[Illustration: Mrs. Mouser Cat walked up to Aunt Amy with a mouse in hermouth] MOUSER CATS' STORY By AMY PRENTICE With Thirty-Five Illustrations and a Frontispiece in Colors BY J. WATSON DAVIS [Illustration] MOUSER CAT'S STORY. On that day last week when it stormed so very hard, your Aunt Amy wasfeeling very lonely, because all of her men and women friends in thehouse were busy, and it was not reasonable to suppose any of her bird oranimal acquaintances would be out. As she sat by the window, watchingthe little streams of water as they ran down the glass, she said toherself that this was one of the days when she could not hope to beentertained by story-telling. [Illustration: Mrs. Mouser Cat. ] "You don't seem to care whether Mrs. Man makes the pickles properly, ornot, " a voice from the doorway said, and, looking around in surprise, your Aunt Amy saw Mrs. Mouser Cat, an animal with whom she was very wellacquainted, but who had never before ventured to speak with her. Considerably astonished, because it had not come into her mind that Mrs. Mouser might prove to be as entertaining as any of the other animals shehad talked with, your Aunt Amy asked: "What about the pickles, Mrs. Mouser?" "Why, Mrs. Man is putting them up; didn't you know it?" the cat replied, and your Aunt Amy said with a sigh: "Oh, yes indeed, Mrs. Mouser, I know that, and you also know it is notpossible for me to do any work around the house, owing to my illness. That is why I am idle on this day when the storm makes it seem very, very lonely. "You can sit out of doors all the afternoon with a foolish old duck, ortalk by the hour with Mr. Turtle, who hasn't got sense enough to go inwhen it rains, and yet you never invited me for an afternoon'sstory-telling, " and Mrs. Mouser arched her back as if she was angry. "Do you know any stories?" your Aunt Amy asked, surprised again, andMrs. Mouser replied quickly: "It would be funny if I didn't. I've lived on this farm more than sixyears, and have known pretty much all that has happened around here inthat time. " WHY CATS CATCH MICE. "I wish you could think of a story to tell me now, " your Aunt Amy said. "I am just in the mood for hearing one. " "It is the hardest thing in the world to stand up and begin telling astory without anything to start one going, " Mrs. Mouser saidthoughtfully, as she brushed her whiskers with her paw. "After you onceget into it, of course, they come easy enough. How would it do if Ishould explain why it is that cats catch mice?" "Was there ever a time when they didn't catch mice?" your Aunt Amyasked, surprised for the third time. [Illustration: Mrs. Pussy Cat Visits her Cousin] "Oh, yes indeed, " Mrs. Mouser said in a matter-of-fact tone. "All catsused to be good friends with the mice, once upon a time, and it happenedthat because an old Mrs. Pussy, who lived in the city, didn't haveanything in the house to eat, the cats took up catching mice. You see itwas in this way: A cat that had always lived in the country, made up hermind one day to go and see her cousin in the city, so she put on herbonnet and shawl, wrapped some fried fish in a paper, and started. "When she got there her cousin saw the fish, and it made her ashamedbecause she hadn't anything in the house to offer the visitor, so sheasked, turning up her nose considerably: "Do you cats in the country eat fish?' and Mrs. Pussy replied: "Why, yes, of course we do; don't you?" "Certainly not; it is thought to be a sign of ill-breeding to eat suchvulgar food, ' and then remembering that she could not offer her cousinthe least little thing, she said, never stopping to think very muchabout it. We eat mice here. They are delicious; you would be surprisedto know what a delicate flavor they have. " That surprised the country cousin, and nothing would do but that shemust go right out hunting for mice. Of course some one had to go withher, and then it was that the city cat found she hadn't made any such avery great mistake after all, for mice or rats, take them any way youplease, cooked or raw, are very nice indeed. THE KITTY WHICH THE SNOW BROUGHT. "Do you think that is a true story?" your Aunt Amy asked, and Mrs. Mouser replied: "I can't really say; but I think it is as true as that the snow broughta white cat to Dolly Man. " Your Aunt Amy knew Miss Dolly's kitten verywell; but she had never heard any such thing as Mrs. Mouser intimated, therefore, as a matter of course, she was curious regarding the affair, and asked that it be explained to her. "I was in the house when this happened, so there is no mistake about thestory part of it, " Mrs. Mouser began. "It was snowing one day, andDolly, standing by the window, said to her mother that she wished thesnow-flakes would turn into a pretty, little, white kitten, so she couldhave something to play with. She hadn't hardly more than spoken, whenthey heard a cat calling from out of doors, and Dolly ran into thehallway, believing the snow-flakes had really turned into a pet for her. Now it is kind of odd, but true just the same, that when she opened thedoor there stood a white kitten, the same one we call Kitty Snow. "She was the forlornest little stray kitten you could ever imagine, andas white then as she is now, from her nose to the tip of her tail, butso nearly frozen when Dolly took her in, that they had to wrap her in ablanket, and keep her near the fire two or three hours before she thawedout. " "I believe that you and Kitty Snow are not very good friends, " your AuntAmy said. [Illustration: Dolly and Kitty Snow. ] "Well, I can't say that we are, " Mrs. Mouser replied thoughtfully. "Thatwhite cat has been petted so much that she really isn't of any verygreat service about the house. I don't believe she has caught a mouse insix months, and yet I heard her tell Mr. Towser Dog no longer ago thanyesterday, that she was of more value around this farm than I. Justthink of it! And it has been proven that I have a good deal more sensethan Mr. Fox, cunning as he thinks he is. " WHEN MR. FOX WAS FOOLISH. As a matter of course, your Aunt Amy asked her what she meant, and Mrs. Mouser sat down at one side of the fireplace, as if making ready for anafternoon of story-telling. [Illustration: Mrs. Mouser Flatters Mr. Fox. ] "It was like this;" she said. "I was down in the meadow looking forfield mice one day, and met Mr. Fox. You know some animals think that heand I are relations; but whether we are or not, we have always been goodfriends. So he sat down for a chat, and we talked of first this thingand then that, until finally I said, just to make myself agreeable: "'Do you know, Mr. Fox, I think you are very smart. ' "Well now, would you believe it, that puffed him way up with pride, andhe said, grinning in a way that was enough to make any cat laugh: "'Indeed I am, Mrs. Mouser. There isn't an animal around here who canhold a candle to me for smartness. ' "'What about the dogs?' I asked, thinking to joke him a little, and heturned up his nose as he said: "'I don't give a snap of my claws for all the dogs there are around thisplace! Even if four or five of them should come right up here thisminute, it wouldn't