th a tall hat on its head,
and eat and drink in a truly dignified fashion.

This bear was never muzzled, for it was so gentle that the children of
the neighbourhood would fearlessly romp and play with it, and it was so
devoted to its master that it would follow him about like a dog.

There came a day, however, when Mr. Bradbury was suddenly summoned to
Manchester, and during his absence he left the bear in charge of a man
who promised to take good care of it. This promise he did not keep. The
poor animal was shamefully neglected, and kept so short of food that
hunger drove it at last to desperation, and one night, breaking loose
from its chain, it made its way into a yard and killed a dog.

The piteous howls of the dog aroused the neighbourhood and brought
several people to the spot. The first was one of the carpenters of the
circus; the bear instantly pounced on him, but the man, with a sudden
wrench, shook himself free,--leaving his coat behind him, however. The
bear next attacked a goat, and then, seeing a boy of about thirteen
amongst the crowd (for boys a hundred years ago were always foremost in
a crowd, as they are to-day) the infuriated animal pursued him, overtook
him, and fastened upon him from behind, with its two paws on his
shoulders; and before a spectator with a gun managed to shoot the bear,
the poor lad was almost scalped.

He was at once taken off to the hospital, and, in time, recovered from
his injuries; but when Mr. Bradbury returned from Manchester, all that
was left of his pet was the shaggy skin and a large supply of pots of
bear's grease in a neighbouring hairdresser's window.

ABOUT THE ASH.

Some of our well-known trees have a long and curious history belonging
to them: the Oak, Elder, and Willow are good examples, but perhaps the
Ash excels all others in its remarkable history. It is a tree often
found growing on a ridge or hill by itself, and therefore exposed to
storms, which it withstands wonderfully. Though in former days it was
held to be a sacred or lucky tree, people believed that it attracted the
lightning--no doubt a solitary ash has been sometimes struck. The wood
is valuable for its toughness; it seldom splinters, and will bear a
greater weight than the wood of most other trees. In the olden time, the
Romans made from it spears and ploughs, and the Greeks also used it for
several purposes. Hop-poles are chiefly manufactured from ash saplings
in England; tables and pai