Mighty Mikko Part 35

The Hare gave some frightened squeaks as his idea of mourning the dead.

"No, no," Osmo said, "I don't like your mourning either."

So he walked on farther until by chance he met the Fox.

"Mikko," he said, "my wife's dead and I'm out looking for a good strong mourner. Can you mourn?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: _And Mikko, beginning with a little whimpering sound, slowly rose to a high heartrending cry_]

"Can I? Indeed I can!" the Fox declared. "I'm a marvel at mourning! I can wail high and low and soft and loud and just any way you want!

Listen!" And Mikko, beginning with a little whimpering sound, slowly rose to a high heartrending cry. This is what he wailed:

"_Med! Med! Med!_ The Bear's Wife is dead!

_Lax! Lax! Lax!_ No more she'll spin the flax!

_Eyes! Eyes! Eyes!_ No more she'll bake the pies!

_Air! Air! Air!_ No more she'll drive the mare!

_Shakes! Shakes! Shakes!_ There'll be no more little cakes!

_Darth! Darth! Darth!_ Throw the pots on the hearth For the Bear's Wife is dead!

_Med! Med! Med!_"

Osmo, the Bear, was deeply moved.

"Beautiful! Beautiful!" he grunted hoa.r.s.ely. "How well you knew her!

Come along home with me, Mikko, and start right in! Oh, how beautifully you wail!"

So Mikko went home with the Bear. The old Bear Wife was laid out on a bench in the kitchen.

"Now then," the Bear said, "you begin the wailing while I cook the porridge."

"No, no, Osmo," the Fox said, "I couldn't possibly wail in here! The place is full of smoke and my voice would get husky in two minutes!

Can't you lay her out in the storehouse?"

The Bear demurred but the Fox insisted and at last had his way. So together they dragged the body of the old Bear Wife out to the storehouse. The Fox stood beside the body ready to begin his wailing and the Bear went back to the kitchen.

The moment the Bear was out of sight Mikko, the rascal, instead of bewailing the old Bear Wife began gobbling her up! He just gobbled and gobbled and gobbled as fast as he could.

"What's the matter?" the Bear called out after a few minutes. "Why don't you begin?"

The Fox made no reply but kept on gobbling as hard as he could.

"Mikko! Mikko!" the Bear called out again. "What's the matter? Why aren't you howling?"

By this time the Fox had made a good dinner, so he called back:

"Don't bother me! I'm busy eating! Yum! Yum! Yum! Bear meat is awful good! Just give me a few more minutes and I'll be finished!"

At that the Bear rushed out of the kitchen in a terrible rage but the Fox was already running off and the Bear was unable to catch him. He did hit the end of his tail with the long spoon with which he had been measuring the meal, but that was all.

Mikko, the rascal, got safely away. However, to this day his tail shows the white mark of the meal.

[Decoration]

ADVENTURE V

MIRRI, THE CAT

[Decoration]

One day while the Fox was out walking in the forest he met a stranger.

"Good day," he said. "Who are you?"

"I am Mirri," the stranger said, "a poor unfortunate Cat out of employment. I had service in a decent family but I've had to leave them."

"Did they treat you badly?" the Fox asked.

"No, it wasn't that. They were considerate enough but they kept getting poorer and poorer until finally they hadn't food enough to feed us animals. Then I overheard the master say that soon they'd be forced to eat us and that they'd begin with me. At that I decided it was time for me to run away and here I am."

"My poor Cat," Mikko said, "you've had a cruel experience! Why don't you take service with me?"

"Will I be safe with you?" the Cat asked. "Will you protect me?"

"Will I?" the Fox repeated boastfully. "My dear Mirri, once it becomes known that you are Mikko's servant all the animals will show you a wholesome respect."

"Well then, I'll enter your service," the Cat said.

So the bargain was struck and the Fox at once began to train his new servant.

"Now, Mirri, tell me: what would you do if you suddenly met a Bear?"

"There's just one thing I could do, master: I'd run up a tree."

The Fox laughed.

"You must have more ways than one to meet such a situation! Take me now: there are any of a hundred things that I could do if I met a Bear!"

[Ill.u.s.tration: _He jerked quickly away and fled and the Bear was left standing with his mouth wide open_]

Just then Osmo, the Bear, ambled softly up behind the Fox. The Cat saw him and instantly flew up a tree. Before the Fox could move Osmo clutched him firmly on the shoulder with his teeth.

"Oh, master, master!" the Cat called down from the tree. "What's this?

I with my one way have escaped and you with your hundred are caught!"

But the Fox paid no heed to the Cat. He twisted his head around and looked reproachfully at the Bear.

"Why, Osmo, my dear old friend!" he said, "what in the world do you mean taking hold of me so roughly! Ouch! You're nipping my shoulder, really you are! I don't understand why you're acting this way! Here I've always been such a good friend to you, so faithful, so true, so--"

"What!" rumbled the Bear. "Faithful! True! Oh, you--"