“Silly!  Stop, I tell you.  That bear—­”

Again came the notes of the bugle, and then the girls, looking through the fringe of trees at the road, saw a man with a red jacket, and wearing a hat in which was a long feather, come along, and grasp a chain that dangled from the leather muzzle which they had failed to notice on the bear’s nose.

“It’s a tame bear!” cried Betty.  “That’s what I meant.  He won’t harm us.  Come on back to the road!  Oh, I’ve torn my skirt!” and she gazed ruefully at a rent in the garment.

The girls hesitated a moment, and then, understanding the situation, and being encouraged by the fact that the man now had his bear in charge, also seeing another man, evidently the mate of the first, approaching with a second bear, they all went back to the highway.  The bugle blew again, and one of the bears, at a command from the man, turned a clumsy somersault.

Grace burst into hysterical laughter, in which she was joined by the others.

“Weren’t we silly!” exclaimed Mollie.

“Oh, but it looked just like a real bear!” gasped Amy in self-defense.

“Listen to her,” said Betty.  “A real bear—­why, of course it is.  Did you think it was the Teddy variety?”

“Oh, you know what I mean,” spoke Amy, “I thought it was a wild bear.”

“It probably was—­once,” remarked Grace.

They were all out in the road now, and the two men, with the bears, were slowly approaching.  Evidently the foremost man had seen the precipitate flight of the girls, so, taking off his hat, and bowing with foreign politeness, he said: 

“Excuse—­please.  Juno him get away from me—­I chase after—­I catch.  Excuse, please.”

“That’s all right,” said Betty, pleasantly.  “We were frightened for a minute.”

“Verra sorry.  Juno made the dance for the ladies!”

He blew some notes on a battered brass horn, and began some foreign words in a sing-song tone, at which the bear moved clumsily about on its hind feet.

“Juno—­kiss!” the man cried.

The great shaggy creature extended its muzzle toward the man’s face, touching his cheek.

“Excuse—­please,” said the bear-trainer, smiling.

“Come on girls,” suggested Amy.  The place was rather a lonely one, though there were houses just beyond, and the two men, in spite of their bows, did not seem very prepossessing.

With hearts that beat rapidly from their recent flight and excitement, the girls passed the bears, the men both taking off their hats and bowing.  Then the strange company was lost to sight down a turn in the road, the notes of the bugles coming faintly to the girls.

“Gracious!  That was an adventure!” exclaimed Mollie.

“I thought I should faint,” breathed Amy.

“Have a chocolate—­do,” urged Grace.

“They’re nourishing,” and she held out some.

“Girls, we must hurry,” spoke Betty, “or we’ll never get to Broxton before the rain.  Hurry along!”