bother me any. You may not think it; but Mr. Towseris actually afraid of me. "Well now, do you know that made me laugh again, because in the firstplace I knew it wasn't true; but what was the use of saying anything ofthe kind to him? He was swelled way out with pride, so I changed theconversation, and began talking about mice, when suddenly there was aterrible commotion down the lane, and up came Mr. Towser, Miss Spanieland four or five other dogs, barking and yelping. "Oh me, oh my, how frightened I was! Up a tree I scurried as fast as mylegs would carry me, and not until I was safe on the highest limb did Ilook around to see Mr. Fox, who didn't care the snap of his claws fordogs; but, bless you, he was going toward the meadow with his tailhanging straight out behind him, while the dogs were gaining on him atevery jump. Mr. Towser told me afterward that they made Mr. Fox justabout as sick as Mrs. Toad made the bugs. " "What was it Mrs. Toad did?" your Aunt Amy asked, and Mrs. Mouserreplied with a grin: "Perhaps you never heard that Mr. Crow is a great hand at makingpoetry?" [Illustration: Mr. Crow. ] "I have indeed, " your Aunt Amy replied, and it was only with difficultyshe prevented herself from laughing aloud. "I have heard of his poetryfrom every bird and animal around this farm. " [Illustration: Mr. Fox forgets how bold he was as the dogs chase himthrough the field. ] A WET-WEATHER PARTY. "Then perhaps you don't care to hear any more?" Mrs. Mouser saidinquiringly. "Indeed I do, " your Aunt Amy replied, "if it is anything new, and Isurely have never heard of a wet-weather party. " [Illustration: Mr. And Miss Cricket. ] Mrs. Mouser stroked her whiskers a moment, and then began to repeat thefollowing: A little Black Ant was journeying home From a marketing visit to town, When down came the ram, pitter-patter, so fast, It threatened to spoil her best gown. She wandered about till she quite lost her way, Till at last a big Toadstool she found, "Ah, here I can rest!" said the little Black Ant, And she wearily sank to the ground. And as she sat resting, a light she espied, And a Glow-worm came twinkling by. "Dear me!" exclaimed he, with a gasp and a sob, "I don't think I'll ever be dry!" "Come in, sir, come in, " said the little Black Ant, "Here is plenty of room, sir, for two. Pray bring in your light, sir, and sit down by me, Or else you'll be surely wet through. " [Illustration: Mr. Stag-Beetle and the Newspaper Reporter. ] The Glow-worm agreed, and soon brought in his light, When a cricket appeared on the scene With her fiddle and bow (she's a minstrel, you know) --To a concert in town she had been. "Come in, ma'am, come in!" said the little Black Ant, "Here is shelter and light for us all! And if you could play us a nice little tune, We might fancy we were at a ball. " [Illustration: Mr. Beetle Arrives. ] "Hear, hear!" said the voice of the Stag-Beetle bold, Who just then was passing that way; "And if there is dancing, I hope, dear Miss Ant, That you will allow _me_ to stay!" "Come in, sir, come in!" said the little Black Ant, "The more, sir, the merrier we! And here, I declare, is my friend Mrs. Snail, As busy as ever, I see!" "Come in, Mrs. Snail, " said the little Black Ant, "Come join our small party to-night! Here's the Beetle and Cricket all quite snug and dry, And the Glow-worm to give us some light!" So the Snail came and joined them, still knitting away, And the Cricket her fiddle got out; And then--well, you just should have seen how they danced, How they jumped and all capered about! [Illustration: Mrs. Toad Breaks up the Party. ] The Little Black Ant did a skirt-dance quite well; The Beetle a gay Highland fling; And as for the Glow-worm, he just jigged about, And _danced_ really nothing at all. But all of a sudden a croaking was heard, And who should appear but a Toad, Who hoarsely demanded their business, and why They were all gathered in her abode? Then what a commotion! The little Black Ant Went from one fainting fit to another; The Snail simply shut herself up in her house, And thought she'd escape all the bother! The Beetle and Glow-worm soon took themselves off, And the Cricket and Ant with them too, And once more these poor creatures were out in the rain, And didn't know what they should do. But they presently came to the trunk of a tree, And there they all stayed for the night; But they never forgot that old, cross Mrs. Toad, Who gave them so dreadful a fright!" "Mrs. Toad certainly succeeded in raising quite a disturbance, " yourAunt Amy said, feeling it necessary to make some comment, and Mrs. Mouser replied thoughtfully: MR. THOMAS CAT'S NARROW ESCAPE. "Yes, almost as much as Mr. Man did when he tried to drown Mr. ThomasCat the other day. It seems that Mr. Thomas had been out in the stablestealing the food which was left for Mr. Towser, and one of the maids, seeing it, told Mr. Man, so then and there it was decided that Mr. Thomas must be drowned. Mr. Man called him up, as if he was the bestfriend he ever had, and when Mr. Thomas got near enough, he caught himby the tail, starting off at once for the stream. [Illustration: Dragging Mr. Thomas to his Fate. ] "'What are you going to do with me?' Mr. Thomas cried, and Mr. Man said: "'You wait and see. I'll teach you to steal Mr. Towser's food! You areno good, that's what's the trouble with you--you are no good!' "So he took a rope out of his pocket and tied it around Mr. Thomas'neck, after they got near the water. Then bent down over the bank to geta big rock, when his foot slipped, and in he went splashing and howlinguntil you might have heard him on the next farm, for he couldn't swim astroke, and the water was deep where he went in. "Of course Mr. Thomas wasn't able to do anything to help him, so off hestarted for the house the best he knew how, with the rope dragging onbehind, and when he got there, Mrs. Man couldn't help seeing him. Knowing what her husband had counted on doing she mistrusted thatsomething was wrong, so down she ran to the stream, getting there justin time to pull Mr. Man out of the water before he drew his last breath. "'How did you know where I was?' Mr. Man asked after the water had runout of his mouth. "'Why the cat just the same as told me, when he came back with a ropearound his neck. ' "'Well, he was some good after all, ' Mr. Man said. ' I had begun to thinkall cats were useless, but it seems Mr. Crow was right in that poetry ofhis, after all. ' "Then Mr. Man went up to the house, and since then Mr. Thomas has beenallowed to stay round the farm, just as he pleases. " MR. CROW'S FANCY. "What did he mean by saying Mr. Crow was right?" "Oh, that was on account of a piece of poetry he wrote about me. Thereisn't much of it, and perhaps you had just as soon I would repeat it. " Then, without waiting for permission, Mrs. Mouser recited the following: Some people love the gay giraffe Because his antics make them laugh (I've never found him witty), Others prefer the cockatoo-- He does things I should hate to do; He's vulgar--more's the pity! An ostrich draws admiring throngs Whenever he sings his comic songs, And, really, it's no wonder! The