The Nature Faker

In Short

After being rejected by the woman he loves, wealthy and earnest Richard Herrick turns his affections to nature, establishing an elaborate wildlife preserve on his Connecticut farm. While attending a New York music hall with cynical friends, he grows outraged by a troupe of performing bears. Driven by the belief that wild creatures belong in the woods, Herrick buys the animals at great expense and sets them free on his property. His high-minded rescue backfires hilariously when the bears reject their natural surroundings and return to the comfortable luxuries and theatrical habits of human entertainment.

The Story

Richard Herrick is a young man of vast fortune, gentle habits, and an utter lack of humor. When the woman he pursues for three years marries someone else, Herrick avoids the typical paths of heartbreak and instead devotes himself entirely to the outdoors. On an abandoned Connecticut farm, he builds a model estate complete with manicured gardens and a two-hundred-acre wilderness preserve. Protected by a stout fence, this sanctuary houses squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons, whom Herrick views not as property but as favored guests living the simple life under his benevolent care.

His quiet existence breaks when his frivolous friend Jackson and the cynical Kelly coax him into New York for dinner and a show. Herrick finds the artificial city unbearable, turning up his nose at hothouse produce and theatrical crowds. His annoyance turns to indignation when three performing bears—Bruno, Clara, and the mischief-making baby bear Ikey—take the stage in human costumes to dance the waltz and pretend to drink milk from bottles. Horrified by what he views as a degrading spectacle, Herrick argues passionately with his companions. Though Kelly and Jackson insist that domesticated beasts prefer applause and regular meals to damp woods, Herrick resolves to ransom the trio and return them to the wild.

Paying a small fortune to their trainer, Madame Zichy, Herrick transports the caged bears to his estate. A crowd of nervous friends, houseguests, and servants gathers at the preserve gate to witness the event. When Herrick unlatches the cages, Ikey immediately rolls happily in the fallen autumn leaves, while Bruno and Clara trot eagerly into the dense brush. Thrilled by his initial success, Herrick follows them into the woods, returning to his dinner party full of triumph after watching the animals forage for acorns and scratch at mossy rocks.

Later that evening, while strolling the moonlit terrace with a sympathetic guest, Herrick reflects proudly on having restored the beasts to their ancestral freedom. His poetic victory is shattered moments later by an appalling shriek. A guest stepping outside has discovered Bruno and Clara on the terrace, standing on their hind legs and contentedly waltzing in the moonlight to the piano music indoors. Nearby, Herrick finds Ikey sprawled in a wicker chair, happily guzzling whiskey straight from a decanter and putting on a flawless impression of a drunken clown.

How It Unfolds

A sanctuary established Disillusioned by romance, Richard Herrick converts a Connecticut farm into a model estate centered around a barricaded two-hundred-acre preserve. He spends his days patrolling the woods, convincing himself that he understands the wild creatures living under his care.

Outrage at the music hall During an unwelcome night out in New York City, Herrick is repulsed by three dressed-up bears performing comedy tricks on stage. Ignoring his friends' cynical warnings, he resolves to buy the animals and restore them to their rightful wilderness home.

The release at the gate Herrick brings the cages to his farm and opens them before an anxious audience of guests and servants. The bears quickly head into the forest, leaving Herrick convinced he has successfully returned them to a state of primitive joy.

A evening of self-congratulation After tracking the animals through the brush for an hour, Herrick returns to his dinner party in high spirits. He boasts of his victory to a young woman on the terrace, praising the beasts' newfound independence.

The theatrical return A terrible scream interrupts the night as the houseguests discover the bears have abandoned the forest for the mansion. Bruno and Clara dance on the terrace to the indoor music, while Ikey empties a whiskey decanter in a wicker chair.

The People

• Richard Herrick wants to find peace in nature after losing the woman he loved, spending his wealth to build a wildlife preserve and free captive animals. He ends up humiliated when his naive, humorless idealism is shattered by the reality of trained beasts.
• Kelly wants to enjoy city nightlife without listening to moral lectures, viewing Herrick's animal advocacy as misguided nonsense. He stands his ground throughout the debate, proving correct in his prediction that domestic habits cannot be easily unlearned.
• Jackson wants to amuse himself by egging on arguments between his friends and watching Herrick's eccentric projects play out. He acts as the playful instigator who lures Herrick to the theater and later orchestrates the crowd at the farm release.
• Ikey wants food, attention, and alcohol, approaching every situation with natural comedic flair. He transitions seamlessly from stage performer to woodland explorer, ultimately choosing a comfortable wicker chair and a decanter of liquor over the forest.
• Miss Waring wants to find a wealthy, kind-hearted husband, showing great interest in Herrick's experiment in hopes of redirecting his affections toward herself.

In Its Own Voice

"The more thought, care, affection you give to nature, the more she gives you in return, and while, so he admitted, in wooing nature there are no great moments, there are no heart-aches." — Richard Herrick explains why he abandoned human romance to construct his Connecticut nature preserve.

"It’s a darned sight better, declared Kelly, than sleeping in a damp wood, eating raw blackberries----" — Kelly argues against freeing the vaudeville bears during a late-night supper debate.

"On the terrace in the moon-light, Bruno and Clara, on their hind legs, were solemnly waltzing." — The narrator describes the startling scene outside the drawing-room windows at the story's climax.

What It's Really About

The story satirizes romanticized views of the natural world, mocking the tendency of wealthy idealists to project human values onto wild animals. Herrick insists that the bears crave a primitive existence, ignoring the reality that habit and comfort easily override instinct. Through the sharp banter between Herrick and his urban friends, the narrative explores the gap between naive sentimentalism and practical common sense. It also pokes fun at elite escapism: Herrick attempts to run away from social rejection by constructing a controlled, artificial wilderness, only to find that the artificiality of the city follows him right back to his own terrace.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate brisk, satirical comedy will find plenty to enjoy in this tale. It carries a light, effortless momentum, driven by sharp dialogue and classic situational irony. The narrative moves quickly from urban music halls to country estates, poking fun at human vanity with a charmingly dry wit.

The story remains remarkably accessible for a period work, though modern readers should navigate its turn-of-the-century sensibilities. The text includes casual stage caricatures and ethnic tropes typical of early 1900s vaudeville humor, alongside the broad, theatrical physical comedy of the era.

What lingers after reading is the sheer absurdity of the climax. The image of trained bears turning a quiet suburban estate into an impromptu late-night show—complete with open-air waltzing and decanter-swilling—is genuinely memorable. It is a swift, entertaining read that delivers a timeless warning about the folly of imposing one's high-minded fantasies onto the messy reality of the world.