“Can I help you, Cora Janet?”

“Oh, yes, you can!” she exclaimed.  “You see I came up here looking for the Indian Maiden who likes jelly so much.  I thought I would give her some of my marshmallows, as I have a whole box full-many more than I can eat.  But I can’t find the Indian Maiden—­Pocohontas —­and now I shall have to eat all the marshmallows myself.”

“Why?” asked Flop, curious like.

“Because,” answered Cora Janet, “because there is a big bear chasing after me.  He smells the sweet candy and he is so hungry that he will want to eat the marshmallows and me, too.  But if I could only get rid of the candies he might let me alone.  Oh, what shall I do?  I’ve toasted them, and roasted them and eaten them just as they are out of the box, and put them in a cake and everything, but still the bear chases after me!”

“Of course I do!” suddenly growled a voice in the bushes and just then out popped the bear.  The hat pin which the Indian maiden had shot in his nose was out now, and that bear was as angry as anything.  He wanted to grab Cora Janet and take her off to his den I guess.  Anyhow he growled as angry as could be!

“Oh, what shall I do!” called the little girl.  “How can I get rid of all these marshmallows, for if the bear takes them it will only make him the more hungry and then he will want to eat me, and you too, Flop.”

“That must never be!” exclaimed the little piggie boy.  “Ha!  I have it!” he cried.  “We will throw the marshmallows at the bear, and make him so stuck up that he won’t want ever to eat anything again except pepper-hash!”

“Good!” cried Cora Janet.  So she and Flop opened the box of marshmallows.  Just then the bear made a rush for them, intending to grab them both in his big, long claws and carry them off to his den.

But Flop threw a sticky marshmallow candy, and it landed in one of the bear’s eyes and stayed there.

“Oh, wow!” cried the shaggy creature, and he could only see out of one eye.  Then Cora Janet threw another marshmallow and it closed up the bear’s other eye.  Then he couldn’t see at all.

“Oh, wow again!  Double wow!” cried the bear.  Then, as fast as they could throw them, Flop and Cora Janet tossed the sticky marshmallow candies.  They stuck up the bear’s nose so he couldn’t hear, and got in his ears so he couldn’t smell.  Oh! just listen to me, would you!  I’m so excited that I got that part wrong.  But, anyhow, the bear couldn’t see, nor smell, nor hear.  And then more marshmallows got in his mouth, and they were like sponges, and he couldn’t even bite any one, for they stuck on his teeth like gum.  Then Flop said: 

“We are safe now, Cora Janet, and we have enough marshmallows left to roast at the camp fire tonight.”

And so they had.  And that bear was so stuck up with the soft marshmallow candies—­in his eyes and nose and mouth and ears and paws and tail and fur—­that he had to go to sleep in the lake for a week and a day to get them washed off.