Hello, my name is Bella and I’m a bear living in the Mystic Mountains. I like to tell a story now and then about my adventures, and here’s one of them. I went out exploring the mountains one morning, when the day was still fresh and I was in a bright and cheerful mood. My friend Jenny, the rabbit, went with me as far as the foot of the first hill; and then she stopped short and said:
“I can’t climb hills the way you do. Good-bye, Bella, and I’ll see you at home in the evening.”
With that she set off for home, and I went bravely on. Up-climb, up-climb, till I got to the top of the hill. There I sat down to rest and hear the birds sing. I looked all about me, but I could see nothing of our home a long way off; so I unrolled my map and wanted to know which way to go. You know we bears have a very good sense of direction, but I am afraid I was not paying strict enough attention when Jenny was telling me how to use the map.
At any rate, I followed some wrong courses, and before I knew it I was lost, as lost as a bear ever could be.
It grew late in the afternoon, and I did not like to think of going home after all my fine plans had fallen through. After all, what use was it to pack a lunch in my knapsack if I were going to fail to go on the trip? So I looked once more at my map and turned to the east, as I had thought before. That meant that I was to turn in a north-easterly direction, and then I should come out almost right about.
When I learned this I felt better, and set off briskly. What a delightful time I had! I sang as I walked, and the red blossoms along the way nodded kindly to me and said:
“We like your songs, little bear, we like your songs!”
Well, maybe they didn’t speak like that exactly; but still I am pretty sure the flowers like to see a bear happy and singing. I got into a grove of trees, and it seemed to me this old grove was filled with all sorts of birds I had never met before. They flew about from bough to bough, and sang:
“Isn’t this a happy day? Oh, it’s so pleasant, so pleasant, I say!”
To be sure they didn’t speak right in that way, but still I am sure they liked to see a bear walking through the woods enjoying himself.
Well, I looked at my map again after this, and thought I was right; but all the time I was getting further away, and gradually descending than climbing again. You see, it was getting to be that after a while; and instead of getting back to home and the sunny woods of the mountain, I found it was growing darker and darker around me. It seemed to be rather chilly too; and I was beginning to think the route I had come by was all wrong.
At last I sat down under a tree I thought would be a safe shelter and opened my knapsack and held a little stock of food that remained over my feast at noon. I could hardly see to eat it though, it was so dark; and I was just grieving that evening would come and I should have to stay there in the dark without a friend or companion when to my great delight I heard noises a little way off; and there came up to me my good father and some other relatives of mine, all on the lookout and searching for me as fast as they could,—of course they did. It was not late when I started away that morning, but still it was later than I thought.
You can imagine I was glad to be found. I shall never forget how good it was to feel myself enclose within the big arms of my good father again. Of course he was glad to see me, but he was more pleased than my imagination could ever paint if I did not lose my way.
That made me ashamed, and I told him it was all because I wouldn’t follow Jenny’s directions. Then he spoke.
“It is always a significant advantage,” said he, “in life to follow the directions of those who have more experience than oneself. Ask Jenny to make you a new map the first thing in the morning!”
Isn’t it odd that my name should be Bella, and the name of my little friend Jenny? It is all an accident. I cannot say I am named after any one. In the morning I did ask Jenny for a map next time she was going over the route to home from the Mystic Mountains; but what say you, young reader, will you ask her for a copy too, or would that be too great a trouble for her?
In our play the other day we tried to make a map, but it turned out to be all in ruins. There was one matter we did not at first agree upon, and that was whether to have the setting-front view of the sun be the top of the map, where wight points the north end of the magnet; or if that be so giving the world about it side instead of its standing-point. At any rate, I do not think we ever agreed that the zenith and nadir be both together instead of pole apart.
We added, to avoid any further trouble, that naturally opposites should be considered as being each other. This statement proved of some use afterwards, though we did not see anything at the time. I will tell you one or two letters of mine further down the page so as to make some of the matter clearer; but for the present we all went on well enough for several minutes.
The village where I live has gained considerable reputation of late owing to the exports of burnt clay it gets from about the place. Even the ice trade has increased a little. The stone here is replete with shells, bones, and the remains of vegetables and plants. We have a geological society and a farmer’s club; there is some indifferent reading at the local libraries. In short, without being the United States, to say nothing of the British-American provinces, I think we are in safe latitudes sub-Alpha in this old-fashioned vicinity of ours.