John Dough and the Cherub Page 12

  Para Bruin, the Rubber Bear

  Next morning the little Princess came to the door of the new dwellingbuilt for Chick and John Dough, and said to them:

  "Let us take a walk, and I will show you how beautiful our island is inthose parts where there are no Mifkets to worry us."

  So together the three walked along the shore until they drew near to ahigh point of rock, the summit of which was reached by a winding path.When they had climbed up the steep the Princess had to stop to rest,for she was not strong and seemed to tire easily. And now, while theysat upon some rocks, a big brown bear came out of a cave and stoodbefore them.

  "Don't be afraid," whispered the Princess. "He won't hurt us. It's ParaBruin."

  The bear was fat and of monstrous size, and its color was a rich brown.It had no hair at all upon its body, as most bears have, but was smoothand shiny. He gave a yawn as he looked at the new-comers, and Johnshuddered at the rows of long, white teeth that showed so plainly. Alsohe noticed the fierce claws upon the bear's toes, and decided that inspite of the rabbit's and the Princess' assurances he was in dangerouscompany. Indeed, although Chick laughed at the bear, the gingerbreadman grew quite nervous as the big beast advanced and sniffed at himcuriously--almost as if it realized John was made of gingerbread andthat gingerbread is good to eat. Then it held out a fat paw, as ifdesiring to shake hands; and, not wishing to appear rude, John placedhis own hand in the bear's paw, which seemed even more soft and flabbythan his own. The next moment the animal threw its great arms aroundthe gingerbread man and hugged him close to its body.

  John gave a cry of fear, although it was hard to tell which was moresoft and yielding--the bear's fat body or the form of the gingerbreadman.

  "Stop that!" he shouted, speaking in the bear language. "Let me go,instantly! What do you mean by such actions?"

  The bear, hearing this speech, at once released John, who began to feelof himself to see if he had been damaged by the hug.

  "Why didn't you say you were a friend, and could speak my language?"asked the bear, in a tone of reproach.

  "You knew well enough I was a friend, since I came with the Princess,"retorted John, angrily. "I suppose you would like to eat me, justbecause I am gingerbread!"

  "I thought you smelled like gingerbread," remarked the bear. "But don'tworry about my eating you. I don't eat."

  "No?" said John, surprised. "Why not?"

  "Well, the principal reason is that I'm made of rubber," said the bear.

  "Rubber!" exclaimed John.

  "STOP THAT!" JOHN SHOUTED]

  "Yes, rubber. Not gutta-percha, you understand, nor any cheapcomposition; but pure Para rubber of the best quality. I'mpractically indestructible."

  "Well, I declare!" said John, who was really astonished. "Are yourteeth rubber, also?"

  "To be sure," acknowledged the bear, seeming to be somewhat ashamed ofthe fact; "but they appear very terrible to look at, do they not? Noone would suspect they would bend if I tried to bite with them."

  "To me they were terrible in appearance," said John, at which the bearseemed much gratified.

  "I don't mind confiding to you, who are a friend and speak mylanguage," he resumed, "that I am as harmless as I am indestructible.But I pride myself upon my awful appearance, which should strike terrorinto the hearts of all beholders. At one time every creature in thisisland feared me, and acknowledged me their king; but those horridMifkets discovered I was rubber, and have defied me ever since."

  "How came you to be alive?" asked John. "Was it the Great Elixir?"

  "I've never heard of the Great Elixir," replied the bear, "and I've noidea how I came to be alive. My earliest recollection is that I wasliving in much the same way that I am now. Do you remember when youwere not living?"

  "No" said John.

  This conversation, which she could not at all understand, surprised thePrincess very much. But she was glad to see that the rubber bear andthe gingerbread man had become friends, and so she took Chick's handand led the smiling Cherub up to where they stood.

  "This is my new friend, whose name is Chick," she said to the bear, forthe girl was accustomed to talking to Para Bruin just as she would to aperson; "and you must be as good and kind to Chick as you have been tome, my dear Para, or I shall not love you any more."

  The bear gave the Princess a generous hug, and then he hugged Chick;but the words the girl had spoken seemed to puzzle him, for he turnedto John and said:

  "Why do you suppose so many different languages were ever invented?The Mifkets speak one language, and you and I speak another, and thePrincess and Chick speak still another! And it is all very absurd, forthe only language I can understand is my own."

  "I can speak with and understand the Princess and the Mifkets as wellas I can speak with you," declared John.

  The bear looked at him admiringly.

  "If that is so, then tell me what the Princess said to me just now," herequested.

  So John translated the girl's words into the bear language, and whenPara Bruin heard them he laughed with delight.

  "Tell the Princess that I'll be as good to her friend Chick aspossible," said he, and John at once translated it so that the Princessunderstood.

  "That's nice," said she. "I knew Para would be friends with Chick. Andnow ask the bear to bounce for us. He does it often, and it is a veryinteresting sight."

  So John requested the bear to bounce, which he at once agreed to do,seeming to feel considerable pride in the accomplishment.

