doesn't belong to any one . i suppose that if buster bear should happen along and catch him , he would be stealing from me , according to little joe . " " of course not ! what a silly idea ! you 're getting foolish in your old age , " retorted little joe . little joe couldn't find a word to say . you 'll find it pays . " [ illustration : " you take my advice , little joe otter , " continued grandfather frog . page @number@ ] vi little joe otter takes grandfather frog's advice who makes an enemy a friend , to fear and worry puts an end . little joe otter found that out when he took grandfather frog 's advice . he wouldn't have admitted that he was afraid of buster bear . no one ever likes to admit being afraid , least of all little joe otter . and really little joe has a great deal of courage . now having one 's own way too much is a bad thing . it is apt to make one selfish and thoughtless of other people and very hard to get along with . little joe otter had his way too much . grandfather frog knew it and shook his head very soberly when little joe had been disrespectful to him . " too bad . too bad ! too bad ! chug-a-rum ! it is too bad that such a fine young fellow as little joe should spoil a good disposition by such selfish heedlessness . too bad , " said he . it tickled him so that he had hard work to keep a straight face . that was good common sense advice , but little joe just sniffed and went off declaring that he would get even with buster bear yet . by and by he grinned . it was a little sheepish grin at first , but at last it grew into a laugh . i 'll try it to-morrow morning . " it was so big and fat that it made little joe 's mouth water , for you know fat trout are his favorite food . but he didn't take so much as one bite . instead he carefully laid it on an old log where buster bear would be sure to see it if he should come along that way . then he hid near by , where he could watch . buster was late that morning . it seemed to little joe that he never would come . once he nearly lost the fish . he had turned his head for just a minute , and when he looked back again , the trout was nowhere to be seen . buster couldn't have stolen up and taken it , because such a big fellow couldn't possibly have gotten out of sight again . little joe darted over to the log and looked on the other side . little joe sprang at him angrily , but shadow was too quick and darted away . little joe put the fish back on the log and waited . this time he didn't take his eyes off it . at last , when he was almost ready to give up , he saw buster bear shuffling along towards the laughing brook . suddenly buster stopped and sniffed . one of the merry little breezes had carried the scent of that fat trout over to him . then he came straight over to where the fish lay , his nose wrinkling , and his eyes twinkling with pleasure . " now i wonder who was so thoughtful as to leave this fine breakfast ready for me , " said he out loud . " me , " said little joe in a rather faint voice . " i caught it especially for you . " " thank you , " replied buster , and his eyes twinkled more than ever . " i think we are going to be friends . " " i i hope so , " replied little joe . vii farmer brown's boy has no luck at all farmer brown 's boy tramped through the green forest , whistling merrily . he always whistles when he feels light-hearted , and he always feels light-hearted when he goes fishing . you see , he is just as fond of fishing as is little joe otter or billy mink or buster bear . so he whistled as he tramped along , and his whistle was good to hear . he kept very quiet and fished and fished , patiently waiting for a foolish trout to take his hook . but he didn't get so much as a nibble . there the same thing happened . farmer brown 's boy trudged on to the next pool , and there was a puzzled frown on his freckled face . such a thing never had happened before . he didn't know what to make of it . " i never had such bad luck in all my life before . hello ! what 's this ? " there , on the bank beside the little pool , were the heads of three trout . farmer brown 's boy scowled down at them more puzzled than ever . " somebody has been fishing here , and they have had better luck than i have , " thought he . he looked up the laughing brook and down the laughing brook and this way and that way , but no one was to be seen . then he picked up one of the little heads and looked at it sharply . " it wasn't cut off with a knife ; it was bitten off ! " he exclaimed . " i wonder now if billy mink is the scamp who has spoiled my fun . " this puzzled him more than ever . it didn't seem possible that such a little fellow as billy mink could have caught or frightened all the fish or have eaten so many . besides , he didn't remember ever having known billy to leave heads around that way . billy sometimes catches more fish than he can eat , but then he usually hides them . the farther he went down the laughing brook , the more puzzled farmer brown 's boy grew . it made him feel very queer . they were little joe otter and buster bear . viii farmer brown's boy feels his hair rise ' twas just a sudden odd surprise made farmer brown 's boy 's hair to rise . that 's a funny thing for hair to do rise up all of a sudden isn't it ? there are just two things