Show TO FIERCE BEAR MADE WITH LONELY CHILD shared food and bed with boy and refused to harm him companion ship existed tor many days before discovery came arf about two hundred years ago a rich and powerful nobleman named leopold was duke of the province ot lor balne says the scottish american th dime was fond of animals and among his savage pets was a great bear named marco this bear was 1 aused in a rough hut in a corner of his royal master park he was sup piled with the best of food by the 1 beeper of the animals and on state occasions he was led out by a big chain and made to dance for tha amusement of duke leopold s friends marco was fierce and when he swung his shaggy head out of he door of his hut and showed his white teeth in an ugly snarl no one dared to go near him tor one blow of his paw roi id have knocked a man senseless and those white teeth of his were very sharp one cold winter night marco hav ing swallowed his supper in a few gulps shambled back to the furthest corner of his hut and curled himself up to sleep he was just at the tall ng off point when he heard a sound at his door he started up and what should he see but a small boy hop ping first on one foot and then on the other shivering with cold the poor child was homeless had lost his way in he dukes forest and had run into the bear s hut for shelter marco did not know who this new comer might be hue he was surprised that ho forgot to growl then a strange thing happened the boy ran over to marco and peered into his shaggy face crying in glee why you are the dukes funny that I 1 saw dancing the other day wont you be my friend T I 1 need you so much the bear marco did not understand what the boy said but ho understood the kind hand that stroked his head that hand meant I 1 love you and marco had never been loved in all his rough bearish life at least not since the days before he had been caught inace deep forest a frightened baby screaming for his mother so now a great answering love filled hia heart he allowed the little lad to II 11 down beside him warmed by bis furry coat then together they slept through the night in the boy went away but came back to his new friend in the evening this happened for beveral days marco shared his food with his visitor and they became great cronies one day the keeper was surprised ta that marco left his supper un touched so instead of hurrying away to teed the other animals he stayed to watch the bear which sat in the door patiently waiting for his boy the keeper offered to take away the food but he received such a fierce look that he set it down again and hid behind a tree to see what would happen next in a moment to his horror a child ran up to the bear ard when the keeper tried to snatch him out of harm s way the boy threw his arms about his faithful friend and in a twinkling they finished the wait ng supper together duke leopold was brought to the hut to see this wonderful pair and soon the story of the boy and the bear spread throughout the land duke leopold gave orders that the poor child should be brought to his palace to be educated and cared for |