dormouse has been highly rated (and justly) for his celebrated Mimicking of thunder. I know some friends who'd journey miles To see a bat's face wreathed in smiles, They say it's grandly funny! To see a buzzard drink port wine Another eager friend of mine Would pay no end of money. But that which most appeals to me-- I know my taste may curious be-- Is--not a mouse in mittens. It is to see a homely cat, Dressed up in an old battered hat, A-walking with her kittens! [Illustration: Mrs. Tabby and Her Kittens. ] "One would think from the verses, that you and Mr. Crow were very goodfriends, " your Aunt Amy suggested, and Mrs. Mouser said with a purr ofcontent: "We have always got along very well together, and I hope we alwaysshall, for really, say what you please about that old bird, it wouldn'tbe pleasant to have him making sport of you in his verses. We areneither of us as much in love with ourselves as were the peacock and thecrane, therefore I don't fancy we shall ever have any very serioustrouble. " A QUESTION OF BEAUTY. "What about the peacock and the crane?" your Aunt Amy asked, notdisposed to let slip any opportunity of hearing a story. "Oh, that's something very, very old--why, my grandmother used to tellabout it. You know the crane thinks he has got a pretty tail, and I'mnot saying anything against it, for it is handsome; but this crane mygrandmother used to tell about, had the idea that he was the finestlooking bird who ever came out of an egg. He went around making a gooddeal of such talk as that, and one day he met with a peacock for thefirst time. Strangely enough, he had never heard about such a bird, sohe strutted back and forth as usual, and after they had talked a whileof the weather, and all that sort of thing, Mr. Crane said: [Illustration: As Mr. Peacock spread his tail, Mr. Crane flew off indisgust] "'People tell me I am one of the handsomest birds that ever lived. There's nothing in this world that quite comes up to my tail feathers, and that much I can say without risk of being thought vain. ' "'You have some very pretty feathers, ' Mr. Peacock said, keeping his owntail folded up so it couldn't be seen very well. 'But do you reallythink they are more beautiful than can be found on any other bird?' "'I don't _think_ so, I know it, ' Mr. Crane said, spreading thelong plumes of his tail out so they would show to the best advantage, and just then Mr. Peacock unfolded his tail to its full size. "If you ever saw an astonished bird, it was Mr. Crane. He looked at thebeautiful feathers spread out like a great, big fan, and then started tofly away. "'Where are you going?' Mr. Peacock asked. "And Mr. Crane answered, while he was in the air: "'Off somewhere to hide until I have got sense enough to hold my tonguewhen I don't know what I'm talking about. ' "Since that time I have never heard any of the cranes doing very muchbragging, and it is a pity that there are yet others around this placewho ought to get just such a lesson, for many of the animals here needit sadly. " "You among the rest?" your Aunt Amy asked laughingly, and Mrs. MouserCat replied: "Thank goodness, I am not proud, and perhaps it is because I haven'tvery much to take pride in. But I have lived long enough in this worldto know that one of us is of just about as much importance as another, and the animal or the bird who thinks this world couldn't move very wellwithout him, is making a big mistake. There is nobody whose place cannotbe filled when it becomes necessary; there would even be somebody to runthis farm as well as Mr. Man does, if he should die to-morrow. " MENAGERIE POETRY. "What I have in mind is told, in a foolish kind of a way, I suppose, byMr. Crow, who wrote the verses when Mr. Man's little girl Dolly wanted apet, and no matter how much she thought of one, if it died, or got lost, the next that came along suited her almost as well. "Of course I don't want you to suppose I think this is anything butnonsense; but at the same time it carries out the idea of what I havebeen trying to say, " and then Mrs. Mouser repeated the following: I once possessed an Elephant Who fed on potted grouse; One day I lost him, but I think He's somewhere in the house. [Illustration: The Delicate Pet. ] I had a Hippopotamus Who really was quite slim; He caught a chill, and so I thought I'd best get rid of him. I also had a gay Giraffe, Whose antics made me wince; He went a walk to Brooklyn town, I've never seen him since. [Illustration: The Pet Who Went to Brooklyn. ] The Puffing Fish that I possessed Would fill my heart with pride; But ah! one day I made a joke-- He laughed so that he died. You should have seen my Polar Bear, He was a lively beast; But what became of him at last I've no idea, the least. [Illustration: The Very Sociable Pet. ] My Grizzly Bear was certainly By all my friends admired. He tried to climb the Monument, And when he failed, expired. Perhaps the dearest of them all Was James, my Cockatoo-- He took to stopping out at nights; I gave him to the Zoo [Illustration: The Lively Pet] So now I haven't anything; It's lonely, I must own. I'll get a little calf, I think-- I cannot live alone! "I don't wonder you call that 'Menagerie Poetry, '" your Aunt Amy saidwhen Mrs. Mouser ceased speaking; "but I think I understood, evenwithout the aid of the verses, the moral you intended to draw. " "I should hope you did; but I remembered those lines, and it seemed tome they came in just right. There is a story he tells about the Elephantand the Bee, which teaches the same kind of a lesson. " WHEN MR. ELEPHANT AND MR. BEE HAD A QUARREL. "I certainly would like to hear it, " your Aunt Amy said when Mrs. MouserCat ceased speaking, as if waiting for some such permission. "Well, in the first place you must understand that there was once anElephant and a Bee that were the very best of friends, " Mrs. Mouser Catsaid as she curled her tail around her fore paws to prevent them frombeing chilled by the draft. "One day the Elephant had walked a longdistance, and thought he would sit down to rest for a little while. Nowit seems the Bee had been flying around there, and he had got tired too, so he laid down on the grass and went to sleep. "Now what do you think? When Mr. Elephant sat down he happened to hitMr. Bee's hind foot, and then there was a time! Mr. Bee talkeddisgracefully, so it is said, to Mr. Elephant, and you would havethought they never had been friends; but Mr. Elephant didn't answer himback, because he was a peaceable kind of an animal, and knew that theleast said is the soonest mended. "When Mr. Bee got through scolding, they went on their journey again. Idon't know where they were traveling, but that doesn't make anydifference in the story. Off they started, and after a while it seemedas if Mr. Bee got to feeling better, and Mr. Elephant said: "'I'm glad to see that you've got over being cross, for it was all anaccident, my hitting your foot. ' "'Oh yes, ' Mr. Bee answered, as if he intended to be friendly again. 'We'll try to forget all about it. Have you seen anything of my collarsand cuffs since we started?' "'Why, no, ' replied Mr. Elephant. 