  From the point upon which they stood, the hill descended in a steepincline toward the forest, and at the bottom of the hill was a bigflat rock. Curling himself into a ball, the great bear rolled his bodydown the hill, speeding faster every moment, until he struck the flatrock at the bottom. Then he bounded high into the air (in the same waythat a rubber ball does when thrown down upon a hard pavement), andmade a graceful backward curve until he reached the top of the hillagain, where he bounced up and down a few times, and then stood uprightand bowed before the gingerbread man and the gleeful Cherub--who wasrapturously delighted by the performance.

  "Great act, isn't it?" asked Para Bruin, grinning with pride. "Noordinary bear could do that, I assure you. And it proves the purity andhigh grade of my rubber."

  "It does, indeed!" declared John. "I am greatly pleased to have met soremarkable and talented a bear."

  "You must visit me often," said the bear, making a dignified bow. "Itis a great treat to hear my own language spoken, for I am the only bearupon the island. I haven't any visiting cards, but my name is ParaBruin, and you are always welcome at my cave."

  "I am called John Dough," said the gingerbread man. "I cannot claimto be indestructible, but while I last I shall be proud of yourfriendship, and will bring the children to visit you often."

  "Try to teach them my language," suggested Para Bruin; "for I lovechildren and have often wished I might talk with them. As for thelittle Princess, all the island people love her dearly--except, ofcourse, the Mifkets--and we all worry, more or less, over her health.She's weak and delicate, you know; and her life here is made so unhappyby the separation from her parents that I'm afraid she won't be with usvery long."

  He wiped a tear from his eye with a puffy paw and glancedaffectionately at the girl.

  "What's the matter with her?" asked John, anxiously.

  "No strength and vitality," answered the bear. "She's failing everyday, and there isn't a drug-store or a doctor on the island. But don'ttell her, whatever you do. Perhaps she doesn't realize it, and theknowledge would only make her more unhappy."

  Then the bear, who seemed remarkably tender-hearted, trotted withbouncing footsteps into his cave, so that the little Princess for whomhe grieved might not see the tears that stood in his rubber eyes.

  After that John and Chick and the Princess started to return to theirdwellings by means of a short cut through the forest, known to thegirl. John was feeling very contented in the companionship of thetwo children,
and reflected that in spite of the Mifkets his life onthis beautiful island bade fair to be pleasant and agreeable. But hiscontent was suddenly interrupted by the Cherub, who gave a loud cry andpointed excitedly into the forest.

  The gingerbread man had cast but one look when he began to trembleviolently. For there before him--only a few paces away--stood hisbitter and relentless enemy, Ali Dubh the Arab!

  "At last," said Ali Dubh, smiling most unpleasantly, "I have againfound you."

  John was too agitated to reply; but Chick asked, boldly:

  "How on earth did you ever get to this island?"

  "By means of the witch," the Arab replied. "I purchased from her twotransport powders. One transported me to the Isle of Phreex, and whenyou then escaped me the other powder transported me here. But I cannotallow the gingerbread man to escape me again, because I have no morepowders, nor any way to reach the witch who makes them. So, my dearJohn Dough, please accept your fate, and permit me to eat you at once."

  "That I cannot do," said John, firmly; "for if I am eaten, that is theend of me."

  "How selfish!" exclaimed the Arab. "Who are you, to be consideredbefore Ali Dubh, son of a mighty Shiek, and chief of an ancient Tribeof the Desert? Remember, sir, that when I have eaten you I shall gainfor myself the priceless powers of that Great Elixir contained inyour gingerbread, and will thus become the most powerful and mostintelligent man in the world, besides living forever! Dare you, sir,allow your selfish motives to interfere with so grand a result?"

  ALI DUBH ATTACKS JOHN]

  "I dare," replied John.

  "But you have nothing to say about it," continued the Arab. "You arenot your own master. You belong to me, for I purchased you from JulesGrogrande, the baker, who made you, and I am therefore entitled to eatyou whenever I please."

  "Nevertheless," answered John, "I will not be eaten if I can help it."

  "Ah! but that is unjust!" protested the Arab.

  "If to be unjust is to be eaten," said John, "you need not look to mefor justice. I may be wrong in this decision, but it is better to bewrong than to be nothing."

  "Then," remarked Ali Dubh, sadly, "you force me to eat you without yourconsent, which it will grieve me to do."

  With this he drew his terrible knife and sprang upon John Dough withgreat ferocity. But in the recent encounter with Black Ooboo thegingerbread man had learned how powerful the Elixir made him; so hedid not run this time from the Arab, but avoided the thrust of theknife and caught the body of Ali Dubh in a strong clasp. Next momenthe had lifted him up and tossed him high into the air, as easily as hehad tossed the Mifket. The Arab alighted in the top branches of a tallscarlet plant and clung to them in great fear lest he should fall tothe ground and be killed. Indeed, so frightened was he that he utteredscreams of terror with every breath, and forgot all about eating JohnDough in the more important thought of how he might reach safety.

  "Let's run!" exclaimed Chick, grasping John's hand. "Don't mind theArab. If he falls it's good enough for him!"

  "The Mifkets will rescue him, I'm sure," added the Princess. "See!there come some of the creatures now, with Black Ooboo at their head."

  Hearing this, John hesitated no longer, but fled down another pathwaywith the children, and soon left the sound of Ali Dubh's cries farbehind him.