In a crack, near the cupboard,
With dainties provided,
A certain young mouse
With her mother resided;
So securely they lived,
In that snug, quiet spot,
Any mouse in the land
Might have envied their lot.
But one day the young mouse,
Which was given to roam,
Having made an excursion
Some way from her home,
On a sudden returned,
With such joy in her eyes,
That her grey, sedate parent
Expressed some surprise,
"Oh mother," said she,
"The good folks of this house
I'm convinced, have not any
Ill-will to a mouse;
And those tales can't be true
You always are telling,
For they've been at such pains
To construct us a dwelling.
"The floor is of wood,
And the walls are of wires
Exactly the size that
One's comfort requires;
And I'm sure that we there
Shall have nothing to fear,
If ten cats, with kittens,
At once should appear.
"And then they have made
Such nice holes in the wall,
One could slip in and out,
With no trouble at all;
But forcing one through
Such rough crannies as these,
Always gives one's poor ribs
A most terrible squeeze.
"But the best of all is,
They've provided, as well,
A large piece of cheese,
Of most exquisite smell;
'Twas so nice, I had put
In my head to go through,
When I thought it my duty
To come and fetch you."
"Ah, child," said the mother,
"Believe, I entreat,
Both the cage and the cheese
Are a terrible cheat;
Do not think all that trouble
They took for our good,
They would catch us and kill us
All there if they could.
"Thus they've caught and killed scores,
And I never could learn,
That a mouse who once entered
Did ever return."
Let young people mind
What the old people say.
And, when danger is near them,
Keep out of the way.
[Page 183--Mousey Land]
[Illustration: Mice helping their comrade out of a trap.]