the shape of the little ragged dirty old
woman that was fast asleep, and snoring like a trumpeter, on the bed.
The great big bear went and stood at the head of the bed; the middling
sized bear went and stood at the middle of the bed; and the tiny bit of
a bear went and stood at the foot of the bed. Then the great big bear
said--

"'Who is this in the bed?'

"The middling sized bear said--

"'It looks like a dirty old woman.'

"'And there's some of my porridge sticking on her lips,' said the tiny
bit of a bear. As he said this, the old woman awoke, and opened her
eyes.

"When she saw the bears, she was frightened almost out of her wits; so
she started up, and jumped right out of the window, that was close to
the bed, and ran off with all her might and main. Then the bears tumbled
down stairs head over heels, pell-mell, and rushed out of the house, to
catch her and eat her up; but they were so fat, they could not run as
fast as she could; so the little ragged dirty old woman got off, all
out of breath, but safe and sound."

"What did the tiny bit of a bear do for his dinner?" asked Fanny.

"He had to suck his paws, I suppose," answered her Aunt; "but I do not
know, for that was the end of the story."

The children had laughed very much at this story, because their Aunt had
told it to them in a way that made it very amusing. They thanked her,
and said they hoped she would tell it to them again, the next Saturday.
She promised she would, and told them to run off, as she wanted to
finish her letter. So the little girls went off, and spent the rest of
the day in various ways, taking care not to be troublesome or noisy; and
when they went home, they told their Mother, as well as they could, the
funny story of the three bears.

ABOUT MINDING QUICKLY.

Emma was one day sitting by the fire, on a little bench. She was trying
to cut a mouse out of a piece of paper. She had a pair of scissors, with
round ends. Her Mother had given her these scissors for her own, because
they were safer for her to use than scissors with pointed ends.

Presently her Mother said, "Come here to me, Emma."

"Wait a minute, Mother," said Emma.

"Do you know," said her Mother, "that it was naughty for you to say
that?"

"Why, you can wait a _little_ minute," said Emma; "I am very busy. Don't
you see that I am making a mouse?"

"Emma," replied her Mother, "do you know that I ought to punish you,
because you do not mind?"

"I am