More About Teddy B. and Teddy G., the Roosevelt Bears

Chapter II: Part 2

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“My health is good,” said TEDDY-G;
“And I’ve wealth enough for you and me;
But if bathing’s fun, that’s what I need;
My health consists of fun and feed.”

So off they went that very day To try Atlantic City spray

“Across the sand in running dash,
They struck the breakers with a splash.”
]

They took a ferry to Camden town
And got a train which shot them down
Across New Jersey and to the sea
So quick they scarce had time to see

The porter boy who brushed their clothes And told them that hotels in rows Lined every street and the ocean front So thick they wouldn’t have to hunt.

And bathing houses, a score or more, He said they’d find them near the shore. They walked the boardwalk to and fro And took a peep at every show;

They heard bands play and auctioneers
Make speeches which reduced to tears
The crowds of buyers who bargains sought
But didn’t need the goods they bought.

They took a turn with a wheeling chair
Of double size, to fit a bear,
With TEDDY-B, the lazy kind,
And TEDDY-G, the man behind.

A palmist read their paws to see
How long they’d live and what would be
Their fortunes in the years to come
When as millionaires they’d be going some.
They saw the fish-haul on the pier
And the loaded net with fishes queer.

They rode the donkeys on the sand And held some children by the hand While rides they took on donkey back And made the bathers clear the track.

They went below with shivery feel
In a little boat where the water-wheel
Went splashing round with all its might
And pushed their boat into darkest night.

And then to a boardwalk place they went
Two colored bathing suits to rent.
They dressed themselves like thousands more
Who were walking up and down the shore;
And across the sand in running dash
They struck the breakers with a splash.

Of all the fun of every sort,
Since Columbus sailed from Genoa’s port,
That the old Atlantic ever had
With ocean bathers, good or bad,

With buccaneers or pirate crafts,
Or shipwrecked crews on lonesome rafts,
With fishermen in ocean wave,
Or boats sent out their lives to save,

Or tourists bound for foreign clime With dinners upset all the time, With ocean fish of every form Which swim the same in calm or storm,

With Admiral Drake or Captain Kidd Who stole some gold and got it hid, Or with careless boys of whom you’ve read Who sometimes fall in over head,—

This fun the Atlantic had that day, Some fifty thousand bathers say, Beat every record for a thousand years And made waves laugh themselves to tears.

For the Roosevelt Bears had nerve and pluck
And as they faced each wave to duck
They plunged right in and got upset
Head over paws and awful wet.

They took boys out in water deep And made them from their shoulders leap; And rescued swimmers, four or five, And brought them back to shore alive; And when they tired of the ocean’s whirls They played on the sand with boys and girls, And ran and danced and had lots of fun, And dried themselves in the mid-day sun.

When back they went to get their suits, To put on trousers, coats and boots, Said TEDDY-G from his little house, “This bathing suit wouldn’t fit a mouse; It’s shrunk all up like a lady’s glove And won’t come off by pull or shove.”

Said TEDDY-B from the box next door,
“Why didn’t you put on three or four?”
But TEDDY-G didn’t see the joke
And said he’d rip the thing or choke.

And rip he did from end to end In a way no stitch would ever mend. “It came off that way both smooth and nice,” Said TEDDY-G when he asked the price.

They went that night by lucky chance
To an ocean pier where a cake-walk dance
Was on in style with couples six
Who knew full well the cake-walk tricks.

“_All four danced with toe and paw the smartest cake-walk you ever
saw._”
]

Two pickaninnies won the prize;
They beat all records for their size;
And as they did their last encore
The Roosevelt Bears went on the floor,
And all four danced with toe and paw
The smartest cake-walk you ever saw.

The dancing finished with laugh and cheer
Then all the children on the pier
Shook hands with TEDDIES-B and G
And asked them both to come to see
A children’s dance, a pretty sight,
Which they would give the following night.

But the Bears replied with much regret That Philadelphia they had not seen yet; They must go back and crackers buy To celebrate Fourth of July, For they were bound to show the world That when stars and stripes were first unfurled

And liberty rang sweet and loud
For warriors brave and patriots proud,
This flag and bell, right then and there,
Meant freedom for both man and bear.

The
Roosevelt Bears
celebrate the
FOURTH

TEDDY-G went out the night before To Market Street, to a fireworks’ store, And bought a load of crackers red, And torpedoes round like balls of lead, And great big whirlers which you light And then run off with all your might, And flags and kites and pistol toys: The kind to give to little boys; And rockets which go whizzing high To shoot bright stars around the sky; And sticks to hold and turn about While balls of fire come popping out; And drums to beat and horns to blow, And things to shoot and things to throw; And small balloons in colors gay And a hundred flags to give away; In all about twelve dollars’ worth To celebrate July the Fourth.

_TEDDY-G—His paw_
]

They didn’t sleep a wink that night
But started out before ’twas light,
To historic Independence Square.
“For that,” said TEDDY-B, “is where
This western world beyond the sea
Unfurled the flag of liberty;
And that’s the place and this the date
Where loyalty must celebrate.”
“Oh you come off,” said TEDDY-G,
“It’s fun that I am here to see;
Who cares to-day who won the game?
We’ll shoot off crackers just the same.”
And this is how the two Bears talked
As down the street to the Square they walked:

TEDDY-B of heroes brave and bold
And things they did in days of old;
While TEDDY-G just had his say
About things to do that very day.

