“WELL,” yawned Mr. Mouse, rolling off his soft cotton bed, “I think I’d
better go out and see what I can find for breakfast; we haven’t a bit of
cheese or bread in the house.”
“Now do be careful, dear,” warned Mrs. Mouse, “and please don’t go near
that nasty old trap under the steps.”
“All right, I’ll be careful,” laughed her husband and he hurried down
the long hall which connected their home with a large cellar where all
sorts of good things could usually be found. But on this particular
morning Mr. Mouse found food very scarce and he was forced to climb
about in many places in search of breakfast. While walking along the
edge of a basket he chanced to see some crumbs of bread on the steps
near by, and wishing to make a short cut he decided to leap onto an
empty fruit jar that stood near, and from there onto the steps. He made
a mighty leap onto the jar, but before he could balance himself he
slipped and fell in.
[‡Illustration: Mouse]
His cries for help could not be heard, and it was some time before Mrs.
Mouse, who had been alarmed at his absence, found the poor fellow.
“Oh, dear me! By the great cat’s tail! This is most awful!” exclaimed
Mrs. Mouse, bursting into tears.
[‡Illustration: Jar]
“Go tell the Teenie Weenies!” shouted her husband. “They will come and
help me out.”
Mrs. Mouse ran over to the shoe house, and climbing up the front steps
she rapped so hard that she scratched half the paint off the tiny door.
Between bursts of tears Mrs. Mouse told the Teenie Weenies about her
husband and the little people promised at once to help.
“Dear Mrs. Mouse,” said the Lady of Fashion, trying to comfort the
tearful mouse, “you must calm yourself. You must try to be calm.”
“Great cat’s claws!” exclaimed Mrs. Mouse, “I’d like to see you be calm
with a husband in a fruit jar,” and she burst into another fit of crying
as she hurried back to her imprisoned husband, followed by the Teenie
Weenies.
The Teenie Weenies quickly put up a ladder which they had brought with
them, and the Doctor was soon lowered into the jar, where he found the
poor mouse had two badly sprained legs. The General ordered the big
windlass brought up, and when a derrick had been built on top of the
fruit jar out of three strong clothespins the injured mouse was bundled
into the biggest teenie weenie tablecloth and pulled out.
As it was late the Teenie Weenies decided to make the poor mouse as
comfortable as possible, for it was quite a long way to the mouse’s
home, and they thought that after a night’s rest he could stand the trip
with less pain.
[‡Illustration: Clothespin]
The little men made him a soft bed under the cellar stairs, and after he
had eaten a Welsh rarebit, which the Cook brought to him, he fell into a
sound sleep with Mrs. Mouse sitting watchfully by his side.
“We’ll be over early in the morning and take your husband home,” said
the General, and the Teenie Weenies started back to the shoe house, for
it was fast growing dark.
[‡Illustration: Soup]
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