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; but a thrill, pulsated through infinitude, of that joy of life which wells forever from the exhaustless fountain of the Central Heart; a scintillation, from how afar off! of the Immeasurable Love, of the Eternal Pity; though it seemed hardly more human than the play of kits and puppies, or than the _anerithmon gelasma_ (the soulless, uncontrollable titter) of the tossed spring spray, or the blue, breezy ripple, for which overhaul your _Prometheus_, master Tom, and when found, make a note of it.' 'Well, that's not so bad,' allowed Hepsibah, a good deal mollified. Greek, I have observed, always has an excellent effect upon her. 'And it has a good moral, my dears,' said grandmother, 'I always like a good moral.' 'And was the bear always good to him?' 'Well, my dear, I am sorry to say that he had once bitten off three of his fingers. You may think this was proceeding to extremities; but, on the whole, I give him credit for great moderation. They will bite sometimes, however--_me teste_, who once in my proper person verified the old proverb, which I had always taken for a bit of unnatural history.' 'I know; 'been a bear, 'twould a bit you,' eh?' 'Your customary sagacity, Tom, is not at fault. Yes, the bear bit me.' 'Dick,' said my uncle, 'it strikes me, all this wouldn't make a bad magazine article, if you'd only leave out your confounded speculations; and Tom, as your cousin says, I wish you _would_ stick a little closer to your classics.' 'Cousin Dick!' 'Well, little No-no!' 'You tell a real good story.' 'Do I? then come and pay me for it.' 'No-o! you sha-a-ant! aeou!! there now, tell us another; tell us about the bear that bit you?' 'There isn't much to tell about that either. It was on a steamer, in the Gulf. On the forecastle lay a stout oaken box, and in it--all his troubles to come--was a young bear. In the top of it was an inch auger-hole, and at this small port the poor devil used to keep his eye all day so pitifully, that I had compassion on him, saw he would get etiolated, and besought the captain to let him out. ''Not if I know it,' responded Dux, severely, 'he'd clear the decks in a minute! We had one aboard once before--a big rascal, in a cage, 'tween decks--and one dark, stormy night, he broke adrift and stowed himself away so snug that we never found him till next day. You may judge what a hurrah's nest there was, every body knowing this d----d bear was _somewhere_ aboard, a
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