_TEDDY-B—His paw_
]

At the Liberty Bell they took a try
And hoisted it up good and high
And rang it out both loud and clear,
And at every ring there went up a cheer;
For the only day in all the year
When the crack doesn’t spoil the tone sent forth
Is Independence Day, July the Fourth.
At least that’s what the children say,
And they know this bell from Z to A.

But the fun began with the Roosevelt Bears
When boys stole on them unawares
And put a match to TEDDY-G
In his coat-tail pocket, where, you see,
He had stored some crackers, a good-sized bunch,
Along with hard-boiled eggs for lunch.

“At the Liberty Bell they took a try,
And hoisted it up both good and high.”
]

Lickety-split-pat-pit-bang-boo!
And the coat tail smoked and split in two,
And hard-boiled eggs shot here and there
And the Bear went up and down in air.
But he told the lads he didn’t care,
That fun might start in anywhere;

At front or back, in hat or boot,
Put punk to powder and let it shoot.
“We are out,” he said, “for fun and noise
And when fun is trump, boys will be boys.”
And from that hour the lads and he
Shared all there was to do or see.

They strung a wire from tree to tree, And then the fellows with TEDDY-B Put crackers all along the wire, To prepare the field for an army fire.

Said TEDDY-G, as he explained the play, “We’ll fasten a flag on the wire half-way, And you boys under yonder tree Who have taken sides with TEDDY-B,

When I say the word, you put your fire At the cracker next you on the wire,

_“They strung a wire from tree to tree and then the fellows with
TEDDY-B
Put crackers all along the wire, to prepare the field for an army
fire.”_
]

While I, if my boys a hand will lend,
Will put a match to the other end.
To reach the flag first, that’s the game,
And the side which wins this piece of fame
Wins all the crackers big or small
Which haven’t gone off when time I call.

If on both sides the armies flunk
Both captains use again their punk.”
When both the sides the rules did know
TEDDY-G called out, “One! two! three! Go!”

And at the words two armies shot Their cracker guns both quick and hot As on they marched along the wire In powder smoke and blazing fire.

The flag was won by TEDDY-G And prisoners taken, ninety-three Of the finest crackers the others had, All not shot off, both good and bad.

But this army game was children’s play
Compared with things they did that day:
From noon till night they let things go,
In sky above and on earth below,

With slap and bang, in smoke and noise,
Like any two July Fourth boys.

They sent balloons up to the clouds
And a dozen kites to please the crowds,
And then shot rockets just to try
To hit the things up in the sky;
They dug a hole down in the ground
And filled it full of crackers round
And shot them off to hear the sound.

They burned their paws and scorched their hair,
And when darkness came they did their share
Of firing rockets everywhere,
And in burning lights, a fiery red,
Till long past time for going to bed.

When the day was o’er said TEDDY-B, “Let’s go to-morrow to the Zoo to see The animals imprisoned there: The elephant and polar bear, The lions, tigers, and kangaroos, And tell them one and all the news:

That July the Fourth is the day that we Who own and love this country Do celebrate in smoke and noise, That we may teach our girls and boys That this one day of every year Is given them free to shout and cheer,

As a safety valve for them and you
To keep things running square and true.”

Said TEDDY-G, “I’ll freedom teach
And try to practise what I preach;
To-morrow I’ll let out the Zoo,
The elephants and monkeys too,
And the polar bear and kangaroo;
They’re just as good as me or you.”

The
Roosevelt Bears
visit the
ZOO

Said TEDDY-G, “The thing to do,”
As they reached the high fence round the Zoo,
In the early morning, about half-past two,
“Is to get in there with this load of cake
Before the keepers are wide awake.”
“You climb the fence,” said TEDDY-B,
“And throw this rope back here to me,
And pull up the baskets one by one
And we’ll land in there a good-sized ton
Of the finest cake that was ever made,
And strawberry tarts and lemonade
And cherry pie and sugar sticks
And red ice cream in good-sized bricks
And peanut candy and chocolate eclairs
And other things quite new to bears.”

“Don’t waste your time in telling me; I bought these things,” said TEDDY-G; And up he climbed, with business sense, A tree which grew beside the fence,

And out a limb and dropped below
And called out, “All right; I’m in; let go.”
And up went baskets two by two
Over the fence into the Zoo;

And before the day began to break
The Bears had camped with their load of cake
On a grassy knoll where they couldn’t hide
And with dens and pens on every side.
“We’re in here now,” said TEDDY-B;
“What do you say we do?” said he.

“Let’s feed the animals,” said TEDDY-G;
“I move we let out two or three
And bring them here and feed them cake
And see just how our show will take;
And if they are pleased, why we’ll go round
And let loose everything on the ground.”

To the elephant house the two Bears went
And stirred up the biggest elephant,
And marched him over to their cake
Before he had time to get half awake.

