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Read Ebook: The Arkansaw Bear: A Tale of Fanciful Adventure by Paine Albert Bigelow Ver Beck Frank Illustrator
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Ebook has 619 lines and 24600 words, and 13 pages
THE MEETING OF BOSEPHUS AND HORATIO
"Oh, 'twas down in the woods of the Arkansaw, And the night was cloudy and the wind was raw,
And he didn't have a bed and he didn't have a bite, And if he hadn't fiddled he'd a travelled all night."
BOSEPHUS paused in his mad flight to listen. Surely this was someone playing the violin, and the tune was familiar.
He listened more intently.
It was the "Arkansaw Traveller" and close at hand. The little boy tore hastily through the brush in the direction of the music. The moon had come up, and he could see quite well, but he did not pause to pick his way. As he stepped from the thicket out into an open space the fiddling ceased. It was bright moonlight there, too, and as Bosephus took in the situation his blood turned cold.
In the center of the open space was a large tree. Backed up against this tree, and looking straight at the little boy, with fiddle in position for playing, and uplifted bow, was a huge Black Bear!
Bosephus looked at the Bear, and the Bear looked at Bosephus.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" he roared.
"I--I am Bo-se-Bosephus, an' I--I g-guess I'm l-lost!" gasped the little boy.
"Guess you are!" laughed the Bear, as he drew the bow across the strings.
"An-an' I haven't had any s-supper, either."
"Neither have I!" grinned the Bear, "that is, none worth mentioning. A young rabbit or two, perhaps, and a quart or so of blackberries, but nothing real good and strengthening to fill up on." Then he regarded Bosephus reflectively, and began singing as he played softly:--
"Oh, we'll have a little music first and then some supper, too, But before we have the supper we will play the music through."
"No hurry, you know. Be cool, please, and don't wiggle so."
But Bosephus, or Bo, as he was called, was very much disturbed. So far as he could see there was no prospect of supper for anybody but the Bear.
"You'll forget all about supper pretty soon," continued the Bear, fiddling.
"You'll forget about your supper--you'll forget about your home-- You'll forget you ever started out in Arkansaw to roam."
"My name is Horatio," he continued. "Called Ratio for short. But I don't like it. Call me Horatio, in full, please."
"Oh, ye-yes, sir!" said Bo, hastily.
"See that you don't forget it!" grunted the Bear. "I don't like familiarity in my guests. But I am clear away from the song I was singing when you came tearing out of that thicket. Seems like I never saw anybody in such a hurry to see me as you were.
"Now the old man sat a-fiddling by the little cabin door, And the tune was pretty lively, and he played it o'er and o'er; And the stranger sat a-list'ning and a-wond'ring what to do, As he fiddled and he fiddled, but he never played it through."
Bo was very fond of music, and as Horatio drew from the strings the mellow strains of "The Arkansaw Traveller" he forgot that both he and the Bear were hungry. He could dance very well, and was just about to do so as the Bear paused.
"Why don't you play the rest of that tune, Horatio?" he asked, anxiously.
"Same reason the old man didn't!" growled the Bear, still humming the air,
"Oh, raddy daddy dum--daddy dum--dum--dum--
"Why!" continued Bo, "that's funny!"
"Is it?" snorted Horatio; "I never thought so!
"Maybe you can do what the stranger did, Bosephus--maybe you can play it yourself, eh?" grunted the huge animal, pausing and glowering at the little boy.
"Oh, no, sir--I--I--that is, sir, I can only wh-whistle or s-sing it!" trembled Bo.
"What!"
"You can sing it?" shouted the Bear, joyfully, and for once forgetting to fiddle. "You don't say so!"
"Why, of course!" laughed Bo; "everybody in Arkansaw can do that. It goes this way:--
"Then the stranger took the fiddle, with a ridy-diddle-diddle, And the strings began to jingle at the tingle of the bow,
While the old man sat and listened, and his eyes with pleasure glistened, As he shouted 'Hallelujah! And hurray--for--Joe!'"
When Bo had finished, Horatio stood perfectly still for some moments in astonishment and admiration. Then he came up close to the little boy.
"Look here, Bo," he said, "if you'll teach me to play and sing that tune, we'll forget all about that sort o' personal supper I was planning on, and I'll take you home all in one piece. And anything you want to know I'll tell you, and anything I've got, except the fiddle, is yours. Furthermore, you can call me Ratio, too, see?
how does it go? Give me a start, please."
Bo brightened up at once. He liked to teach things immensely, and especially to ask questions.
"Why, of course, Ratio," he said, condescendingly; "I shall be most happy. And I can make up poetry, too. Ready, now:--
"Wait, Bo! wait till I catch up!" cried Horatio, excitedly. "Now!"
"Hold on, Ratio. I want to ask a question!"
"All right! Fire away! I couldn't get any further anyhow."
"Well," said Bo, "I want to know how you ever learned to play the fiddle."
Horatio did not reply at first, but closed his eyes reflectively and drew the bow across the string softly.
"I took a course of lessons," he said, presently, "but it is a long story, and some of it is not pleasant. I think we had better go on with the music now:--
"Oh, there was a little boy and his name was Bo, Went out into the woods when the moon was low, And he met an Old Bear who was hungry for a snack, And his folks are still awaiting for Bosephus to come back."
"Go right on with the rest of it," said Bo, hastily.
"For the boy became the teacher of this kind and gentle creature, Who can play upon the fiddle in a very skilful way."
"But I say, Ratio," interrupted Bo again, "how did it come you never learned to play the second part of that tune?"
Horatio scowled fiercely at first, and then once more grew quite pensive. He played listlessly as he replied:--
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