Ever since Sister Bear had been a tiny cub, she liked to tag along and play with Brother Bear and his friends. It was a bit of a nuisance because she slowed down their running …
“Wait for me!”
interfered with their climbing …
“Not so high!”
and messed up their marble games.
“Oh! That slipped!”
But as she grew older, things changed. She still liked to tag along with her older brother and his friends and it was no longer a bit of a nuisance: it was a BIG nuisance. She got to be a fast runner and outran Brother and his friends.
“Look at her go!” said Papa.
She got to be a good climber and outclimbed them.
“Oh, dear,” said Mama. “I do wish she’d be more careful.”
And she won all their marbles.
“Goodness! I hope they’re not playing for keeps!” said Mama.
“It certainly is good to see Sister and Brother and their friends playing so nicely together,” said Papa. “Look, they’re organizing a baseball game.”
“Yes,” said Mama. “But it does worry me just a little that Sister is the only girl in the group.”
“Now, Mama,” said Papa. “It’s not whether you’re a he or a she that counts, it’s how you play the game—look, she just hit a home run!”
“I agree,” said Mama. “But think back—how would you have liked it when you were a cub if some little girl could outrun, outclimb, and outhit you?”
Papa thought for a moment.
“I wouldn’t have liked it,” he said.
Brother and his friends didn’t like losing either. And what made it worse was the way Sister celebrated every time she won.
Her victory dance and cartwheels were annoying, but it was the war whoops that really got on everybody’s nerves.
Then one day, when Sister was planning to tag along as usual, her playmates were nowhere to be seen.
No matter, she thought, and went about her business. She picked wild flowers for Mama and jumped rope with some butterflies.
When there were no cubs around the next day, she was puzzled.
But there was plenty to do—she had a tea party for her dolls and read some books.
But on the third day she began to wonder what was going on. “Where are those cubs?” she said aloud.
They weren’t in the old climbing tree.
They weren’t playing marbles.
And they certainly weren’t on the baseball field.
As she stood on the deserted field wondering where everybody was, she heard voices. They sounded like cubs’ voices, and they were coming from the thicket.
She followed the sound into the thicket. What were those cubs up to? When she reached the edge of Frog Pond she found out!
What they were up to was building a secret clubhouse on Berrybush Island in the middle of Frog Pond! It had peepholes, watchtowers, and a little bridge—it was almost like a castle. What a wonderful surprise!
“Hi, gang!” she shouted.
She was so excited that she did her celebration dance, complete with cartwheels and war whoops! But Brother and the other boys didn’t answer Sister’s happy cry.
Instead they ducked inside, then reached out and put the finishing touch on their new clubhouse: a sign that said “Bear Country Boys Club—NO GIRLS ALLOWED”!
As Sister stood there trying to think what to do next, there was a creaking sound. The bridge was a drawbridge and they were cranking it up! She was heartbroken.
“It isn’t fair!” she wailed as she ran home from the thicket.
“You’re absolutely right!” roared Papa. “It isn’t fair! Come, we’re going back there and make them take you into their silly club—and if they don’t, I’m going to tear that clubhouse limb from limb!”
But Mama stopped them. “I don’t think that’s the answer,” she said. “Those boys are being very unfair. Sometimes boys act that way—so do girls—but whoever does it is wrong.”
“The important thing is not whether you are a boy or a girl, but the sort of person you are.…
And, be that as it may, you can’t make cubs want to play with you.”
“No,” said Sister, “but you can tear them limb from limb! Come on, Papa!”
“Wouldn’t it be a better idea,” suggested Mama, “for you to form your own club and build a secret clubhouse of your own?”
“Could I?” said Sister.
“This old climbing tree might be a good spot for it,” said Papa. “And I’ll help!”
“Terrific!” said Sister. “The first thing we’ll need is a big sign that ‘NO BOYS ALLOWED’!”
“No,” said Mama. “The first thing you need for a club is members.”
That part turned out to be easy. News of the No Girls Allowed club traveled fast, and there were quite a few other sisters who didn’t like the idea of being left out.
They had a lot of good ideas. Lizzie made a rope ladder that they could wind up when they didn’t want visitors.
Ellen brought a spyglass for keeping watch.
And Marsha had the best idea of all—a tin-can phone system.
With Papa Bear’s help they built a very fine clubhouse high up in the old climbing tree.
“Now for that sign!” said Sister. “Those boys were just being mean because I outhit them and won all their marbles! They’re bad losers!”
“I suppose that’s true,” agreed Mama. “But you know, there’s such a thing as a bad winner, too—someone who makes a big braggy show every time she wins.” Sister Bear knew exactly who Mama was talking about.
“But it still isn’t fair,” Sister said.
“Well,” said Mama, “I think we can work things out. But first we have to celebrate the opening of this very special clubhouse with some very special refreshments: barbecued honeycomb and salmon!”
Now, if there’s anything cubs are crazy about, it’s barbecued honeycomb and salmon—girl cubs … and boy cubs. So Papa loaded up the barbecue.
The yummy smells reached into the thicket and floated right under the noses of the members of the Bear Country Boys Club …
… who followed their noses back to where the members of the Bear Country Girls Club were just pulling up their rope ladder.
“Something sure smells good,” said Brother, speaking into the phone. The girls took a vote and decided to invite the boys up for honeycomb and salmon.
“How would you like to come back to our place for dessert?” said Brother. “Our berry crop is ripe for picking.”
“Love to!” said Sister, and while the whole gang headed for Frog Pond, Brother ran ahead and quickly changed the clubhouse sign to say “Bear Country Boys Club—GIRLS WELCOME”!
The berries were delicious.