“You mind these things,” said TEDDY-G,
“Our breakfast hour is half-past three.
If you are good you can have a snack
To keep you chewing till we come back.”
And they gave old Bolivar (that was his name)
Some things to eat till back they came.

“‘You mind these things,’ said TEDDY-G,
‘Our breakfast hour is half-past three.’”
]

Then off they went to the monkey cage Where monkeys of every size and age Were using hands and feet and lungs And saying good-morning in a thousand tongues.

TEDDY-B made them promise they’d be good (At least that’s what he understood) If he’d open the cage and let them out And give them an hour to run about.

“We have,” said he, “some pie and cake
Which TEDDY-G will undertake
To serve out free in an hour or two
To every animal in the Zoo.

We’ll give you as much as you deserve If you’ll act as waiters and help us serve.” The monkeys grinned from ear to ear And winked at each other a little queer, And nodded their heads and seemed to say That the two Bears’ orders they’d obey.

The cage was opened and the crowd went out, Little and big, with laugh and shout, Upsetting each other across the green, The funniest bunch that was ever seen.

The Bears went then to the beaver pond

And told the beavers if they were fond

Of good ice cream served by baboons

To bring on their tails to use for spoons.

They saw some foxes red and gray And asked them to dine with them that day. The wolves looked hungry and said they’d see That all left over was given them free.

The rhinoceros couldn’t accept their treat;
He had some rheumatics in his feet.
But in a cage near-by a kangaroo
Jumped twenty feet when they let him through.

An ostrich standing six feet high
Called out to the Bears as they went by
To hurry around with a piece of pie.

Two mountain goats with curling horn Said the mountain crest where they were born,

Their father rented just for thanks To the Roosevelt Bears to play their pranks,

And this they thought was cause indeed Why they should be asked to the morning feed.

A hedgehog and a porcupine Were the next pair asked by the Bears to dine, Then a dromedary chewing his cud Said he wouldn’t budge from where he stood,

But if they’d bring him a piece of cake He’d see if he liked their kind of bake.

From there they went to the animals’ cage
Where they found the tigers in a rage
And the lions roaring to beat the band
In language the Bears didn’t understand.

A chimpanzee came near to see And he made a face at TEDDY-G. He was eating pie and said he feared That their basket lunch had disappeared.

The Bears took warning and started back To find ten keepers on their track, And animals both big and small Running wild on every mall, And Bolivar with his trumpet loud Calling for help to stop the crowd.

The monkeys had gone in a solid bunch
And captured the whole of the picnic lunch,
And out on limbs and high up on poles,
And on top of roofs and into holes,
And every monkey with cake or jam,
Or pie or tart or sandwich ham,

Or nuts or lemonade or cheese;
And Bolivar shaking poles and trees,
And hungry wolves and the kangaroo,
And mountain goats and a deer or two
Running wild from place to place,
Helping on the monkey chase.

“_The monkeys had gone in a solid bunch and captured the whole of the
picnic lunch._”
]

’Twas noon that day when keepers ten
And a police brigade of fifty men,
And a hundred boys and firemen six
Got the monkey troupe to stop their tricks.

The Bears looked on throughout the show
And helped on the fun by laughing so
For TEDDY-G, since he was a cub,
Or at Bunker Hill down in the Hub,
Said that making fun seemed to be his forte
And that he never had such lively sport.

But the keeper made him change his laugh
When he locked them up with a big giraffe
And told them to stay and pay a fine
When the police court met next day at nine.

The
Roosevelt Bears
go
FISHING

When the Roosevelt Bears had paid their fine For the mischief done and the monkey shine, They said good-bye to the big giraffe And told him his neck was too long by half;

And asked the time it took his food
To reach his body from where he chewed;
And why he held his head so high,
And the size of collars he had to buy;

And why he was neither round nor square;
But the old giraffe didn’t seem to care;
He wagged his tail and winked his eye
And nodded his head to say good-bye.

When they quit the Zoo and got outside,
“Let us take a train for a little ride;
I’m tired of town and want to see
A farm or stream,” said TEDDY-B.

So a train they took without the fare,
For where it went they didn’t care.
When “Tickets, please,” the conductor said,
TEDDY-G began to scratch his head
And to think up names of towns he knew,
Like Hoboken and Kalamazoo;

But when “Tickets, please,” he said again,
TEDDY-G got busy with a ten
And said, “Take this for your railway pay
And stop the train some time to-day
Where fishing’s good if you go that way.”
The conductor asked them questions strange
About their plans as he gave them change

And slips of paper with holes punched through; He said a fishing stream he knew;

He’d stop the train at any rate And show them where to buy some bait And fishing poles and hook and line And a jolly inn to sleep and dine.

They reached the place that day at two, And said good-bye to the railroad crew,

“They met a lad on his way from school,
Whom they stopped to question about a rule.”
]

And went by a path up a mountain ridge
As the train went on across a bridge.
They found the place and got fitted out
With six poles apiece both long and stout,
And bait enough and lines and hooks
To fish a year in a dozen brooks.

For said TEDDY-G, “If fishing’s play Then I want enough, for I mean to stay Right by the game for at least a week Until every fish that’s in the creek Is caught and deemed and cooked and ate Or cut up in pieces to use for bait.” So down their rods and lines they took To the stream below to try their luck.