that make hair rise anger and fear . both anger and fear make it do that . it never had happened before . you see , there isn't much of anything that farmer brown 's boy is really afraid of . perhaps he wouldn't have been afraid this time if it hadn't been for the surprise of what he found . anyway , that is what he said when he told about it afterward . what was it he saw ? what do you think ? why , it was a footprint in the soft mud . yes , sir , that 's what it was , and all it was . it was the footprint of buster bear . now farmer brown 's boy didn't know that buster bear had come down to the green forest to live . he never had heard of a bear being in the green forest . somehow , he didn't feel like meeting buster bear . if he had had his terrible gun with him , it might have been different . but he didn't , and so he suddenly made up his mind that he didn't want to fish any more that day . he had a funny feeling , too , that he was being watched , although he couldn't see any one . he was being watched . little joe otter and buster bear were watching him and taking the greatest care to keep out of his sight . he hadn't run , but he had wanted to . " huh ! " said buster bear to little joe otter , " i believe he was afraid ! " and buster bear was just exactly right . ix little joe otter has great news to tell little joe otter was fairly bursting with excitement . he could hardly contain himself . he felt that he had the greatest news to tell since peter rabbit had first found the tracks of buster bear in the green forest . he couldn't keep it to himself a minute longer than he had to . mr and mrs. redwing were there , and blacky the crow was sitting in the big hickory-tree . little joe otter swam straight to the big rock and climbed up to the very highest part . he looked so excited , and his eyes sparkled so , that every one knew right away that something had happened . " hi ! " cried billy mink . " look at little joe otter ! it must be that for once he has been smarter than buster bear . " little joe made a good-natured face at billy mink and shook his head . " no , billy , " said he , " you are wrong , altogether wrong . i don't believe anybody can be smarter than buster bear . " [ illustration : reddy glared across the smiling pool at peter . page @number@ ] reddy fox rolled his lips back in an unpleasant grin . " don't be too sure of that ! " he snapped . " i 'm not through with him yet . " " boaster ! boaster ! " cried peter rabbit . reddy glared across the smiling pool at peter . " i 'm not through with you either , peter rabbit ! " he snarled . " you 'll find it out one of these fine days ! " " reddy , reddy , smart and sly , couldn't catch a buzzing fly ! " taunted peter . " chug-a-rum ! " said grandfather frog in his deepest , gruffest voice . " we know all about that . what we want to know is what little joe otter has got on his mind . " " it 's news great news ! " cried little joe . " we can tell better how great it is when we hear what it is , " replied grandfather frog testily . " what is it ? " for a minute no one said a word . then blacky the crow leaned down from his perch in the big hickory-tree and looked very hard at little joe as he said : " i don't believe it . i don't believe a word of it . we are all afraid of him . " little joe glared back at blacky . " i don't care whether you believe it or not ; it 's true , " he retorted . " now tell me that he isn't afraid ! " concluded little joe . " for once he knows just how we feel when he comes prowling around where we are . isn't that great news ? now we 'll get even with him ! " " i 'll believe it when i see it for myself ! " snapped blacky the crow . x buster bear becomes a hero of course , peter rabbit helped spread it . trust peter for that ! but everybody else helped too . and so it was that buster bear became a hero right away to most of them . a few doubted little joe 's story . one of them was blacky the crow . another was reddy fox . blacky doubted because he knew farmer brown 's boy so well that he couldn't imagine him afraid . reddy doubted because he didn't want to believe . you see , he was jealous of buster bear , and at the same time he was afraid of him . but nearly everybody else believed it , and there was great rejoicing . most of them were afraid of buster , very much afraid of him , because he was so big and strong . they tried in ever so many ways to show him how friendly they felt and went quite out of their way to do him favors . whenever they met one another , all they could talk about was the smartness and the greatness of buster bear . " and he won't dare set any more traps for me , " gloated billy mink . " ah wish brer bear would go up to farmer brown 's henhouse and scare farmer brown 's boy so that he would keep away from there . it would be a favor to me which ah cert'nly would appreciate , " said unc ' billy possum when he heard the news . " let's all go together and tell buster bear how much obliged we are for what he has done , " proposed jerry muskrat . " that 's a splendid idea ! " cried little joe otter . " we 'll do it right away . " " caw , caw caw ! " broke in blacky the crow . " i say , let's wait and see for ourselves if it is all true . " " of course it 's true ! " snapped little joe otter . " don't you