Mouser Cat's Story Part 6

MR. FOX AND MISS CRAB.

"Well, that isn't what you might really call a story; it's only something which happened to old Mr. Fox when he went down to the seash.o.r.e for his health, and met young Miss Crab. He had never seen anybody of the kind, and didn't know whether she was an animal, or a fish, or a bird.

"'Good morning,' he said very politely, and Miss Crab answered him back as 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 much because I'm so feeble.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: Old Mr. Fox trying to coax Miss Crab out of her sh.e.l.l.]

"Now old Mr. Fox was puzzled. He put his paw on her sh.e.l.l, and it was hard; 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 sh.e.l.l must be her house, so he said:

"'Why don't you come outside where you can get purer air than you do in there?' 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 well enough to eat her, she would make a good supper for him. So he began to coax and coax her to come out, and after a long time, finding that she would not do as he wanted, he began trying to bite the sh.e.l.l into pieces. 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 a most dreadful rage, with the blood streaming out of his mouth, and when his wife asked him what the matter was, he couldn't say a word, of course not, because his tongue was gone. I don't know how long it was before he got well; but they do say he was the most shamefaced looking animal that was ever seen, whenever any one spoke to him about crabs, or the seash.o.r.e."

THE BABY ELEPHANT.

"Speaking of the seash.o.r.e reminds me of another piece of Mr. Crow's poetry, and if you can stand any more, I wish you would, because I think this is really good."

As a matter of course your Aunt Amy could do no less than say she would be pleased to hear it, and Mrs. Mouser recited that which is set down here:

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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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 quite sharply. "Now if you want a really pretty little story, that hasn't got much 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 to hear it, and, telling the story as if she did not entirely approve of it herself, Mrs. Mouser began:

"Mother Mouse had two little daughters, Meeky and Squeaky. Meeky was a good little mouse, and did everything her mother told her. Squeaky was very 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,' she moaned.

"Away scampered the two little mice to a high shelf they knew of; their mother had warned them against traps and cats, so they were careful not to linger on the pantry floor. When they found the cheese, Meeky began at once rolling up a little lump to take home to her mother, but Squeaky filled her mouth as full as it would hold, and ran up and down the shelf, making a great clatter.

"'Be careful,' said her sister. 'The cat will hear you.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: Squeaky sees Mrs. Cat.]

"Squeaky looked down and saw the cat on the pantry shelf; she knew it couldn'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 pretty soon this seemed to be the case. But Mrs. Cat was only shamming, for the minute Squeaky reached the floor she pounced upon her, and while the mouse was carried shrieking away, Meeky made her escape.

"Of course, Mother Mouse and Meeky felt badly for a while, but the other mice said it was just what might have been expected, and just what happened 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 to eat, and even if they were not, unless I killed all I could, Mr. Man's house would be over-run with them."

A SAUCY MOUSE.

"Of course I can't do very much in the daytime, because they don't come out of their holes; but I work all night, and it would surprise you to know how many there are in the house, I don't kill off a tenth part of them, and they seem to think they have more rights here than I have.