Show I Stories ories Ii MOTHER BROWNS BROWN'S PANTRY By Thornton W. W Burgess i Blessed be natured good good folk Who Rho never ncr nc r fall Cail to see a joke Farmer Browns Brown's Boy What Mother Brown saw V when she pushed open her pantry door robbed her for the tho moment of ot all power of ot speech In III fact fa t for tor a a. moment or two she was actually In doubt as to what sho she really did see Tho The flour barrel was tipped over sour milk was all over o everything 6 there were broken dishes scattered here hera and there and In the midst of ot It all was the strangest creaturo creature she ever eyer had seen What it was she didn't know She actually t know what It was But that It was alive was very evident A moment after she had bad pushed that door open It had bolted straight for the kitchen Mother Brown shrieked and jumped to one sido as this strange creature push pushed ed ell past her out the kitchen door out the back door and disappear disappeared ed around back of ot the house hous By that lime time Mother lother Brown Drown had lead re reo recovered recovered covered from her lIer surprise sum sufficiently to do a little thinking My stars stal'S she exclaimed I do be bee believe lieve that that was that Bear Dear Bearcub Bearcub cub cub Sho She caught up the broom and rushed outdoors She was just In time to see Cubby for Cor of course that Is who it was shin shinning shinning ning up a n. tree He lIe kept right on ou until he was as high as ho could get And such a looking sight as ashe ashe ashe he was Mother Iother Brown Drown just stood and laughed until her ller sides shook Yes cir despite that aw awe awful ful mess in her pantry sho she had to laugh Never was such a young oung Bear Dear seen before i What had happened was this When Cubby climbing up on the pantry shelf had hooked his claws over oyer tho pan Nn ot of sour milk with which Mother Brown had planned to make cookies he had upset that pan of ot milk right over him That whole pan f f f sour milk had gone goe right over Cubby In his surprise he had let go and dropped and he had dropped right ri ht Into the flour flour- barrel Now Cubby was not only surprised but he was greatly frightened Of course he instant instantly ly Iy began to kick and struggle In that barrel of or flour and in a mo moment ment meat he had upset It H. He was half halt smothered with flour And of or course being covered co with I milk the lour Hour made a sticky paste all over OVI-h OVI him Ho O was iu in n terrible mess and he ho knew it iI I I It was all so sudden and un un-i expected that for Cor a n few minutes I he didn't know where wh re he was He lie He II just tore lore around that pantry up up- upsetting setting things right and left un unable unable I able to find the door Then when Mother Brown Drown had opened thedoor the thedoor door he had rushed out with only one ono thought in la mind and that was to get away awny to get set away and climb a tree You seo see Mother Bear had taught him that the th safest place for tor a small Bear Is up a tree and Cubby wanted to get where he would be bo safe lie He didn't at all understand all that had happened to him but the first thing thinS to do was to get up a tree and think about things later It was just about this time that Farmer Browns Brown's Boy came home Come here bere his mother called calle l to him Jal do you call that thing up In that tree You should have seen the ex ex- expression expression on oft the face of ot Farmer Browns Brown's Boy as he stared up in that tree i 1 dont don't know what it itis ItIs itis is said he at last I have never before beCore seen anything like that Wha what Wha-what do you ou call It I call it that dratted little littleBear littleBear Bear of ot yours ours declared Mother Brown Then she told Farmer Browns Brown's Boy Doy what had happened in the pantry I Just dread go going goinS goIng ing inS back there said she Of Ot course Farmer Browns Brown's Boy went back with her and when he lee saw the inside of ot that pantry he wondered that his mother was as asgood natured good good as she else was Fortu Fortunately Fortunately the flour barrel flour barre had been only about a third full Cull Of course the flour was ruined and the flour and milk had covered everything with paste Such a amess amess amess mess to clean up Copyright 1927 T. T W. W Burgess The next story A Woebegone Little Bear |