believe i 'm telling the truth ? " " certainly , certainly . of course no one doubts your word , " replied blacky , with the utmost politeness . " but you say yourself that farmer brown 's boy didn't see buster bear , but only his footprint . perhaps he didn't know whose it was , and if he had he wouldn't have been afraid . now i 've got a plan by which we can see for ourselves if he really is afraid of buster bear . " " what is it ? " asked sammy jay eagerly . blacky the crow shook his head and winked . " that 's telling , " said he . " i want to think it over . xi blacky the crow tells his plan blacky is a dreamer ! blacky is a schemer ! his voice is strong ; when things go wrong blacky is a screamer ! it 's a fact . blacky the crow is forever dreaming and scheming and almost always it is of mischief . blacky likes excitement . he wants something going on . the more exciting it is , the better he likes it . then he has a chance to use that harsh voice of his , and how he does use it ! in the first place he felt very important , and you know blacky dearly loves to feel important . on the big rock in the smiling pool sat little joe otter , billy mink , and jerry muskrat . on his big , green lily-pad sat grandfather frog . on another lily-pad sat spotty the turtle . on the other side of the smiling pool were reddy fox , digger the badger , and bobby coon . in the big hickory-tree were chatterer the red squirrel , happy jack the gray squirrel , and sammy jay . blacky waited until he was sure that no one else was coming . then he cleared his throat very loudly and began to speak . " friends , " said he . but no one said anything , and blacky went on . perhaps he was , and then again perhaps he wasn't . perhaps he had something else on his mind . you have made a hero of buster bear , because you believe little joe 's story . now here is my plan : " to-morrow morning , very early , sammy jay and i will make a great fuss near the edge of the green forest . farmer brown 's boy has a lot of curiosity , and he will be sure to come over to see what it is all about . then we will lead him to where buster bear is . now what do you say ? " right away everybody began to talk at the same time . it was such a simple plan that everybody agreed to it . so it was agreed that blacky should try his plan the very next morning . xii farmer brown's boy and buster bear grow curious what was he watching for ? why , for farmer brown 's boy to come out on his way to milk the cows . by and by the back door of farmer brown 's house opened , and out stepped farmer brown 's boy . in each hand he carried a milk pail . right away blacky began to scream at the top of his lungs . " caw , caw , caw ! " shouted blacky . " caw , caw , caw ! " no , sir , he started straight for the barn . blacky didn't know what to make of it . so , when farmer brown 's boy started for the barn instead of for the green forest , blacky didn't know what to make of it . when farmer brown 's boy disappeared in the barn , chatterer the red squirrel snickered right out loud . " ha , ha , ha ! this is a great plan of yours , blacky ! ha , ha , ha ! " he shouted . blacky couldn't find a word to say . he just hung his head , which is something blacky seldom does . so it was decided to wait . it seemed as if farmer brown 's boy never would come out , but at last he did . blacky and sammy jay at once began to scream and make all the fuss they could . farmer brown 's boy took the two pails of milk into the house , then out he came and started straight for the green forest . he was so curious to know what it all meant that he couldn't wait another minute . now there was some one else with a great deal of curiosity also . he had heard the screaming of blacky the crow and sammy jay , and he had listened until he couldn't stand it another minute . he just had to know what it was all about . he walked very softly so as not to make a sound . it was buster bear . xiii farmer brown's boy and buster bear meet if you should meet with buster bear while walking through the wood , what would you do ? now tell me true , i 'd run the best i could . farmer brown had laughed and laughed . if you want to find mr bear , you will have to go to the great woods . i don't know who made that footprint , but it certainly couldn't have been a bear . i think you must have imagined it . " buster bear had come to live in the green forest , and farmer brown 's boy had seen his footprint . it was very exciting , the most exciting thing they could remember . every one was so busy watching farmer brown 's boy that no one saw buster coming from the other direction . you see , buster walked very softly . big as he is , he can walk without making the teeniest , weeniest sound . then everybody held their breath , even blacky the crow and sammy jay . for just a little minute it was so still there in the green forest that not the least little sound could be heard . what was going to happen ? xiv a surprising thing happens blacky the crow and sammy jay , looking down from the top of a tall tree , held their breath . happy jack the gray squirrel and his cousin , chatterer the red squirrel , looking down from another tree , held their breath . unc ' billy possum , sticking his head out from a hollow tree , held his breath . bobby