'Have you lost them?' "'I haven't seen them since we left home, and I believe they must be inyour trunk. ' "'I think not, ' Mr. Elephant said; 'but you can go in and look for them, if you choose. ' "Now Mr. Bee hadn't got over his cross fit a little bit, and he was onlywaiting for a chance to pay Mr. Elephant back. Well, he crawled into thetrunk just as far as he could get, and then he gave poor Mr. Elephantthe very hardest sting you ever dreamed about. [Illustration: When Mr. Elephant Sneezed. ] "'Oh me, oh my!' Mr. Elephant howled. 'What a wicked little thing youare! I'll fix you for that!' and then he hunched himself together, andgave the biggest kind of a big sneeze. Now if you never saw anything ofthe kind, you can't have an idea what a commotion it made when Mr. Elephant did that, and, bless your heart, that was the last of Mr. Bee. I don't know what became of him, and neither does anybody else. He musthave been dashed to pieces in the terrible wind that was raised, and itserved him good and right, too, for he deserved it just as much as everMr. Bear did when he got so worn out by Mr. Man's boy Tommy. " WHEN TOMMY GOT THE BEST OF MR. BEAR. "Is that another story?" your Aunt Amy asked, and Mrs. Mouser repliedwith a laugh: "Yes, and it is a good one, too. Last year there was an old Mr. Bearliving near this farm, who was the most quarrelsome animal you ever saw, and besides that, he was wicked. Do you know, he made up his mind thathe would bite a big piece out of Mr. Man's boy's leg, just because Tommydrove him away when he was stealing honey. So one night he crept up tothe well, and got into the bucket, letting himself way down to thebottom where he could float around until Tommy came out to get a pail ofwater. "'I'll have him sure, ' Mr. Bear said to himself, 'for when he pulls upthe bucket in the morning, I'll jump out and grab him, so he can't getaway. ' "Well, Tommy went to the well at just about the same time as usual, andwhen he started to raise the bucket with the windlass, he found it wasterribly heavy. He thought some one must have been putting rocks in itto play a joke on him, so he kept on turning the crank around until thebucket was nearly to the top, and then he saw what was the matter: [Illustration: Mr. Bear Makes a Mistake. ] "'My goodness!' he cried. 'There's Mr. Bear, and it's water I'm after, not bear!' "Then Tommy Man let go of the windlass, and of course down went Mr. Bearto the bottom of the well with a bump that nearly shook him to pieces. "Now almost anybody might have thought that Tommy would run away afterthat; but no, he made up his mind to serve Mr. Bear out good and hard, so he went to work winding up the windlass again. Then, when he hadhauled Mr. Bear nearly to the top, he let him go back with a worse bumpthan before, and so he kept on doing this same thing thirteen or fifteentimes, until Mr. Bear was so sore and bruised that he couldn't do muchof anything more than hold himself on to the edge of the bucket. "By that time Tommy had got all the sport he wanted, and he let Mr. Bearcrawl out of the bucket. I have heard it said that it was more than twoweeks before the old fellow could get out of bed, and the lesson did himas much good as the one Mr. Donkey gave the Wild Hog, for he wasn'tquarrelsome again, and behaved himself decently well forever after. " MR. DONKEY'S LESSON IN GOOD MANNERS. "I think the story about the donkey must be one which I have neverheard, " your Aunt Amy said. "Although the animals on the farm have toldme quite a lot about Mr. Donkey, I have never thought of him as ateacher. "It isn't what you might rightly call a story; but only something thathappened when Mr. Donkey showed his good sense. Now I don't understandwhy Mr. Man tells about any one being as stupid as a donkey. Why, ourNeddy is as wise as anybody on this farm, and you will think so when Ihave told this story about him. "It was one night after supper, and he thought he would take a stroll upthe road, because he hadn't been working very hard that day, and theexercise might do him good. He was going along, minding his ownbusiness, when Mr. Wild Hog came out from the bushes, and into the road. "Mr. Donkey stepped over one side so as to give him plenty of room, saying 'good evening' politely, and was walking on when Mr. Wild Hogbristled up to him, showing both his big tusks, and said: "'Why don't you turn out when you meet anybody of consequence?' "'Perhaps I do when I meet them, ' Mr. Donkey replied, and that made Mr. Hog terribly angry. "'Do you know I have a mind to give you a lesson ingood manners?' growled Mr. Hog, and Mr. Donkey said with a grin: "'Why not go off somewhere alone, and give yourself a lesson or two?' "Of course that made Mr. Hog more angry than ever, and he said: "'Do you know what I do when stupid animals like you try to be toosmart?' "'No; I don't care either, ' Mr. Donkey replied; 'but I will show youwhat I do when animals make bigger hogs of themselves than is natural. ' "Just as he said this he turned around, swung up both heels, struck Mr. Hog under the chin, and knocked him over and over as many as six times. Then Mr. Donkey trotted off slowly, with a smile on his face that wasfor all the world like Mr. Crocodile's after he had been to thedentist's. " [Illustration: Mr. Wild Hog tries to give Mr. Donkey a lesson in goodmanners. ] WHEN MR. CROCODILE HAD HIS TEETH EXTRACTED. "Why did he go to the dentist?" your Aunt Amy asked, thinking to hearanother story. [Illustration: Mr. Crocodile in Pain. ] "I had better repeat the poetry Mr. Crow wrote about it, for that tellsthe whole story, and without further delay Mrs. Mouser Cat recited thefollowing: Come, listen, and I'll sing awhile About a winsome crocodile, Who had a most engaging smile Whene'er he smole. His basket with fresh fish to fill Each day he'd tramp o'er vale and hill, For he possessed quite wondrous skill With rod and pole. But as he fished, one summer's day, A toothache chased his smiles away; No longer could he fish and play His favorite role. [Illustration: Not a Tooth in His Head. ] He stamped and growled, the pain was vile, No more he grinned, Sir Crocodile, (And he'd a most engaging smile Whene'er he smole. ) So straight he to the dentist went, On stopping or extraction bent, His soul was with such anguish rent; He reached his goal. "Come sit down in the chair awhile; Open your mouth, Sir Crocodile!" (He had a most engaging smile Whene'er he smole. ) "Which is the tooth?" the dentist said; "Dear, dear! You must have suffered-- You've not a sound tooth in your head, Not one that's whole!" He pulled them out; it took some while, And then that toothsome crocodile Had not quite such a pleasing smile Whene'er he smole. "How do you suppose Mr. Crocodile felt when he was hungry, and wanted toeat something?" your Aunt Amy asked. THE DISSATISFIED CAT. "Most likely much the same as did old Mrs. Pussy Cat up on the nextfarm. " "How was that?" your Aunt Amy asked. "Well, you see, she was partly black and partly white, and not being avery neat cat, the white hair got dirty so often that she believed itwould be a great thing if it was all black. So she got