Posted in Bears of Blue River
Chapter 4 The One-Eared Bear
PREPARING THE LESSON:
Saint Hubert the Patron Saint of Hunters
VOCABULARY:
swagger – to strut around; to walk in an arrogant or proud way
shrewd – crafty, inclined to deal with others in a clever underhanded way
sullen – hostilely silent, slow-moving
morose - gloomy
ardently – passionate, enthusiastic
whetting – to sharpen a tool or weapon
impulse – sudden urge, instinctive drive, motive
uncanny – eerie, too strange or unlikely to seem merely natural
prostrate – lie face downward
galls – sore caused by rubbing, cause of anger
fortnight – two weeks
COPYWORK:
Notwithstanding all these evil reports concerning the one-eared bear, Balser clung to his resolution to hunt the bear, to kill him if possible, and to give Liney the remaining ear as a keepsake.
He repeated over and over to himself his father’s advice: “When you attack a bear, be slow and deliberate. Do nothing in a hurry. Don’t shoot until you’re sure of your aim.”
“I’ll never again say anything bad about your hatchet. It saved my life to-day, and was worth all the guns in the world in such a fight as we have just gone through.”
NARRATION:
Balser talked Tom & Jerry into telling him where the one-eared bear was by saying he would give them more milk. The cubs told him that one-ear was their evil uncle and that the had lost his ear in a fight with their father over their mother. Mother said she couldn’t abide a one eared bear. This made one-ear evil and mean. Balser determined to set out and find one ear so he could cut off his good ear and give it to Liney as a present. He took with him Tom, who always used a hatchet to hunt with. Balser made fun of Tom’s hatchet but in the end it was Tom’s hatchet that chopped one-ears back in two, killing him but not before a great fight in which both boys were injured. Balser lying in bed recovering, was able to present Liney with one-ears other ear telling her how much he liked her. She accepted the ugly thing blushing that she liked him too.