coon , looking through a hole in a hollow stump in which he was hiding , held his breath . reddy fox , lying flat down behind a heap of brush , held his breath . peter rabbit , sitting bolt upright under a thick hemlock branch , with eyes and ears wide open , held his breath . and all the other little people who happened to be where they could see did the same thing . you see , it was the most exciting moment ever was in the green forest . then something happened . yes , sir , something happened . farmer brown 's boy opened his mouth and yelled ! and that yell was a yell of fright . there wasn't any doubt that he was afraid , very much afraid . everybody leaned forward to watch him . " what did i tell you ? didn't i say that he was afraid of buster bear ? " cried little joe otter , dancing about with excitement . " you were right , little joe ! i 'm sorry that i doubted it . see him go ! caw , caw , caw ! " shrieked blacky the crow . for a minute or two everybody forgot about buster bear . then there was a great crash which made everybody turn to look the other way . what do you think they saw ? why , buster bear was running away too , and he was running twice as fast as farmer brown 's boy ! he bumped into trees and crashed through bushes and jumped over logs , and in almost no time at all he was out of sight . altogether it was the most surprising thing that the little people of the green forest ever had seen . [ illustration : buster bear was running away , too . page @number@ . ] then little joe gave a funny little gasp . " why , why-e-e ! " said he , " i believe buster bear is afraid too ! " unc ' billy possum chuckled . " ah believe yo ' are right again , brer otter , " said he . " it cert'nly does look so . if brer bear isn't scared , he must have remembered something impo'tant and has gone to attend to it in a powerful hurry . " then everybody began to laugh . xv buster bear is a fallen hero that was the way with buster bear . at least some of them had . it was hard to believe , but it was true . and right away everybody lost a great deal of the respect for buster which they had felt . it is always that way . they began to say unkind things about him . a dozen times a day buster would hear them screaming this . he would grind his teeth and glare up at them , but that was all he could do . he couldn't get at them . he just had to stand it and do nothing . he gave a deep , angry growl that made little shivers run over chatterer , and then suddenly he started up that tree after chatterer . with a frightened little shriek chatterer scampered to the top of the tree . he hadn't known that buster could climb . how chatterer did wish that he had kept his tongue still ! the worst of it was there wasn't another tree near enough for him to jump to . he was in trouble this time , was chatterer , sure enough ! and there was no one to help him . xvi chatterer the red squirrel jumps for his life it isn't very often that chatterer the red squirrel knows fear . that is one reason that he is so often impudent and saucy . but once in a while a great fear takes possession of him , as when he knows that shadow the weasel is looking for him . you see , he knows that shadow can go wherever he can go . if only he had kept his tongue still instead of saying hateful things to buster bear ! if only he had known that buster could climb a tree ! if only he had chosen a tree near enough to other trees for him to jump across ! chatterer was in the worst kind of trouble , and there was no one to blame but himself . that is usually the case with those who get into trouble . nearer and nearer came buster bear , and deeper and angrier sounded his voice . chatterer gave a little frightened gasp and looked this way and looked that way . what should he do ? what could he do ! the ground seemed a terrible distance below . if only he had wings like sammy jay ! but he hadn't . " gr-r-r-r ! " growled buster bear . " i 'll teach you manners ! i 'll teach you to treat your betters with respect ! i 'll swallow you whole , that 's what i 'll do . gr-r-r-r ! " " oh ! " cried chatterer . " gr-r-r-r ! i 'll eat you all up to the last hair on your tail ! " growled buster , scrambling a little nearer . " oh ! oh ! " cried chatterer , and ran out to the very tip of the little branch to which he had been clinging . but chatterer didn't think of that . he did it now . and then there was his tail , that funny little tail he is so fond of jerking when he scolds . this helped him too . it helped him keep his balance and keep from turning over and over . down , down , down he sailed and landed on his feet . of course , he hit the ground pretty hard , and for just a second he quite lost his breath . but it was only for a second , and then he was scurrying off as fast as a frightened squirrel could . buster bear watched him and grinned . xvii buster bear goes berrying buster bear is a great hand to talk to himself when he thinks no one is around to overhear . it 's a habit . however , it isn't a bad habit unless it is carried too far . any habit becomes bad , if it is carried too far . suppose you had a secret , a real secret , something that nobody else knew and that you didn't want anybody else to know . and suppose you had the habit of talking to yourself . then