The Strange Story of Mr. Dog and Mr. Bear

The Strange Story of Mr. Dog and Mr. Bear

Mr. Bear and Mr. Dog are eagerly awaiting the first real snowstorm so they can try out the fine double-runner sled Mr. Dog has built, and both have outfitted themselves for winter sports: Mr. Bear in his own fur suit, and Mr. Dog in a new bright crimson sweater and a scarlet and white tasseled skating cap. When snow finally falls late one afternoon, coasting is delayed anyway, because Mr. Bear comes down with the mumps the very next morning. Mr. Dog nurses him through it, cooking, cleaning, and carrying up trays, though his first attempt at lemonade proves painfully sour for the invalid, teaching him to avoid anything puckery afterward. While recovering, Mr. Bear passes the time gazing at the snowy landscape and secretly plans a Christmas surprise for Mr. Dog: a Christmas tree cut from the little firs nearby, hung with a tool-chest (awl, saws, and other tools), a fine big bone tied with scarlet ribbon and holly, a bottle of perfumery, and a dozen handkerchiefs with colored borders. He writes it all down in a notebook and resolves that Mr. Dog must know nothing about it. Unbeknownst to him, Mr. Dog has been planning an identical kind of surprise for Mr. Bear: a Christmas tree trimmed with popcorn and cranberries and little candles, plus half a dozen jars of honey, a blueberry pie tied with scarlet ribbon and holly, a warm plaid muffler, and a white and gold book meant purely to look handsome on the parlor table. He spends every penny he has saved on these gifts and is so distracted by his scheming that he salts the pudding instead of sugaring it. Once well again, Mr. Bear begins making mysterious trips to the village and collecting catalogues he keeps locked away; Mr. Dog catches him measuring the parlor ceiling but never suspects Mr. Bear has secret plans too, being wholly absorbed in keeping his own scheme hidden. Both friends turn down Christmas party invitations with vague excuses about preferring a quiet evening at home. On December twenty-fourth, each has hidden his presents on the top shelf of his own locked bedroom closet. That evening, both separately announce they are going for "a little stroll," Mr. Bear heading east and Mr. Dog west, each secretly planning to trim his chosen tree in the forest and bring it home before eight o'clock. They finish at the very same moment, exactly seventeen and a half minutes to eight, each a half mile from home, and set off carrying their trees. Mr. Bear approaches the cottage from the front and Mr. Dog from the back, and the two collide at the door, staring at each other in astonishment before bursting into helpless laughter, rolling in the snow. Once they catch their breath, they explain their matching schemes to one another. That night two Christmas trees stand in Mr. Bear's cottage, and each gift proves exactly right: Mr. Bear puts on his muffler despite the cottage's heat, Mr. Dog douses his handkerchief in so much perfumery they must air out the house, Mr. Dog sets to work with his new tools while gnawing his bone, and Mr. Bear eats a large piece of blueberry pie without ill effect. The two settle by the fire, Mr. Bear in his rocking chair and Mr. Dog stretched on the rug, agreeing it has been the best Christmas ever, enjoyed alone together.

By Maud Van Buren · First published 1927 · Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy, Holiday Fiction · 2,923 words

First lines

_Mabel Fuller Blodgett_

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The Strange Story of Mr. Dog and Mr. Bear is listed on Textopian as a short story by Maud Van Buren, dated 1927 CE.

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Genres

Tags

animals · friendship · adventure · anthropomorphism · children's literature · fantasy · bears · dogs · whimsical · humor · unusual · fable

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