VISITING MRS. FIELD-MOUSE
One fine morning in midsummer, Mother Graymouse and her family
started upon their annual outing.
Mrs. Field-Mouse, who was a distant cousin of Daddy Graymouse, lived
near Pond Lily Lake. Mother Graymouse usually visited her each year
in August.
The children had been looking forward to this trip for many days. The
bag which had once held the Christmas candy, was packed with dainties
for the little Field-Mouse Cousins. Limpy-toes and Buster were to
take turns carrying it, while Silver Ears helped her mother with
Squealer.
They started quite early in the morning, while the grass was wet with
dew, for it was a long walk and by noon the sun would be very hot.
Tiny and Teenty raced merrily on ahead, picking bouquets of wild
blossoms and calling gaily to the butterflies and honey bees who were
flitting among the flowers.
By-and-by, the tired little party stopped to rest under a clump of
red clover. Granny Whiskers had slipped a ginger cookie into each
tiny pocket when they called at her door to say good-by. These
cookies made a nice luncheon for them.
"How much farther is it, Mammy?" asked Tiny.
"We must follow this crooked path that leads through the sweet
clover, then go to the south of a big corn field. Do you see the top
of that wild cherry tree over yonder? Well, Cousin Field-Mouse lives
near that tree."
They were soon rested and eager to go on. It was sweet among the
nodding pink and white clover blossoms. The tall corn stalks, with
their silky tassels, seemed like a forest to the timid children, but
Mother Graymouse trotted bravely on. Under the shade of the wild
cherry tree, however, she paused in confusion.
"Why, Mr. Giant has plowed this land all up for his garden!" she
cried. "Poor Cousin Field-Mouse! Her comfortable home has been
destroyed."
"Must we go home?" sighed Silver Ears.
"I'm tired," mourned Buster.
"Wait. I see Dickie Grasshopper over by the pond," said Limpy-toes.
"Perhaps he can tell us where Cousin Field-Mouse lives now."
Dickie Grasshopper agreed at once to show them the way to Mrs.
Field-Mouse's new home. He went on ahead with a hop, skip and jump,
so that they had to hurry to keep him in sight. He soon brought them,
warm and breathless, to a pile of rails near the corn field.
"I thank you very kindly, Dickie," said Mother Graymouse. Then she
knocked upon the door of the humble cottage.
"Why, my dear Betsey!" cried Mrs. Field-Mouse. "I am glad to see you!
And all of the children. Dearie sakes, how they do grow! This is a
pleasure, a real surprise party. Do come in and take off your
bonnet."
"We did not know that you had moved, Debbie," said Mother Graymouse
as she untied Squealer's bonnet strings. "How did it happen?"
Tears came into Mrs. Field-Mouse's eyes.
"Oh, it was dreadful, Betsey, just dreadful! One bright, sunshiny
morning in the spring, there came a terrible earthquake. All in a
minute, our home was a mass of ruins. Pa Field-Mouse was away from
home. I snatched Baby Wee and saved him. But oh, my dear Betsey, of
all my ten children, Wee and Nimble-toes were the only ones to
escape. Sniff! sniff! sniff!"
"Sniff! sniff!" cried Mother Graymouse.
"Well, we mice must make the best of things," added Mrs. Field-Mouse
more cheerfully. "Our new home is snug and sheltered and not nearly
as damp as the old one. There is an abundance of sweet corn and other
juicy vegetables in the Giant's garden, and a big oak tree near by to
supply us with all the acorns we shall need for next winter.
"The pond is near, also. Pa Field-Mouse has built us a small raft of
dried mushrooms and sometimes we go sailing across the water. Pa and
Nimble-toes are down by the pond, gathering seeds. When they come
home, Nimble-toes shall show the dear children the sights."
When Pa Field-Mouse and Nimble-toes returned, Mrs. Field-Mouse had
dinner ready, out under the oak tree in real picnic fashion.
Nimble-toes danced with delight when he saw the bag of rare goodies.
Buster, however, thought that the minced turnip and seed salad was a
great treat.
Baby Squealer never cried "Boo-hoo!" once all that long summer day.
He played with Baby Wee as smiling and happy as could be.
"The darling is always as good as gold when he is out doors," said
Mother Graymouse.
"I always said it was fresh air and sunshine that made Wee so
healthy," agreed Ma Field-Mouse.
After dinner, Nimble-toes invited Limpy-toes, Silver Ears, Buster and
the twins to go out and play with him. They went down to the pond,
which was dotted with sweet, white lilies, and watched the fish
splash in the water.
Grandpa Bull Frog hopped over to chat with them. He invited them to a
frog concert which was to be held that evening.
"We would love to stay," smiled Silver Ears, "but I fear Mammy will
go home early."
"Grandpa Bull Frog plays a bass-viol," explained Nimble-toes. "He
plays very nicely."
"So does my Uncle Squeaky," bragged Buster, "only he plays a fiddle."
A big black snake crawled along just then and frightened the twins so
badly that they all had to run away from the pond.
In the garden, Nimble-toes showed them how to climb a corn-stalk,
peel off the husks and nibble the sweet, white kernels.
"Oh, isn't it sweet and juicy!" cried Buster. "Say, Nimble-toes, I'd
like to stay here a whole month."
"You would grow fatter than ever," laughed Limpy-toes. "But it is
delicious."
They found some little red berries growing under the oak tree, that
tasted very much like Uncle Squeaky's checkermints. Nimble-toes said
that they were checkerberries.
All too soon, the sun sank in the west, it began to grow dark and
Mammy called that it was time to start for home.
It was a fine moonlight evening and the walk home seemed short.
Crickets were singing their even-songs all along the road.
Whippoor-wills and tree toads shrilled their calls, also. From Pond
Lily Lake, they heard faint, sweet sounds in the distance as the frog
concert began.
"It has been a lovely day, Mammy," said Silver Ears. "I would like to
live away out in the country."
"Where there are sweet, juicy ears of corn," added Buster.
"Nimble-toes promised to take me for a sail some day," said
Limpy-toes.
"Oh, let's go again, Mammy," lisped Tiny.
"Let's go," echoed Teenty.
Baby Squealer was sound asleep in the candy bag which hung over
Mother Graymouse's shoulder, so he did not even say "Boo-hoo!"
"Well, well, dearies, we did have a delightful visit," replied Mother
Graymouse. "Perhaps some day we will go again."