there wouldn't be any secret . that is the way that a habit which isn't bad in itself can become bad when it is carried too far . now buster bear had lived by himself in the great woods so long that this habit of talking to himself had grown and grown . he did it just to keep from being lonesome . of course , when he came down to the green forest to live , he brought all his habits with him . that is one thing about habits , you always take them with you wherever you go . " i find my appetite isn't what it ought to be . i need a change . yes , sir , i need a change . there is something i ought to have at this time of year , and i haven't got it . there is something that i used to have and don't have now . ha ! i know ! i need some fresh fruit . that 's it fresh fruit ! it must be about berry time now , and i 'd forgotten all about it . my , my , my , how good some berries would taste ! now if i were back up there in the great woods i could have all i could eat . um-m-m-m ! makes my mouth water just to think of it . there ought to be some up in the old pasture . there ought to be a lot of ' em up there . if i wasn't afraid that some one would see me , i 'd go up there . " buster sighed . then he sighed again . the more he thought about those berries he felt sure were growing in the old pasture , the more he wanted some . it seemed to him that never in all his life had he wanted berries as he did now . he wandered about uneasily . he was hungry hungry for berries and nothing else . by and by he began talking to himself again . " if i wasn't afraid of being seen , i 'd go up to the old pasture this very minute . seems as if i could taste those berries . " he licked his lips hungrily as he spoke . then his face brightened . " i know what i 'll do ! i 'll go up there at the very first peep of day to-morrow . that 's just what i 'll do . my , i wish to-morrow morning would hurry up and come . " now though buster didn't know it , some one had been listening , and that some one was none other than sammy jay . when at last buster lay down for a nap , sammy flew away , chuckling to himself . " i believe i 'll visit the old pasture to-morrow morning myself , " thought he . " i have an idea that something interesting may happen if buster doesn't change his mind . " sammy was on the lookout very early the next morning . it moved very swiftly and silently , as if in a great hurry . sammy knew who it was : it was buster bear , and he was going berrying . sammy waited a little until he could see better . then he too started for the old pasture . xviii somebody else goes berrying that is just what happened the day that buster bear first thought of going berrying . " will you make me a berry pie if i will get the berries to-morrow ? " asked farmer brown 's boy of his mother . now the old pasture is very large . it lies at the foot of the big mountain , and even extends a little way up on the big mountain . you see , the bushes grow very thick there , and you cannot see very far in any direction . farmer brown 's boy started to whistle , and then he stopped . that is how he happened to hear a little cry , a very faint little cry . if he had been whistling , he wouldn't have heard it at all . he stopped to listen . he never had heard a cry just like it before . at first he couldn't make out just what it was or where it came from . but one thing he was sure of , and that was that it was a cry of fright . he stood perfectly still and listened with all his might . there it was again " help ! help ! help " and it was very faint and sounded terribly frightened . he waited a minute or two , but heard nothing more . then he put down his pail and began a hurried look here , there , and everywhere . well , i don't like to tell you , but he was trying to swallow one of the children of stickytoes the tree toad . of course farmer brown 's boy didn't let him . he made little mr gartersnake set master stickytoes free and held mr gartersnake until master stickytoes was safely out of reach . xix buster bear has a fine time buster bear was having the finest time he had had since he came down from the great woods to live in the green forest . to be sure , he wasn't in the green forest now , but he wasn't far from it . he was in the old pasture , one edge of which touches one edge of the green forest . and where do you think he was , in the old pasture ? why , right in the middle of the biggest patch of the biggest blueberries he ever had seen in all his life ! nothing can quite equal honey in buster 's mind . but next to honey give him berries . he isn't particular what kind of berries . raspberries , blackberries , or blueberries , either kind , will make him perfectly happy . he didn't try to get them out . oh , my , no ! he just chomped them all up together and patted his stomach from sheer delight . it seems funny but he actually is afraid of them . but when he found those berries he was so hungry that he forgot his fears and everything else . they tasted so good that he just had to eat and eat and eat . now you know that buster is a very big fellow , and it takes a lot to fill him up . he kept eating and eating and eating , and the more he ate the more he wanted . you know how it is . so he wandered from one patch of berries to another in the old pasture , and never once thought of the time . somehow , time is the hardest thing in the world to remember , when you are having a good time . jolly , round , red mr sun climbed higher and higher in the blue , blue sky . he looked down on all the great world and saw all that was going on . he saw buster bear in the old pasture , and smiled as he saw what a perfectly glorious time buster was having . and he saw something else in the old pasture that made his smile still broader . " um-m-m , um-m-m , " mumbled buster bear with his mouth full , as he moved along to another patch of berries . and then he gave a little gasp of surprise and delight . right in front of him was a shiny thing just full of the finest , biggest , bluest berries ! there were no leaves or green ones there . buster blinked his greedy little eyes rapidly and looked again . no , he wasn't dreaming . they were real berries , and all he had got to do was to help himself . buster looked sharply at the shiny thing that held the berries . it seemed perfectly harmless . he reached out a big paw and pushed it gently . it tipped over and spilled out a lot of the berries . yes , it was perfectly harmless . buster gave a little sigh of pure happiness . he would eat those berries to the last one , and then he would go home to the green forest . xx buster bear carries off the pail of farmer brown's boy the question is , did buster bear steal farmer brown 's boy 's pail ? to steal is to take something which belongs to some one else . there is no doubt that he stole the berries that were in the pail when he found it , for he deliberately ate them . he knew well enough that some one must have picked them for whoever heard of blueberries growing in tin pails ? so there is no doubt that when buster took them , he stole them . but with the pail it was different . he took the pail , but he didn't mean to take it . in fact , he didn't want that pail at all . he didn't think anything about the right or wrong of helping himself . and that is just what he did do . of course he upset the pail , but he didn't mind a little thing like that . just then he heard a little noise , as if some one were coming . get out of there ! " he didn't need to be told whose voice that was . it was the voice of farmer brown 's boy . right then and there buster bear nearly had a fit . there was that awful pail fast over his head so that he couldn't see a thing . he growled and whined and squealed . he tried to back out of the pail and couldn't . he tried to shake it off and couldn't . he tried to pull it off , but somehow he couldn't get hold of it . then there was another yell . you see farmer brown 's boy had just discovered buster bear . in fact , he was too surprised and frightened even to run . after that second yell he just stood still and stared . buster clawed at that awful thing on his head more frantically than ever . suddenly it slipped off , so that he could see . but the funniest thing of all is this he took that pail with him ! yes , sir , buster bear ran away with the big tin pail of farmer brown 's boy ! he didn't want it . he would have given anything to get rid of it . but he took it because he couldn't help it . and that brings us back to the question , did buster steal farmer brown 's boy 's pail ? what do you think ? xxi sammy jay makes things worse for buster bear " thief , thief , thief ! thief , thief , thief ! " sammy jay was screaming at the top of his lungs , as he followed buster bear across the old pasture towards the green forest . never had he screamed so loud , and never had his voice sounded so excited . but every blessed one who heard sammy this morning stopped whatever he was doing and pricked up his ears to listen . he was so surprised that he almost forgot to keep his wings moving . buster bear had what looked to blacky very much like a tin pail hanging from his neck ! no wonder sammy was excited . blacky beat his wings fiercely and started after sammy . come on , everybody ! come on ! come on ! " poor buster ! he felt humiliated . that is just another way of saying shamed . but buster is so big that it is not easy for him to find a hiding place . but it was of no use . the sharp eyes of sammy jay and blacky the crow saw him . they actually flew into the very tree under which he was hiding , and how they did scream ! ol ' mistah buzzard began to grin as soon as he saw that tin pail on buster 's neck . even timid little whitefoot the wood mouse was where he could peer out and see without being seen . of course , chatterer the red squirrel and happy jack the gray squirrel were there . " thief , thief , thief ! " screamed sammy until his throat was sore . the worst of it was buster knew that everybody knew that it was true . that awful pail was proof of it . " i wish i never had thought of berries , " growled buster to himself . xxii buster bear has a fit of temper a temper is a bad , bad thing when once it gets away . there 's nothing quite at all like it to spoil a pleasant day . buster bear was in a terrible temper . yes , sir , buster bear was having the worst fit of temper ever seen in the green forest . now ordinarily buster is one of the most good-natured persons in the world . it takes a great deal to rouse his temper . he isn't one tenth so quick tempered as