very, very long to Robert Robin, who kept the sharpest watch to see the first faint light of dawn in the east. For Robert Robin felt it his duty to waken everybody ju

the longest night that we have had

will not be as lon

r than last night, I am going to get the children together and

fine misty rain fell, so that the afternoon was dark, and it se

re in the middle of th

land, and Robert Robin had good reason

! By this time to-morrow we will not have

ht sun shone, so Robert Robin felt much better, and he even s

e day!" said Mrs. R

rd a hen was cackling, but in the woods not a sound could be heard. Mister Chipmunk was sitting on his old home stum

the story of the Great White Bear, and the Litt

y as well do it one time as another, and it doesn't take any longer to do a thing w

and hear Robert Robin tell the story of the

e way to the other side of the woods, near the big stone under which Gerald Fox had his new home, and not

traightened his feathers, then he sat up ver

father told me the same story, and it was in this same place that his father told the story to him, and no one knows how many, many years the family has gather

or it will be your duty to tell it to your children, just as I am telling it to you, for this is the story of W

he story of the Great White B

Robin

a west, that there lived in the deep, dark woods of the north a King Robin. This King Robin and his mate

ds, King Robin sang a song, and every evening when the sun was about

d whitest down, but one day Mrs. Robin noticed that

ice on your white breast

it off!" sa

s breast became a darker red until at last as King Robin sat in the top of his tall tree and sang his evening song, his breast was the color of the red sunset, and each morning as

t, and as the weather was neither too warm nor too cold, the Littl

e. The cave was very large, and in one corner of it the Great White Bear had his nest. Th

Yes, I am very much afraid

, and tangle his fur!" s

King Robin. "If the Great White Bear grew a

raid of a bear? I will stay in his cave all ni

ng in the woods, the Little Gray Mouse slipped into

ing in my cave! I smell a mouse!" Then the Great White Bear listened to hear what the mouse had to say,

hat he would not catch the Little Gray Mouse until m

Little Gray Mouse came from the corner of the rocks and ta

e Little Gray Mouse had tangled his tail fur into little hard kno

ve and then you tangled my tai

frightened that he ran out of

ach that the Great White Bear could not untangle his tail fur, and he kept getting angrier every minute, and at last he became so furious that he rushed from his ca

ting in his tree. "Tell me, King Robin,

Gray Mouse may be!" said King Ro

Mouse if I have to freeze the woods! You have always been a good friend of mine, King Robin, and I dislike to put you to any trou

e door of his cave and blew the cold air into the woods, and soon the frost from his cold bre

aid King Robin to the Great White Bear,

go across the lakes, and over the mounta

rough the woods, and when the morning came the bare branches of the trees were singing in the win

e lakes and over the mountains, and along the river to

came the ground was white with snow, and the streams were covered with ice, and the Great White Bear saw King Robin sitting in his

ross the lakes and over the mountains and along the river to the great bay!" and King Robin made each one re

he woods, King Robin led his family southward across the lakes and over the mountains, and along the river to the gr

ight, and the frozen trees snapped with the cold. "Now I have frozen the Little Gray Mouse!" said the Great White Bear to himself, an

den from the Great White Bear, then we should have no more Winter, but in the Fall the foolish Little Gray Mouse runs through the corn stubble and the Great White Bear sees him. "There goes the Little Gray Mouse who tangled my tail fur

and along the river to the great bay.'" Then all the youngster robins repeated, "Across the lakes and over the mountains, and along the river to the great bay," and while they w