the idea into herhead that if she should shave off the white hair, it would be the colorshe wanted when it grew out again. "Well, now what do you suppose that poor foolish thing did? Why she wentto the barber's, and had him shave all the white hair off of her body. She actually frightened the ducks and the geese when she came home, shelooked so queer; but you couldn't have made her believe it. She thoughtshe was a perfect beauty, and when she came over to this farm thatevening, Mr. Thomas Cat said to her: "'Why you are a perfect sight, that's what you are, with those tufts ofblack hair all over you!' "'That's all the style, ' Mrs. Pussy Cat said, and I think she reallybelieved that she was as handsome as any cat you could find. "Well, things went along all right while the weather was warm, but inthe course of ten days we had a heavy frost, and dear me, dear me, howcold it grew all of a sudden! Poor Mrs. Pussy Cat was almost frozen todeath the first night of the cold snap, when she tried to stay with therest of us to a concert, and went home moaning: "'Oh, give me back my hair! Give me back my hair!' [Illustration: Mrs. Pussy Cat in Style. ] "Of course that couldn't be done, because she had to wait for it to growagain; but Mrs. Man on the next farm wrapped her up in an old shawl, andshe had to stay in a basket until her hair grew, else she'd have frozento death, for we had a terrible hard winter that season. When the hairdid come out it was uneven, of course, and she was the worst looking catyou ever saw. "Mr. Man was shaving the first morning Mrs. Pussy Cat came out of thebasket, and he hadn't seen her since she had been to the barber's. [Illustration: Mr. Man is Disturbed. ] "She jumped up on a chair by the side of him, thinking he would strokeher fur as he always used to do, when the poor man got one glimpse ofher, and it nearly scared him into hysterics. I suppose he thought itwas a ghost, or something like that, for she looked bad enough to bealmost anything. "He gave a yell, and jumped in the air. That scared Mrs. Pussy Cat, andshe screamed as she leaped out of the chair. Then Mr. Man went after herwith that big razor in his hand. "I don't know how far he chased her; but Mr. Towser said that Mrs. PussyCat ran more than five miles before she stopped, and when she sneakedback home that night, I'm thinking she felt a good deal as Mr. Crow didwhen he tried to make folks believe peacock feathers were growing in histail. " MR. CROW'S DECEIT. "I have heard a great many stories which Mr. Crow has told; but neverone about him, " your Aunt Amy interrupted. "If he tried to deceive theother birds, I surely would like to know about it. " "Well, he did, " Mrs. Mouser Cat said emphatically, sitting bolt upright;"but of course he doesn't like to have the story told, so I had ratheryou wouldn't let him know I mentioned it. "I don't know how he happened to get it into his head to do such athing, for, as a rule, he spends the most of his time over in the bigtree telling stories or making poetry; but he grew foolish once, andwhenever anybody came where he was, he said he had strange growingfeathers, and the doctor believed he was turning into a peacock. "Of course that made a good deal of excitement around here, among all ofus, for it would be a strange thing for a crow to change in that way, and he had twice as many visitors as he ever had before, all wanting toknow about the new feathers. "Well, of course he couldn't keep saying that they were coming, and notshow any signs of them, so one day he said he felt terribly sick andguessed he should go into the hospital. Then we didn't see anything ofhim for most a week, until little Redder Squirrel came around and saidMr. Crow was all right; that he had as many as six peacock feathersgrowing right out of his tail. "Well, now, you can believe we were astonished, and more excited over itthan we had been since young Mr. Thomas Cat painted the canary yellow. Of course we asked Redder Squirrel where we could see him, and he saidMr. Crow had agreed to come out on the hill, just under the tree, thatafternoon. "If we animals around here were anxious to see him, you can guess thatthe peacocks were just about wild, and when the time came for Mr. Crowto show himself, all the peacocks for as many as five miles around weregathered under the big tree. Mr. Crow didn't know anything about theircoming, until he marched right out in the midst of them. [Illustration: Mr. Crow showing his new feathers to the peacocks. ] "Now Mr. Crow is really a wise bird, and how it happened that he was sofoolish as to do what he did, beats me. Anybody with half an eye couldsee that he had simply stuck these feathers in his tail, and was tryingto make us believe they had grown there. If he had stayed on the treewhere we couldn't get very near him, there might have been some chanceof deceiving us; but there he was right down where we could put our pawson him if we wanted to. And the peacocks! Angry? Oh me, oh my, don't saya word! "One big one reached over with his beak, and pulled a feather from Mr. Crow's tail. "'The next time you set yourself up for one of us, it would be a goodidea to tie the feathers in, else they may drop out, as this one has, 'the peacock said, and I expected to see Mr. Crow almost faint away withshame. But bless you, he never thought of doing anything of that kind. He took the feather as bold as a lion, looked at the end of it, and thenhe said, careless-like: "'Well, I declare! I guess I must be moulting, ' and with that, off heflew. We didn't see him again for as much as two weeks, and then heagreed not to write any poetry about us if we wouldn't tell the story ofthe feathers; but young Mr. Thomas Cat couldn't hold in, and reported itfar and near, till Mr. Crow paid him back in good shape. " WHEN YOUNG THOMAS CAT PAINTED A CANARY. "But what about painting a canary?" your Aunt Amy asked. "You spoke ofsuch a thing a moment ago. " "Yes, and it is what I am telling you about. Mr. Crow wrote the poetrywhich tells the story, and you shall hear it. " Then Mrs. Mouser Cat repeated the following: For he was such a knowing puss-- Oh yes, he was! A really clever, sharp young puss-- Oh yes, he was! He wouldn't do as others do, He said, "I know a thing or two, _I_ do! "To-morrow is the great bird show-- I think it is; The far-renowned canary show-- Of course it is. Some yellow ochre, so I've heard, Will wondrously improve a bird, I've heard [Illustration: Thomas Cat Paints the Canary] "I think I'll enter at that show-- I think I will, Just make one entry for that show-- By Jove, I will. And if my bird don't get the prize, Why it will be, as I surmise, A surprise!" The show was held--a great success-- Of course it was! By all 'twas called a huge success-- Indeed it was! The judges were experienced cats; They wore tail-coats, and large top-hats-- _Such_ hats! Young Tom was there--he'd brought his bird-- Just think! he had! He'd really dared to bring that bird-- Oh yes, he had! He said, "No one will ever know That my canary's all no go, Oh no!" [Illustration: The Spry Old Judge] But one old judge was rather spry-- Oh yes, he was! You'd not have thought him half so spry, But oh, he was! He said, "Why really, on my word! Disqualify that shocking bird!