chatterer the red squirrel , or sammy jay , or reddy fox . but when his temper is aroused and gets away from him , then watch out ! it seemed to buster that he had had all that he could stand that day and a little more . first had come the fright back there in the old pasture . this was bad enough , for he knew just how funny he must look , and besides , it was very uncomfortable . but to have sammy jay call everybody within hearing to come and see him was more than he could stand . it was more than any self-respecting bear could stand . with a roar of anger buster bear charged out of his hiding place . he rushed this way and that way ! he roared with all his might ! he was very terrible to see . those who could fly , flew . those who could climb , climbed . and those who were swift of foot , ran . a few who could neither fly nor climb nor run fast , hid and lay shaking and trembling for fear that buster would find them . in less time than it takes to tell about it , buster was alone . at least , he couldn't see any one . [ illustration : those who could fly , flew . those who could climb , climbed . page @number@ ] then he vented his temper on the tin pail . he cuffed at it and pulled at it , all the time growling angrily . he lay down and clawed at it with his hind feet . at last the handle broke , and he was free ! he shook himself . then he jumped on the helpless pail . with a blow of a big paw he sent it clattering against a tree . he tried to bite it . then , and not till then , did buster recover his usual good nature . little by little , as he thought it all over , a look of shame crept into his face . " i i guess it wasn't the fault of that thing . i ought to have known enough to keep my head out of it , " he said slowly and thoughtfully . " you ought to know by this time that no good comes of stealing . " buster bear looked up and grinned , and there was a twinkle in his eyes . " you ought to know , sammy jay , " said he . " i hope you 'll always remember it . " " thief , thief , thief ! " screamed sammy , and flew away . xxiii farmer brown's boy lunches on berries it hadn't entered his head that it could be anybody who would eat those berries . " if he is so afraid of me , i guess i needn't be afraid of him , " said he . " i 've lost my berries , but it is worth it to find out that he is afraid of me . there are plenty more on the bushes , and all i 've got to do is to pick them . it might be worse . " he whistled . " it 's worse than i thought , " cried he . " that bear has cheated me out of that berry pie my mother promised me . " yes , indeed , it might have been worse . that bear might have tried to eat me instead of the berries . i guess i 'll go eat that lunch i left back by the spring , and then i 'll go home . i can pick berries some other day . " " my , but those sandwiches will taste good , " thought he . " i 'm glad they are big and thick . i never was hungrier in my life . hello ! " no , sir , there wasn't so much as a crumb left of those two thick sandwiches . you see , old man coyote had found them and gobbled them up while farmer brown 's boy was away . but farmer brown 's boy didn't know anything about old man coyote . he rubbed his eyes and stared everywhere , even up in the trees , as if he thought those sandwiches might be hanging up there . farmer brown 's boy gaped foolishly this way and that way . then , instead of growing angry , a slow smile stole over his freckled face . " i guess some one else was hungry too , " he muttered . " wonder who it was ? guess this old pasture is no place for me to-day . i 'll fill up on berries and then i 'll go home . " two or three times , as he trudged along , he stopped to scratch his head thoughtfully . this is the end of the adventures of buster bear in this book because guess why . the end the adventures of buster bear books by thornton w burgess the bedtime story-books @number@ the adventures of reddy fox @number@ the adventures of johnny chuck @number@ the adventures of peter cottontail @number@ the adventures of unc ' billy possum @number@ the adventures of mr . mocker @number@ the adventures of jerry muskrat @number@ the adventures of danny meadow mouse @number@ the adventures of grandfather frog @number@ the adventures of chatterer , the red squirrel @number@ the adventures of sammy jay @number@ the adventures of buster bear @number@ the adventures of old mr . toad @number@ the adventures of prickly porky @number@ the adventures of old man coyote @number@ the adventures of paddy the beaver @number@ the adventures of poor mrs . quack @number@ the adventures of bobby coon @number@ the adventures of jimmy skunk @number@ the adventures of bob white @number@ the adventures of ol ' mistah buzzard mother west wind series @number@ old mother west wind @number@ mother west wind's children @number@ mother west wind's animal friends @number@ mother west wind's neighbors @number@ mother west wind " why " stories @number@ mother west wind " how " stories @number@ mother west wind " when " stories @number@ mother west wind " where " stories green meadow series @number@ happy jack @number@ mrs peter rabbit @number@ bowser the hound the burgess bird book for children end of the project gutenberg ebook of the adventures of buster bear , by thornton w burgess