Of all the fishing that was ever done
By Izaak Walton or his eldest son,
Or by boys who fish with pins for hooks,
That we read about in the picture books,
Or for salmon trout which weigh a ton
That they say are caught in Oregon,

Or for shad in the River Delaware, Or for pike or black bass anywhere, The fish that day caught by the Bears Would take first prizes at all the fairs;

And the way they caught them left and right, And the way they coaxed the fish to bite, And the way they tossed the fish in air, Landing in trees and everywhere, And the way they made the chipmunks run, The fish, themselves, enjoyed the fun.

For one fish spoke, vows TEDDY-G, A great big pounder, two or three, And said he wouldn’t miss the game Even if he never lived again. “A sport,” he said, “like TEDDY-G, Is the kind that fishes love to see.”

TEDDY-G got his line caught in a tree And climbed up on high to get it free When a ’possum called down from above, “If you come up here you’ll get a shove

Which will toss you off and break your head
And put you fifteen weeks in bed.”
But TEDDY-G just shook with glee
And said, “I’ll come right up to see.”
The ’possum scared and trembled so
He fell off the limb and down below
Where TEDDY-B broke an ugly fall
By catching him like a rubber ball.

They fed that ’possum fishes eight
And gave him hook and line and bait
And told him stories about the Zoo
And the things they let the monkeys do.

They met a man by the stream that day
Who has fished for a hundred years they say,
In ocean, river, creek and pond,
And mountain brook and lake beyond,
With statesmen bold and actors gay,
And farmer lads found by the way.

He told them stories of fish he’d caught,
And when fish were few, of fish he’d bought.
And then had talked of this big land
And of men he knew on every hand:
The true to love and those to hate
Who fish for gain with stolen bait.

He told them how to have most fun
When they struck the town of Washington;
“Because,” he said, “though I’m on the shelf,
I had some fun there once myself.”

TEDDY-B said he would like to know
How near a Roosevelt Bear could go
To the Capitol or Monument
Without being shot by the President.

But the man replied, “Trout-fishing’s fine, But shooting bears isn’t in my line.

Take my advice and take your gun When you turn your steps towards Washington.”

They shook his hand both long and tight And said they’d leave that very night.

They could get a train, they said, at four For Washington and Baltimore.

They tramped along a country pike And wished for horses, train or bike, Till they met a lad on his way from school, Whom they stopped to question about a rule To multiply and square and add, And what teachers did with lessons bad, And who made spelling and what ’twas for, And the day and hour of the next big war, And what athletics were all about, And where figures go when you rub them out, And why the moon isn’t always round, And the difference between a noise and sound, And on a fence, how long ’twould take To rest an hour or a dinner bake, And how things inside the earth were done, But the lad couldn’t answer a single one.

Said TEDDY-G: “If it doesn’t rain,
And you’ll tell us where to get a train
And the fare to pay and how long the run
From the place you name to Washington,
And your age and weight and greatest height,
And two bears you know that never bite,
I’ll give you a dollar, quick as wink,
And let you have it before you think.”

Though he never learned this dollar trick The lad was bright and he answered quick, And they said good-bye and it didn’t rain Till they stepped on board their Pullman train.

Said TEDDY-G, as he lit his pipe, And bought some apples red and ripe, And settled down in an easy seat With a resting-place for both his feet, “I’m tired of clothes; I’m tired of fun; When I see the town of Washington I’m off again for the woolly West; I like the mountains much the best; I want to live as free as air; I’m satisfied to be a bear.”

“But you forget,” said TEDDY-B,
“That all these things we came East to see
Were made by the brains of every clime
To keep folks working all the time.”

“That’s all right,” said TEDDY-G, “They can work ahead, but as for me I don’t believe that bears were made To be busy always at a trade.”

The
Roosevelt Bears
in
PITTSBURG

They were on the train and at their ease
When the conductor called out “Tickets, please.”
“We have no tickets,” said TEDDY-G,
“But cash we have, as you will see,
And to Washington we want to go
To see the President and to let him know
That we are fully satisfied
That Uncle Sam is tall and wide
And big around, of mighty girth,
The greatest show on all the earth;
His boys and girls are full of fun
From Omaha to Washington.”

But the conductor said, “You ought to know If to Washington you want to go You’ve started wrong; this train you’re on Is a Pittsburg special from Washington; And to-morrow morning, if we’re not late, You’ll be in Pittsburg at half-past eight.”

The Bears looked dazed and then looked mad, And then they laughed and both looked glad.

Said TEDDY-B, “Pay up the fares; We’ll pass to-morrow as millionaires And found a library and put through a deal Of high finance in oil or steel.”

But TEDDY-G didn’t think so far; He thought of night and the sleeping car;

He recalled some cranky things he said
When they made him sleep in an upper bed
On a train out West, and the banjo song,
And the things they did a little wrong
Till both were put right off the train
On a Kansas farm in a shower of rain.

The conductor heard this wise remark:
“If on this train, when the night is dark,
You want this Bear to behave himself,
Don’t make him sleep on a Pullman shelf.”