-- Absurd!" So Tom's bird was disqualified-- Of course it was! Disgracefully disqualified, Ah yes, it was! And Tom, although he thought he knew A thing or two, found others too Who knew. "Mr. Thomas must have believed that honesty was the best policy, beforehe got through with the bird show, " your Aunt Amy suggested, and Mrs. Mouser Cat laughed as she replied: "It would have shamed almost any cat; but it didn't seem to make a bitof difference with young Thomas. He was just as pert as ever the nextday, and went around telling about the prize he would have taken if thejudge hadn't discovered the fraud. It would have served him right if hehad been punished as was Mr. Fox. " WHEN MR. FOX WAS TOO CUNNING. "Is that another story?" your Aunt Amy asked. "Yes, it is, " Mrs. Mouser said reflectively, "and it shows that thereare times when even a fox can be too cunning. One day while Mr. Fox, whoused to live down in the swamp, was sneaking around behind the barn onthis farm, he saw a bag hanging on the limb of a tree just over thewater barrel. "'Now I wonder what that is?' he said to himself, as he stopped andlooked first at the bag and then at the barrel. 'It smells good, and Ibelieve there's meat somewhere around here. ' [Illustration: Mr. Fox Hits Upon a Plan. ] "Then he climbed upon the barrel, and saw that it was half full ofwater, so he began to wonder what the meaning of it was. "'It must be a trap Mr. Man has set for me, ' he said rubbing his ear asif he thought himself very wise. 'He thinks I'll jump up for the bag, and fall into the water. Now he's got to find a younger fox than I am, if he wants to make that plan work, for I'm going to know what's hangingup there, and I won't take any chances of getting drowned, either, because I'll drink all the water first. Then that will settle it. ' "Well, he began to drink, and drink, and drink, until he swelled upamazingly; but there was plenty of water still left in the barrel. Thenhe drank some more; ran around a few moments, came back and drank again, until he was all swelled out, and couldn't swallow another drop; but thebarrel appeared to be as full as when he commenced. "By this time it wasn't possible for him to run the least little bit, and he was feeling a good deal as his father did after he had found thecrab, when along came Mr. Man, who said: "'Hello! here's a nice fat fox! I guess I'll take his skin, ' and thenext day, lo and behold, there was Mr. Fox's hide nailed up on the barn, showing that sometimes it is dangerous to be too cunning. " WHEN SONNY BUNNY RABBIT WAS RASH. "I never saw an animal who didn't get into trouble when he thought heknew everything, " Mrs. Mouser went on thoughtfully, giving no heed tothe fact that your Aunt Amy was on the point of interrupting her. "Nowthere is Sonny Bunny Rabbit, he got it into his head that he was thegreatest ever lived; that he could do just as he wanted to around thisneighborhood, because he led Mr. Fox into a trap one day. "Why, that foolish little rabbit used to sit out in the field at night, and tell me, who am old enough to be his grandmother at the very least, that he could do anything he pleased; that there was no animal aroundhere who could get the best of him. "Well, Sonny Bunny kept that idea in his mind, and one day Mr. Hawk camesailing along just when Sonny Bunny was talking with Redder Squirrel, and Redder he screamed: "'Run, Sonny Bunny! Run for your life!' "'You don't catch me running away from any old hawk, ' Sonny Bunny said, as bold as a lion. 'I'm going to stay right here, and kick dirt in hisface if he comes where I am. ' "'Run, Sonny Bunny, run!' Redder Squirrel cried, and for once he showedmore sense than usual. "But Sonny Bunny was so puffed up with what he thought he could do, thathe stood still, and got ready to kick dirt, while old Mr. Hawk camesailing round, and round, and round, making ready to light on him. Ifyou'll believe it, that foolish rabbit stayed right there until downcame Mr. Hawk, and then, oh me, oh my, how Sonny did kick dirt! [Illustration: When Sonny Bunny was an Invalid. ] "I'm willing to admit that part of his plan was all right. He blindedMr. Hawk, but at the same time didn't save all of his own skin, for theold fellow's claws went into Sonny Bunny's back so far, as his mothertold me, that you could almost see the bones, and the foolish rabbitlaid in bed three or four weeks before he was fit to go out of doorsagain. " "It seems to me as if I had heard something like that before, " your AuntAmy said, and Mrs. Mouser replied: "Very likely you've heard the same story, for all the animals aroundhere know about it. " "But what was it you said about Mr. Fox's father meeting a crab?" yourAunt Amy asked. MR. FOX AND MISS CRAB. "Well, that isn't what you might really call a story; it's onlysomething which happened to old Mr. Fox when he went down to theseashore for his health, and met young Miss Crab. He had never seenanybody of the kind, and didn't know whether she was an animal, or afish, or a bird. "'Good morning, ' he said very politely, and Miss Crab answered him backas nice as you please. "'Are you out for a walk?' he asked. "'Oh no, indeed, ' she said. 'I am here taking the sea air for my health. The doctor recommends it, but I am not allowed to move around very muchbecause I'm so feeble. ' [Illustration: Old Mr. Fox trying to coax Miss Crab out of her shell. ] "Now old Mr. Fox was puzzled. He put his paw on her shell, and it washard; but whether it was the house she lived in, or a part of herself, he couldn't for the life of him tell. "Well, after a time he made up his mind that the shell must be herhouse, so he said: "'Why don't you come outside where you can get purer air than you do inthere?' and she replied, just as a gull went sailing by: "'I don't dare to for fear some of those rude birds will eat me. ' "That settled old Mr. Fox. He thought if the birds liked Miss Crab wellenough to eat her, she would make a good supper for him. So he began tocoax and coax her to come out, and after a long time, finding that shewould not do as he wanted, he began trying to bite the shell intopieces. Then she caught hold of his tongue with one of her big claws, and bit as much as an inch and a half right straight off the end of it. "Oh me, oh my, how old Mr. Fox did howl! I'm told that he went home in amost dreadful rage, with the blood streaming out of his mouth, and whenhis wife asked him what the matter was, he couldn't say a word, ofcourse not, because his tongue was gone. I don't know how long it wasbefore he got well; but they do say he was the most shamefaced lookinganimal that was ever seen, whenever any one spoke to him about crabs, orthe seashore. " THE BABY ELEPHANT. "Speaking of the seashore reminds me of another piece of Mr. Crow'spoetry, and if you can stand any more, I wish you would, because I thinkthis is really good. " As a matter of course your Aunt Amy could do no less than say she wouldbe pleased to hear it, and Mrs. Mouser recited that which is set downhere: To little John Adolphus Chubb Your kind attention I invite; Oh, how he loves to bathe and scrub, Each day at noon and eke at night. Now John Adolphus William Chubb A fine young elephant is he; And when he's in his little tub, Oh, 'tis a pleasant sight to see! His nurse, --a motherly old thing-- No need to coax the rogue has she; Adolphus, when he sees her bring The water, trumpets in his glee. [Illustration: Johnny Chubb. ] Oh, how he loves the cold, cold stream Descending on him in the tub! He feels as if he'd like to scream-- He loves it so--does William Chubb. And then, the evening's washing o'er (Though he could wish it lasted still), His nurse will gay, "Come, come, no more; You've had enough now, Master Will!" So swift he's dried, his night-gown on, A night-cap tied upon his head, And to the rattle's music, John Adolphus William goes to bed. [Illustration: Johnny Goes to Bed. ] "I don't think that is very nice poetry, " your Aunt Amy said when Mrs. Mouser had come to the end of the verses. "It is too ridiculous. " "That may be; but I have heard some of your friends, like Mr. Turtle, for example, tell you even worse than that, " and Mrs. Mouser spoke quitesharply. "Now if you want a really pretty little story, that hasn't gotmuch fun in it, I can tell you one about two mice, and it must be true, because I had it from a cat friend of mine who was on the spot. " THE STORY OF SQUEAKY MOUSE. Your Aunt Amy said to Mrs. Mouser that she would be very much pleased tohear it, and, telling the story as if she did not entirely approve of itherself, Mrs. Mouser began: "Mother Mouse had two little daughters, Meeky and Squeaky. Meeky was agood little mouse, and did everything her mother told her. Squeaky wasvery brave and daring, but she was the torment of everybody's life. "One day Mother Mouse was too ill to go out and do her own marketing. "'I wish you children would go and get me a little lump of cheese, ' shemoaned. "Away scampered the two little mice to a high shelf they knew of; theirmother had warned them against traps and cats, so they were careful notto linger on the pantry floor. When they found the cheese, Meeky beganat once rolling up a little lump to take home to her mother, but Squeakyfilled her mouth as full as it would hold, and ran up and down theshelf, making a great clatter. "'Be careful, ' said her sister. 'The cat will hear you. ' [Illustration: Squeaky sees Mrs. Cat. ] "Squeaky looked down and saw the cat on the pantry shelf; she knew itcouldn't get up to her, and she could not resist calling: "'Peekaboo!' "Dear me, how Mrs. Cat glared! "'Oh, ' said Meeky, 'how are we to get down with mother's cheese now?' "Squeaky said they would wait till the cat went to sleep, and prettysoon this seemed to be the case. But Mrs. Cat was only shamming, for theminute Squeaky reached the floor she pounced upon her, and while themouse was carried shrieking away, Meeky made her escape. "Of course, Mother Mouse and Meeky felt badly for a while, but the othermice said it was just what might have been expected, and just whathappened to young mice who would not mind what their elders told them. " "Don't you ever feel badly, Mrs. Mouser, when you have caught a mouse, to think that it had a mother, and brothers and sisters, in its hole, waiting for it to come back?" your Aunt Amy asked. "Why should I?" and Mrs. Cat spoke sharply. "Mice were made for cats toeat, and even if they were not, unless I killed all I could, Mr. Man'shouse would be over-run with them. " A SAUCY MOUSE. "Of course I can't do very much in the daytime, because they don't comeout of their holes; but I work all night, and it would surprise you toknow how many there are in the house, I don't kill off a tenth part ofthem, and they seem to think they have more rights here than I have. "Why, it is only last week that I happened to look up on the broad shelfin the dining-room closet, and there were six mice, sitting around asbold as you please. Five ran for their lives the minute they saw me; butwhat do you think the other one did? Why, he sat on his tail with hispaws behind him, and actually scolded because I had come around there. [Illustration: Mr. Mouse is angry. ] "I really believe the foolish creature thought he could frighten me, forhe kept right on scolding and sputtering until I got my paw on his neck, and of course that settled him. I left him a good deal worse off thanMrs. Lioness did Mr. Rat, when she wanted to play with him. " FATAL SPORT. "That must be a new story, " your Aunt Amy said, and Mrs. Mouser lookedsurprised as she replied: "Well, well, I don't understand what all the animals around here havetalked about! This is the third or fourth very old story that youhaven't heard, and when I came in here to visit this afternoon, I had anidea that everything I might offer to tell, you had heard from some ofthe others. " "Suppose you tell me what Mrs. Lioness did to Mr. Rat?" your Aunt Amysuggested, and Mrs. Mouser began: "Once upon a time--you can see from the beginning how old this storyis--Mr. Rat ate his way into the place where they keep animals to showthem off--a Zoological Garden, I believe Mr. Man calls it. Well, afterMr. Rat got in he found a Mrs. Lion who was all alone, and feeling asthough she really needed company. She was just as kind to Mr. Rat as shecould be, and asked him why he didn't make his home there with her. "'I would like to, ' Mr. Rat said, 'for you seem to be a very nice kindof a Mrs. Lion; but when Mr. Man, who owns this place, comes along, hewill kill me if he can. ' "'I would like to see Mr. Man try to hurt any one who was visiting me!'Mrs. Lion said sharply, as she held up her paw. 'Do you see that? Icould kill Mr. Man with it in a minute if I struck him. ' "As she spoke she laid her paw on Mr. Rat in play, just to show him whatshe could do, and the 'play' was so rough that the breath of life wassqueezed out of Mr. Rat in a jiffy. "Now you might have supposed that Mrs. Lion would feel badly because shehad killed Mr. Rat without meaning to; but instead of that she said, looking at his body: "'What a poor kind of a creature he must be, when he allows himself tobe killed with what was no more than a love pat!' "And a little mouse, who was sitting in a hole in the wall, having seenall that happened, squeaked with a nervous snicker: "'A lion's sport is altogether too strenuous for such as us, and if Mr. Rat had been wise, he would have kept well outside the cage, fearingyour play even more than your anger. ' [Illustration: "What a poor creature Mr. Rat is to be killed with a lovepat, said Mrs. Lion. ] "'It seems to me he was a wise little mouse, ' your Aunt Amy said, andMrs. Mouser replied with a sneer: "He was a good deal like many others I know of, exceeding wise afterthey have seen the result of another's folly. But it seems to me that weare talking altogether too much about mice. " A CAT'S DREAM. "I have been wanting to repeat to you what I call some very nice poetry, which Mr. Crow made about a dream of mine. It is really the best thinghe ever wrote, and although I the same as promised not to ask you tolisten to anything more of his, I am