Black Bear Tales: The Story of Sweet William
in the most loving tones they could produce. For the first time in his life, the bear had deliberately touched a human being and not been savagely punished for it. Some dam of deep emotion broke free in Sweet William; he could trust again. He tenderly picked up Ted in his arms and carried him about the cage. They played and wrestled like bears. Ted was completely unafraid when Sweet William gently took his head between his massive jaws. They continued playing for about 15 minutes and then Ted eased out of the cage. He and Pat fed him cookies and told him he was the best bear in the world. Overwhelmed with emotion, they left and saw Sweet William put the tire back in his bathtub and sit down watching the other animals with calm interest.
He was a new bear. They took him out for walks everyday and introduced him to the other bears. Ted would play with him every day, but Sweet William had an almost insatiable need for play after so many years of friendlessness and denial. He soon wore out his human friend, especially as he was rambunctious and a bit rough. Fortunately, the female Asiatic black bear named Candy took up the slack. She was considerably smaller than him but very spirited (after the manner of the fiery-tempered Asian black bears) and adored playing with him, always eager for more. The book has a charming photo of the two bears rough-housing with delighted grins on their furry faces. He still remained shy around other people. They discovered, though, that he wasn't afraid of children, and in fact, enjoyed their company. But even adults could win his friendship if they were patient and gentle with him. Underneath, he was a real sweetheart, despite everything that had happened to him. On location, Sweet William would hold court in his beloved bathtub, sitting in it like a throne. The children would come up to him holding fig-newtons in their lips and Sweet William would accept them with perfect graciousness, giving each one a little kiss as he did so.
Sweet William became a star performer, and worked in both tv and movies. But the ghosts of his dark circus past continued to haunt him in the hidden depths of his heart. This came out when he was hired to do an episode of the long-forgotten tv show "Land of the Giants".
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