But the trip was made without mishap And both the Bears enjoyed a nap In lower berths till eight o’clock, When the porter gave their berths a knock And said, “Get up; it’s broad day light; The Iron City is now in sight.”

But things outside looked black as night And said TEDDY-B, “Do you mean to say That this is Pittsburg and this is day?”

The man replied, “Get up; that’s smoke;
Take my advice and when you joke
About this town, don’t do it loud,
For Pittsburg people live in a cloud,
And their ideas about a bear
May be colored some by Pittsburg air.”
“What’s that you say?” called TEDDY-G,
“You seem to know your geography,
But let me say right here and now,
I’ll teach your Pittsburg people how
To dance and sing, to laugh and joke,
In mountain air or city smoke,
For they must know this very day
That Pittsburg too was made for play.”

“Said TEDDY-B, ‘Pay up the fares,
We’ll pass to-morrow as millionaires.’”
]

They took a cab to a big hotel
Where things are done both smart and swell;
And breakfast over, TEDDY-B

On mischief bent, went out to see
What the telegraph and phone could do
To get a crowd their tricks to view.

He called up schools, every one in town,
And ordered all the children down
To the Old Block House at noon to see
The Teddy Bears teach history.

Then on the Mayor he played a lark
By ordering the police to Schenley Park,
To be locked up there till after dark;
“For,” said TEDDY-B, “the police you know
Might spoil our little Block House show.”

At costume shops each Teddy Bear
Bought a lot of Indian things to wear.
They planned at the Old Block House to meet
At the corner of a near-by street,
And from that spot like Indians race
And take possession of the place.
They did the trick in Wild West style;
Their whoops and yells were heard a mile;

But the fight was short; no one to scare;
There wasn’t a soul there anywhere.
They made the place from roof to floor
Like seventeen hundred and sixty-four
And put things into shape to fool
The boys and girls from every school.

The children came, five thousand strong, A happy, merry, lively throng;

The little ones by teachers led To study history, they said,

But the history lesson learned that day Was livelier stuff, the fellows say,

Than most boys learn at public school;
For it didn’t follow any rule,
But just shot off with laughter loud
In every corner of the crowd.

The Teddy Bears, as Indians brave,
Did everything but behave:
They chased each other round the Block
With bow and arrow and tomahawk;

“_They chased each other round the Block with bow and arrow and
tomahawk._”
]

They climbed to the roof and danced a jig
And called to children small and big
To catch the arrows every time
And bring them back and get a dime;
And then to finish up the sport
They asked the boys to take the fort:
The boys to be the soldiers bold
And they as Indians the place to hold.

In this the boys came out ahead;
The Bears pretended they were dead,
While the boys to do the thing up well
Sent two dead Bears to the hotel.
In half an hour they lived again
And were out on bicycles for a spin;

This time to see men making steel, And in Highland Park to have a wheel, And to see the Zoo and the Bridge of Sighs, And Luna Park, where they won the prize.

In the afternoon they put up a lark At the entrance gate of Highland Park. A little lad who flew a kite Had got the string caught good and tight On the entrance post when TEDDY-G Climbed up the post and said that he Would untie the knot and start the kite Up to the sky and out of sight.

A rope was lying twirled around
Where workmen left it on the ground,
And TEDDY-G as quick as wink
And before the men had time to think
Caught up the rope and made it tight
From post to post, from left to right,
And out he went like a circus clown
And whirled around, head up and down,
And walked the rope and made more play
Than folks had seen for many a day.

At six o’clock they said good-bye
To busy streets and smoky sky
And to boys and girls for the day of fun
And started back towards Washington.

Said TEDDY-B, as a town they passed
Where furnaces made fiery blast,
“I’d rather be a Teddy Bear
Than stand that heat and work in there;
But this old world was made, they say,
So that men would work and bears could play.”

The
Roosevelt Bears
get out a
NEWSPAPER

When the station clock was striking four The Bears got off at Baltimore. They met a newsboy on the street Who said the newsboys were to meet That night at six in a nook of theirs And they’d like to have the Teddy Bears Drop in and help them plan and think How best to earn some extra chink. Said TEDDY-B, “I’d like to walk Around to your club and hear you talk And make a speech and help along With dance or story, trick or song.” “You ought to know,” the lad replied, “That some months ago a newsboy died. That night his papers didn’t sell And he had no home; no one to tell How cold he was and hungry too, And he just died; was frozen through. We mean to give a newsboys’ show To buy a home where the boys can go.”

“_They met a newsboy on the street who said the newsboys were to meet
that night at six in a nook of theirs._”
]

This story stirred up TEDDY-G, “You leave that show to me,” said he, “I’ll use my wit from nose to paw To make more cash than you ever saw.” “I have a plan,” said TEDDY-B, “Let us run a paper just to see If our sheet won’t sell like sixty-three. We’ll fill each page with jolly stuff And give the boys the greatest puff. We’ll reuse the price and earn the pay To build that home in half a day.” So off they went to try their hand At a job they didn’t understand: To edit, proof-read, print and sell A newspaper and do it well.

