ible hot water close beside her. The pails were well swathed in
blankets, quilts, and hay, to keep up the temperature of their
contents. And she had also a pitchfork "layin' handy," wherewith to
push the enemy down in case he should resent her attack and climb up
to expostulate.

Mrs. Gammit had not time to grow sleepy, or even impatient, so early
did the bear arrive. The white pig, disturbed and puzzled by the
unwonted goings-on above his head, had refused to go to bed. He was
wandering restlessly up and down the pen, when, through the cracks, he
saw an awful black shadow darken the stable door. He lost not a
second, but lifted his voice at once in one of those ear-piercing
appeals which had now twice proved themselves so effective.

The bear paused but for a moment, to cast his solitary eye over the
situation. Mrs. Gammit fairly held her breath. Then, almost before she
could realize what he was doing, he was straight beneath her, and
clambering into the pen. The white pig's squeals redoubled,
electrifying her to action. She snatched a steaming bucket from its
wrappings, and dashed it down upon the vaguely heaving form below.

On the instant there arose a strange, confused, terrific uproar, from
which the squeals of the white pig stood out thin and pathetic.
Without waiting to see what she had accomplished, Mrs. Gammit snatched
up the second bucket, and leaned forward to deliver a second stroke.
Through a cloud of steam she saw the bear reaching wildly for the wall
of the pen, clawing frantically in his eagerness to climb over and get
away. She had given him a lesson, that was clear; but she was resolved
to give him a good one while she was about it. Swinging far forward,
she launched her terrible missile straight upon his huge hind-quarters
just as they went over the wall. But at the same moment she lost her
balance. With an indignant yell she plunged downward into the pen.

It was like Mrs. Gammit, however, that even in this dark moment her
luck should serve her. She landed squarely on the back of the pig.
This broke her fall, and, strangely enough, did not break the pig. The
latter, quite frenzied by the accumulation of horrors heaped upon him,
bounced frantically from beneath her indiscreet petticoats, and dashed
himself from one side of the pen to the other with a violence that
threatened to wreck both pig and pen.

Somewhat breathless, but proudly conscious that she had won a splendid
victory, Mrs. Gammit pi