out of the room,
but there was a great attraction for him in the doughnuts and pieces
of pie and cake and apples and other good things he smelled in the
dinner baskets, and he set at once to turning over the contents, and
eating whatever pleased his fancy.

After her momentary faintness, Miss Brown--the young teacher--roused
herself to see what could be done to protect her charges. There was no
door between the room and the passage, though there was a suitable
opening for one. Glancing around the room, she saw but one thing to
do,--to barricade that opening.

Trying to quiet the screams and tears of the children huddled around
her, she spoke hurriedly to the biggest boys.

"Boys, we must barricade the doorway while he is busy with the
baskets. Bring up the benches as quick as you can!"

All fell to work, and soon benches were piled from the floor to the
top of the doorway; but they were so unsteady that one could see that
one good push of the big fellow would throw them all down.

"More!" said Miss Brown; "we must brace these up."

So other benches were placed against them in a way to brace them, and
when all in the room were used, a tolerably steady wall was made,
though of course there were plenty of openings between the benches
through which they could see and be seen.

"If he tries to push them down," said Miss Brown with white lips, "we
must all throw ourselves against these braces to keep them firm. I
think we can keep him till help comes."

The question of help was a serious one. The schoolhouse was placed on
the edge of a bluff where the ground dropped suddenly many feet, and
strangely enough, all the windows were on that side, so that no one
could climb out of a window, and, what was worse, those inside could
not attract attention if any one should pass. The windows looked only
into the deep woods.

All this became plain to Miss Brown, as she looked around to see what
were their chances of escape. The only hope was that the bear would
get enough to eat and go out of his own accord. In this hope she
calmed down, and tried to reduce her pupils to order.

Order, however, was not to be thought of. To the terror of the
children was soon added their dismay at the havoc the bear was making.
One after another basket was turned over and its contents rolled out
on the floor, while he contentedly feasted himself on the food. The
children could not take their eyes from him, and every time he turned
his eyes to