The publisher took them all about To show how a paper is gotten out. They questioned every man they met And with the manager made a bet That they could put each page in rhyme And get the paper out on time. The bet was taken; the job was theirs; A paper run by Teddy Bears And they to have their own sweet way With news and ads for a single day. They said they’d do the best they could And make a sheet that was bright and good.

Of all the orders boys ever hear
Who work on papers all the year,
The orders given to the boys that night
Beat every record out of sight.
They made the editors fume and frown,
And reporters chase all around the town,

And telegraph instruments click in chime,
And telephone bells ring all the time,
And linotypes go double speed
And set up type big enough to read,
And advertisers fight for space,
And presses go at double pace,
And everything hum on every floor
To beat all “scoops” ever made before.

But the paper was out on time next day:
The greatest paper, newsboys say,
That was ever printed in all the land
By the fastest press or done by hand.

“When Teddy Bears would rulers be,
And hunt for men in cave or tree.”
]

They had floods and fires, and earthquakes, too; And kings beheaded and discoveries new, And ships upset and railroad wrecks, And ten millionaires break their necks; And the sun eclipsed at twelve at night, And Japan start up another fight; And Russia move clean off the earth, And an elephant sleep in an upper berth; And Niagara Falls turn upside down, And the President wear a golden crown; And ten feet of snow right in July, And a man discovered nineteen feet high; And robberies eight and murders ten, And mosquitoes kill ten thousand men; And a Wall Street smash, the worst in years, That made the bulls and bears shed tears;

And Robinson Crusoe come back to life And land in Baltimore with a wife; And little Bo Peep who lost her sheep Sold at auction mighty cheap; And the money hid by Captain Kidd Found in a box without a lid By a colored boy in the Isle of Wight A hundred thousand dollars bright. A diamond mine they said was found On Charles Street above the ground, They had boys at school their lessons know, In headlines deep a foot or so; And all the girls in the world combine, To go to bed at half-past nine, Or if rules they broke to pay a fine. And ending up on the final page A prophecy of a future age

When Teddy Bears would rulers be And hunt for men in cave or tree With guide and gun, with horse and hound, In a Colorado hunting ground. The advertisements made that night Were what the printers call a fright: All shoved together, old and new, Upside down and wrong side too, Grocers had hats and caps for sale, And tailors eggs, and barbers ale, And department stores had railroad ads, And big hotels sold writing pads, And music stores sold soap and tea, And theatres said admission free, And a jeweller, the best in town, Offered cheap a wedding gown. A private school sold cheese and lard, And furniture was offered by the yard. When TEDDY-B saw what was done He said he thought ’twould make good fun. “For we mean,” said he, “to sell our sheet And every record sale to beat.”

The papers sold at first for ten,
But when approved by business men
The price went up on every hand;
And with papers in such brisk demand
You couldn’t get a single sheet
By ten o’clock upon the street.
The money made for the boys that day
Bought them a home with grounds to play
And enough to spare to give each lad
The jolliest time he ever had:
A fresh air week down by the sea
With candy, cake and soda free.

The Bears were glad when their work was done
To start for the town of Washington,
To see the President and shake his hand
And then go home, as they had planned.

The
Roosevelt Bears
visit
WASHINGTON
and complete their Tour of the East

“_Dee-lighted._”
]

When the Bears arrived in Washington
They set out at once to buy a gun.
They bought three guns and pistols ten
And suits and belts like fighting men.
When dressed complete then off they went
To the house where lives the President.
When they reached the grounds and the entrance
gate
No one was near to make them wait.
The news had spread round everywheres
Of this visit planned by the Roosevelt Bears.
A policeman dodged behind a tree
When he got first sight of TEDDY-B.
Detectives wise with eagle eye
Didn’t stop to ask the reason why,
But ducked their heads behind a wall
And got under cover one and all.
A doorkeeper in gold and black
Said, “Wait a minute till I come back.”

And lawyers bold and statesmen brave
Who make the President behave
Moved out of sight as quick as wink;
To offer help they didn’t think;
But they were hunters just the same,
Though hunting bears wasn’t quite their game.

The boys who answer the call of bells
Lost all the breath they use for yells
In crossing lawns in serious fright;
They rein for home with all their might.

And secretaries, three or four, Got under desks down on the floor When they saw the Bears at the entrance door.

But one little lad who was playing round
When he saw the Bears, he stood his ground
And stepped up bravely to TEDDY-G
And said, “Who is it you want to see?”

Said TEDDY-G in his kindliest way, “We have traveled East and have come to-day To see the hunter who doesn’t scare And who isn’t afraid of man or bear.”

The Bears by the lad were keenly eyed, And he said as he beckoned them both inside: “My Dad’s in here; but wipe your feet; I think you’re the kind he likes to meet.

They stepped inside, and the man they saw Looked them over from head to paw And with outstretched hand and smiling face He gave them welcome to the place.

Said TEDDY-G, when he caught his breath, I thought this call meant certain death. We armed ourselves with loaded gun When we struck this town of Washington, For here ’twas said we’d surely see The man who chased bears up a tree And with both eyes shut on darkest night Could hit a bear and win a fight.”