very anxious for you to hear it. " "Don't think that I object so severely to what Mr. Crow writes, " yourAunt Amy replied. "I have heard a number of things he wrote which Ithought were very good indeed. " Then Mrs. Mouser Cat repeated the following: Kitty cat, kitty cat, asleep on the rug, With velvet paws beneath your head nice and snug, What are you dreaming of? What do you think When out slips your little tongue so soft and pink? When you flick your ears, and your whiskers quiver so, And you give an eager cry like a whisper low; When your tail pats the rug so intent, and you seem Just ready for a spring, tell me what do you dream? [Illustration: When Mrs. Mouser Dreams. ] "Oh, I have a fairy-land I visit in my sleep, Where the mice don't expect me and are playing bo-peep; Down I pounce upon them, they are not so quick as I, And I smile as I regale myself upon a mouse pie; "There are pantries where the pans of milk are brimming o'er, Where I lap the rich cream and spill no drop upon the floor; Loveliest custards, daintiest bits of fragrant cheese; And I help myself without a word as often as I please. "Then I walk along the fences and I grandly wave my tail; My whiskers are so fierce all the other cats turn pale; When Pug and Towser eye me, suspiciously, I know, I give a spring upon them and off in fright they go. "And in my pretty fairy-land no cruel boys appear; Only black eats and white cats, and purrs and mews to hear. And these are what my visions are, oh little mistress sweet; Sure any cat would need to smile asleep here at your feet. " [Illustration: A Cat's Dreamland. ] "Now I really think that is good, Mrs. Mouser, " and your Aunt Amy spokeno more than the truth. "I don't seriously object to Mr. Crow's nonsenseverses; but at the same time I never really enjoy them. " BLOOD RELATIONS. "Of course there's a difference in tastes, " Mrs. Mouser saidthoughtfully. "Some of the things which Bunny Rabbit thinks are good, Idon't like at all, and perhaps he objects to what I believe is veryfine. Now here is a story Mr. Crow has got about Mr. Man's boy Tommy. Mamma Speckle thinks there was nothing like it ever told. He says thatTommy Man, one night after he had been tucked up in his crib, wasawakened by a strange, humming, buzzing sound close to his head, andwhen he got out the sand that the 'sand-man' had put in his eyes, hestared about him. There on the bottom of the bed was a fearfulhobgoblin, so Tommy Man thought, with big round eyes, awfully long legsand wings, and a beak that looked like a trooper's sword. "'Are you one of those angels that my mamma said took care of littleboys at night?' asked Tommy Man, trembling. ' 'Cause if you are I guess Ican get along by myself all right; you needn't stay. ' "But the mosquito made a jab with his bill at the bed-clothes overTommy's chin, and said, loudly: "'Cousin-n-n-n-n, Cousin-n-n-n. ' "'Oh, you're a cousin, are you? I wonder which one?' "'Z-z-i-m m-m, ' answered the mosquito, buzzing about Tommy Man's head. [Illustration: The Unexpected Visitor. ] "'Zim? Oh, I guess you must be that soldier cousin of mother's by thelooks of the sword you carry; his name was Jim. ' "'Cousin-n-n-n-n!' buzzed the mosquito sharply. 'Don't you know your ownrelations?' "'You my relation?' Tommy asked in amazement. 'How do you make thatout?' "'Oh, easy. Relations are those who have the same blood in them, ain'tthey?' "'Yes, ' assented Tommy. "'Well, you and I have the same blood. You had it, and now I've got it. I just tapped you, you know. ' "Tommy didn't know anything of the kind, and he was terribly frightened, so he just covered up his head, and trembled until Mr. Mosquito flewaway. " "Those are what I call nonsense stories, " your Aunt Amy said when Mrs. Mouser ceased speaking, and she replied quite sharply: "Of course they are, and that is about all the animals on this farmknow. " "I am certain you make a mistake, Mrs. Mouser Cat, for you have told meseveral this afternoon which teach a good lesson, " your Aunt Amy said, and for a moment it seemed very much as if Mrs. Mouser was angry, buther face brightened an instant later, as she cried: "I've got the very story for you, although it's about a mouse, and Idon't really believe in talking of them so much, for it makes it appearas if they were of great importance, when all they are fit for is tofurnish food for us cats. "Once upon a time there was a miller who lived in his mill, and on acertain morning, when he was opening the sacks of grain, out hopped alittle mouse. "'Oh, wife, wife!' he cried as if he had seen some horrible animal. 'Bring me the butcher knife so that I can kill this mouse!' "But the little mouse put her paws together and begged for her life. Shepromised to keep the mill free from mice if the miller would spare herlife. Well, after a good deal of talk the miller agreed that she shouldbe allowed to live in the mill, and for a whole month she kept her wordso well that not even a mouse's tail was seen anywhere around the place. Then, one morning the miller heard a faint squeaking, and he cried outangrily: "'What's this, Mrs. Mouse? You have forgotten your promise, and let insome of your friends. ' "No, ' answered the little mouse, 'I have kept my promise. Those are mythree babies, who were born last night, ' and she led the way proudly toher nest, where the three squirming little mouse babies lay. "'So this is the way you keep your word, is it?' the miller criedangrily. 'You promised to drive all other mice away from this mill, andhere are three who have come to get their living from me!' "Then he picked up the babies and threw them into the river. Oh, but thelittle mouse was angry! Yet she was only a mouse, and he was a man, soshe said nothing; but after that, whenever she got a chance, she gnawedand gnawed and gnawed at the outer post of the mill, sometimes workingthe whole night long. "Then came a big storm, and the river rose very high; the posts whichwere half gnawed through, broke, and the mill fell over into the river. "'Save me! Save me!' shouted the miller as the swiftly-running currentcarried him down the stream. "'I am sending you to find my lost babies, ' squeaked the little mouse asshe ran to and fro on the bank. "There's a good lesson in that story, if you know how to find it, " Mrs. Mouser said as she curled herself into a little ball near the fireplace, much as though she had come to an end of her story-telling; but just atthat moment a mouse showed his nose in one corner of the room. In an instant Mrs. Mouser Cat was on her feet looking as if she hadnever thought of such a thing as taking a nap, and in a very few secondsshe had the mouse in her claws. [Illustration: Mrs. Mouser Cat Catches a Mouse. ] "I guess this breaks up my visit, " she said, going toward the door. "Imust give the kittens a chance to learn how a mouse should be caught, and it isn't likely I'll have time to come back here this afternoon. " Then Mrs. Mouser Cat disappeared through the half-opened door, and yourAunt Amy was left alone, wondering which, of all the animals on thefarm, would be the next to provide her with an afternoon'sentertainment. THE END.