Part 4

And when Uncle Henry had drawn an outline in the sand with his finger, the "great bear" was done to everybody's satisfaction.

While they were all looking at it, Uncle Henry recited,

"Ursa Major's Latin-- And it means, 'the greater bear.' Ursa's 'bear,' and Major's 'bigger,' If you want to see his 'figger,' At the dipper's handle stare-- That's the tail of Ursa Major. Find his shoulders, nose, and toes-- Who first named him, no one knows."

"Did you say, 'Noah'--or 'no one,' Uncle Henry?" asked Betty.

"I said, 'no one,' but have it 'Noah' if you like," said Uncle Henry. "Maybe Noah named him. He was interested in animals, and Adam ought not to have the only right to name them."

"Now let's find the little dipper!" urged Peter, anxious for a victory over Betty's doubts of its existence.

"When we find it," announced Uncle Henry solemnly, "it won't be a dipper at all; it will be another bear--a little bear. You know that Noah had two of everything in his ark."

"I told you there wasn't any little dipper!" shrilled Betty at Peter.

"Uncle Henry said we'd find it, though," countered Peter, looking hopefully at the oracle.

"So we will," laughed Uncle Henry, "the little dipper and the little bear are the same thing!"

"Come on!" urged Paul, "how do we start, Uncle Henry?"

Uncle Henry got up on his knees and drew a long straight line in the sand with his forefinger. (1) It went up through both stars in the middle of the great bear's body, and a long way beyond. Over three times the distance between the two stars the line went beyond them. Uncle Henry put down a fair-sized pebble at the end.

"There," he said, "is the tip of the little bear's tail. Go ahead and find him; but I warn you--it's a very long tail, and you'll have to imagine his legs and nose."

There was a moment's silence. Then Peter said,

"I can't see any bear, but I can make out a dipper."

"Make it," said Uncle Henry.

When Peter finished putting down little pebbles the little dipper was very plain, just above the great bear's back.

Then Uncle Henry solemnly drew an outline around the seven small pebbles.

"Oooh, what a funny bear!" laughed Betty, when Uncle Henry's finger had finished. "His tail is so long!"

"Bears always have short tails," said Peter, looking reproachfully at Uncle Henry, as if that person was responsible. There was, however, a note of expectancy in Peter's voice. He expected a satisfactory explanation from Uncle Henry.

"This bear once had as short a tail as any other bear," said Uncle Henry, quite undisturbed.

"Who stretched it?" inquired Paul breathlessly.

"You will note," began Uncle Henry, "that the tip of the little bear's tail is a star that is right at the top of the North Pole. You can't see the pole, but it's there--and long ago somebody tied the tip of the little bear's tail fast to it. As the earth turned around year after year, and the pole turned with it, the little bear was swung round and round by his tail. That would make anybody's tail stretch, wouldn't it?"

There was a moment's quiet. Then Peter said roguishly,

"You can't kid us into believing that, Uncle Hen--but we'll sure remember it."

All Uncle Henry said was,

"Your mother doesn't like you to talk slang, Peter."

Uncle Henry had scored again, and knew it.