Silver Locks And The Bears.

Versified by Mrs. Clara Doty Bates.     Silver Locks was a little girl,     Lovely and good;     She strayed out one day     And got lost in the wood,     And was lonely and sad,     Till she came where there stood     The house which belonged to the Bears.     She pulled the latch string,     And the door opened wide;     She peeped softly first,     And at last stepped inside;     So tired her little feet     Were that she cried,     And so hungry she, sobbed to herself.     She did not know     Whether to stay or to go;     But there were three chairs     Standing all in a row,     And there were three bowls     Full of milk white as snow,     And there were three beds by the wall.     But the Father Bear's chair     Was too hard to sit in it,     And the Mother Bear's chair     Was too hard to sit in it;     But the Baby Bear's chair     Was so soft in a minute     She had broken it all into pieces.     And the Father Bear's milk     Was too sour to drink,     And the Mother Bear's milk     Was too sour to drink;     But the Baby Bear's milk     Was so sweet, only think,     When she tasted she drank it all up.     And the Father Bear's bed     Was as hard as a stone,     And the Mother Bear's bed     Was as hard as a stone;     But the Baby Bear's bed     Was so soft she lay down,     And before she could wink was asleep.     By and by came the scratch     Of old Father Bear's claw,     And the fumbling knock     Of old Mother Bear's paw,     And the latch string flew up,     And the Baby Bear saw     That a stranger had surely been there.     Then Father Bear cried,     "Who's been sitting in my chair?"     And Mother Bear cried,     "Who's been sitting in my chair?"     And Baby Bear smiled,     "Who's been sitting in my chair,     And broken it all into pieces?"     Then Father Bear growled,     "Who's been tasting of my milk?"     And Mother Bear growled,     "Who's been tasting of my milk?"     And Baby Bear wondered,     "Who's tasted of my milk,     And tasting has drank it all up?"     And Father Bear roared,     "Who's been lying on my bed?"     And Mother Bear roared,     "Who's been lying on my bed?"     And Baby Bear laughed,     "Who's been lying on my bed?     O, here she is, fast asleep!"     The savage old Father Bear cried,     "Let us eat her!"     The savage old Mother Bear cried,     "Let us eat her!"     But the Baby Bear said,     "Nothing ever was sweeter.     Let's kiss her, and send her home!"