Page:Christmas Fireside Stories.djvu/123

 BRAVE OLD ERUIN. ONCE upon a time there was a rarmer who went up into the hills for a load of leaves for his cattle in the winter. When he came to the heap of leaves be backed the horse and sledge close to it and went to the other side to throw the layers of leaves on to the sledge. But under the heap there was a bear, who had made his lair there for the winter, and when he felt some one stirring rou.nd about him, he made a jump and came right out on to the (^«^^W^^^gA sledge. When the horse got wind of Brum he was frightened and ran off, as if he had stolen both the bear and the sledge, and away they went down the hill ten times as fast as they came up. Brum has the nåme of being a brave fellow, but this time I am afraid he felt somewhat frightened as he sat there on the sledge. He stuck to it as well as he could, but gave a timid look round now and then to