“To stand your ground,” said TEDDY-B, “Is the thing that we Bears like to see; If fighting’s trump or simply fun, We stand, eyes front, and never run; But those men of yours who guard your fort Should be taken West for a little sport And taught the things you learned out there When climbing mountains chasing bear.”

But he simply laughed at what they said
And joked of stories he had read
In newspapers of things they’d done
On their journey East to Washington.
They talked away for an hour or two
Of hunting trips and friends they knew,
And this country wide and its cities great
From Boston Hub to the Golden Gate.
The Bears were asked to come next day
At an early hour to have a play
On the White House grounds and in children’s tent
And to breakfast with the President.

This visit o’er they started out
To see the buildings all about:
The Capitol with its rounded dome
Where the U. S. Senate makes its home,
And congressmen from every State
Gather in halls to deliberate;
The Treasury with its vaults of gold,
As much as a dozen trains could hold,

And silver too, and crisp bank notes
Enough to load a hundred boats;
The Library with its pictured halls
And books stored high within its walls;

The gardens with their trees and flowers,
And a museum where they stayed for hours;
And last of all, built straight and high,
A shaft that stands against the sky,
Set off with stones which good friends sent
In memory of a president.

“With outstretched hand and smiling face,
He gave them welcome to the place.”
]

TEDDY-G said he would like to see That famous little cherry tree And get some cherries red and sweet To take back home to give a treat To the big raccoon and the mountain goat And the old cougar and the young coyote, To make them square and help them try To tell the truth and not to lie.

So off they went that day at three
Out in the country the farm to see
Where George’s father used to stop
And where the boy learned how to chop.
They found the place as the guide books said
And the cherry stump, but no cherries red;
The stump was there and the hatchet too
And neither looking very new.

Said TEDDY-B when these things he saw
And took the hatchet in his paw:
“Of all the shrines of history
Which you and I came East to see
This spot right here I say is trump;
This hatchet and this cherry stump.”

TEDDY-G said he would like to try
Little George’s axe on a tree near-by,
To prove to the world that he could do
A trick like that and own up too.
And chop he did an apple tree
And left a note where all could see,
“This tree was chopped by TEDDY-G.”

They breakfasted the following day
With the President and had their play
For an hour before, from early dawn,
With boys and girls upon his lawn.
They asked the President if he
Would come out West their home to see;
Said TEDDY-B, “We’ll treat you white
And put you up both day and night
With grizzly bears and panthers wild
And give you sport not quite so mild
As driving Congress with its load,
Or riding horseback down the road.”

“This strenuous life,” said TEDDY-G, “Is too hard work by half for me; I’ll start back home this very day And for a month at home I’ll stay And rest my eyes and sleep and eat And get down again on all four feet.” Said TEDDY-B, “Our journey’s through; There’s nothing left to see or do. We were treated well everywhere we went; And we have seen the President. And now for home, that’s what I say; But I mean to journey back this way To take a boat for London town To see the king and his golden crown.” The reporters called that afternoon When they heard the Bears were going so soon And begged a column at least of news About their trip and plans and views. TEDDY-B wrote out in boldest hand These lines that all can understand:

“To the boys we say be always gay, And with jolly play fill every day. Be brave, be true, be square and white, And don’t forget to your friends to write. And to the girls: We’ve no advice; You’re everyone both sweet and nice. And to all the people whom we’ve met Please say we leave, with much regret, For our mountain cave and brook and tree.”

Signed and

As their train pulled out an army band Played airs well known o’er all the land; And boys and girls waved their good-byes. And tears filled many children’s eyes. TEDDY-B called back to the crowd that he Would come East again each one to see. And TEDDY-G said he’d do his best To treat them well if they came out West.

The Teddy Bears arrive home

As they crossed the country from East to West They stayed in their sleeping car to rest; And but once or twice looked out to see The towns passed through and country. Said TEDDY-G, “I’d like again To see that farm where we have been, And that country school and those boys at play, For that was our very jolliest day.” “What I wish most,” said TEDDY-B, “Is when we get off this train that we Shall have those horses to carry our load Back over the hills on the mountain road.”

The horses were there with saddle and rein And met the Bears at the railway train, And six mountain goats like baggage men Were there to help them to the glen. As back they traveled that mountain road, The goats heaped high with the baggage load, And the Teddy Bears on broncho backs, Piled front and back with loaded sacks, They looked like bandits with their spoil, Or highwaymen after a day of toil, Or perhaps more like true knights of old Returning home with captured gold. As they approached the place where they were born TEDDY-G blew loud on a trumpet horn A West Point bugle call he knew, And a thousand friends came into view, The Teddy Bears to greet with cheers By this animal camp of mountaineers;

“_The Teddy Bears on Broncho backs piled front and back with loaded
sacks._”
]

For the news had scattered far and wide
When the Bears would reach the mountain side,
And the crowd had come from far and near
To welcome back two friends so dear.

The old bobcat with the bandaged knee
Was the first to shake with TEDDY-B,
And a young cougar and a panther bold
Helped TEDDY-G his load to hold,
And two big-horn sheep and a mountain deer
Stood up on stumps to lead each cheer,
And hundreds more gave welcome hand
To the most famous bears in all the land.

