exclaimed Father Bear, as he pushed the raft into the
middle of the stream and passed a wee fish pole to
Little Bear, a middle-sized fish pole to Mother Bear,
and straightway began fishing himself with his own
huge pole and line.

The Three Bears fished all the morning and caught
nothing. At noon, without warning, there was a great
splashing in the river, and Father Bear exclaimed,
"I have a bite!"

Well, he pulled, and pulled, and pulled, and could
not land his fish. There was great excitement on

[Illustration: Father Bear answered sternly, "Mother Bear is always
right"]

[Illustration: Back fell Father Bear]

the raft, until suddenly Father Bear almost caught the
fish. Up came the line, up bobbed the fish-a
huge fish, almost the biggest fish Father Bear had
ever caught. But back fell Father Bear, and bumped
into Mother Bear, and she bumped into Little Bear,
and he sat down in the basket of eggs, because the three
were standing one behind another. Then the fish
flopped back, splash! into the water--and the Three
Bears were hungry!

"Something has happened to the eggs!" exclaimed