it came from. But one thing
he was sure of, and that was that it was a cry of fright. He stood
perfectly still and listened with all his might. There it was
again--"Help! Help! Help"--and it was very faint and sounded terribly
frightened. He waited a minute or two, but heard nothing more. Then he
put down his pail and began a hurried look here, there, and everywhere.
He was sure that it had come from somewhere on the ground, so he peered
behind bushes and peeped behind logs and stones, and then just as he had
about given up hope of finding where it came from, he went around a
little turn in the old cow-path, and there right in front of him was
little Mr. Gartersnake, and what do you think he was doing? Well, I
don't like to tell you, but he was trying to swallow one of the children
of Stickytoes the Tree Toad. Of course Farmer Brown's Boy didn't let
him. He made little Mr. Gartersnake set Master Stickytoes free and held
Mr. Gartersnake until Master Stickytoes was safely out of reach.

XIX

BUSTER BEAR HAS A FINE TIME

Buster Bear was having the finest time he had had since he came down
from the Great Woods to live in the Green Forest. To be sure, he wasn't
in the Green Forest now, but he wasn't far from it. He was in the Old
Pasture, one edge of which touches one edge of the Green Forest. And
where do you think he was, in the Old Pasture? Why, right in the middle
of the biggest patch of the biggest blueberries he ever had seen in all
his life! Now if there is any one thing that Buster Bear had rather have
above another, it is all the berries he can eat, unless it be honey.
Nothing can quite equal honey in Buster's mind. But next to honey give
him berries. He isn't particular what kind of berries. Raspberries,
blackberries, or blueberries, either kind, will make him perfectly
happy.

"Um-m-m, my, my, but these are good!" he mumbled in his deep
grumbly-rumbly voice, as he sat on his haunches stripping off the
berries greedily. His little eyes twinkled with enjoyment, and he didn't
mind at all if now and then he got leaves, and some green berries in his
mouth with the big ripe berries. He didn't try to get them out. Oh, my,
no! He just chomped them all up together and patted his stomach from
sheer delight. Now Buster had reached the Old Pasture just as jolly,
round, red Mr. Sun had crept out of bed, and he had fully made up his
mind that he would be back in the Green Forest before Mr. Sun had
climbed very far