They had gifts for each bought in the East
And they passed them round at the evening feast,
And then told stories for nights and days
About their trip and the city ways,
And the fun they had and the tricks they played
And the things they saw and where they stayed,
And last and best, the time they spent
In Washington with the President.

“_They had gifts for each bought in the East, and they passed them
round at the evening feast._”
]

As the Bears turned in to their own home nest
And curled up snug for the winter’s rest,
Said TEDDY-G, as he fell asleep,
“If I should pray for things to keep
Of what I’ve seen either East or West,
Its boys and girls I like the best.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
IS THE
First Book of the Roosevelt Bears Series

ENTITLED

Teddy B and Teddy G

THE ROOSEVELT BEARS
THEIR TRAVELS and ADVENTURES

Verse by SEYMOUR EATON

Illustrations by V. FLOYD CAMPBELL

CONTAINS 180 PAGES. 16 FULL-PAGE COLOR PLATES
AN ILLUSTRATION ON EVERY PAGE IN THE BOOK

This book records in complete detail the wonderful trip of the Roosevelt Bears from their cave in the Rocky Mountains to New York City. It tells how these Bears entertained their animal friends at home, of the exciting race to catch the Pullman train, the eventful night on the sleeping car and the exciting adventures on the Kansas farm. Of the day spent in rollicking fun at the district school, the adventures at the county fair and the overnight trip in the balloon which took them from Missouri to Chicago, where they landed in Lincoln Park and spent some days in entertaining the children of that city, and seeing all the points of interest, including the Athletic Club and a modern department store.

Then to Niagara Falls to view the wonders of nature at that place, and next to Boston, where they meet with a rousing reception and are entertained at the home of Miss Priscilla Alden and her brother Will. While in Boston they visit all the places of historical interest, such as Bunker Hill, Plymouth Rock, Concord and Lexington. They have an exciting scorch in an automobile, which causes their arrest and an uncomfortable night in the Boston Jail. They receive honorary degrees at Harvard University, and afterwards take a canoe trip down Boston Bay and are swept out to sea by a storm and land on an iceberg, where they meet a polar bear who has just come down from the northern seas on his floating ship of ice. They are rescued from this place by a passing steamer and carried to New York City, in which place they immediately advertise for a guide to assist them in seeing the town.

Volume 1 closes with an interesting account of how they entertained the children of New York City at the annual circus held in Madison Square Garden, and which completes the account of the first half of the tour of the United States by Teddy-B and Teddy-G, the Roosevelt Bears.

These books can be procured from all book dealers in the United States
and Canada. =List Price, $1.50.=

EDWARD STERN & CO., INC., PUBLISHERS, PHILADELPHIA

------------------------------------------------------------------------

ANOTHER PUBLICATION, UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME

WILL BE THE

Third Book of the Roosevelt Bears Series, Entitled

THE
ROOSEVELT BEARS ABROAD

Verse by SEYMOUR EATON

Illustrations by R. K. CULVER

This will be published on September 1, 1908

PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED WITH PEN DRAWINGS AND 16 FULL-PAGE COLOR PLATES

After having rested for the winter in their home in the mountains of Colorado, the Roosevelt Bears, now thoroughly used to the modern ways of civilization, once more become restless, and having a strong desire to see more of the world, start out upon their European tour. This book will record in picture and in verse their trip across the Atlantic, the tour through Ireland, Scotland and England, where they visit Stratford-on-Avon, the home of Dickens, Oxford University, the Tower of London, and meet King Edward, by whom they are entertained in royal fashion. Then over to Paris and to Holland and Germany, where they encounter Emperor William in the Black Forest From Germany they go to Russia, where they take the Czar out for a carriage ride, and through some mishap land in a dungeon cell. They next visit Switzerland and the Alps, then down to Rome, Venice and Athens.

Feeling that their foreign tour would not be complete without a visit to Egypt, they take a trip up the Nile and see the Pyramids and the Sphinx, after which they start back for America, and are greeted upon landing at the steamer pier in New York City by that famous gentleman known throughout the world as “Uncle Sam.” This will undoubtedly be one of the most interesting books of the Roosevelt Bears series.

These books can be procured from all book dealers in the United States and Canada. =List Price, $1.50=.

EDWARD STERN & CO., INC., PUBLISHERS, PHILADELPHIA

------------------------------------------------------------------------

EDWARD STERN & CO.
INCORPORATED

_Announce for the holiday season of 1908 the publication of a high-class
juvenile book, entitled_

THE CASTLE OF GRUMPY GROUCH

BY
MARY DICKERSON DONAHEY

A fascinating story for children of all ages, with enough of the fairy element to gratify the taste for the wonderful that is present in every child. There is a very nice moral in the story, and its presentation is made through the use of an idea which is entirely unique. The literary quality of the book is excellent. Profusely illustrated with color plates and pen drawings by

RUTH ELLIOTT NEWTON

Formal announcement of the date of publication of this story will be made to the trade in ample season by the publishers.

EDWARD STERN & CO., INC.
PHILADELPHIA

This book can be procured from all book dealers in the United States and
Canada

------------------------------------------------------------------------

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. 2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. 4. Enclosed bold font in =equals=.

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