A MERCHANT was going along the road one day with a sack of peas on the
back of an Ox. The Ox was stung by a Fly, and gave a kick, and down fell
the sack. A Mouse was passing by, and the Merchant said, "Mousie, if you
will help me up with this sack I will give you a pea." The Mouse helped
him up with the sack and got a pea for his trouble. He stole another,
and a third he found on the road.
When he got home with his three peas he planted them in front of his
hole. As he was planting them he said to them, "If you are not all three
sprouting by to-morrow I'll cut you in pieces and give you to the black
Ox." The peas were terribly frightened, and the next morning they had
already begun to sprout, and each of them had two shoots. Then he said,
"If I don't find you in blossom to-morrow I'll cut you in pieces and
give you to the black Ox." When he went to look next day they were all
in blossom. So he said, "If I don't find ripe peas on you to-morrow I'll
cut you in pieces and give you to the black Ox." Next day they had pods
full of ripe peas on them.
So every day he used to eat lots of peas, and in this manner he got very
fat. One day a pretty young lady Mouse came to see him.
"Good morning, Sleekie," said she; "how are you?"
"Good morning, Squeakie," said he; "I'm quite well, thank you."
"Why, Sleekie," said she, "how fat you are."
"Am I?" said he. "I suppose that's because I have plenty to eat."
"What do you eat, Sleekie?" asked the pretty young lady Mouse.
"Peas, Squeakie," said the other.
"Where do you get them, Sleekie?"
"They grow all of themselves in my garden, Squeakie."
"Will you give me some, please?" asked the lady Mouse.
"Oh yes, if you will stay in my garden, you may have as many as you
like."
So Squeakie stayed in Sleekie's garden, and they both ate so many peas
that they got fatter and fatter every day.
One day Squeakie said to Sleekie, "Let's try which can get into the hole
quickest." Squeakie was slim, and she had not been at the peas so long
as Sleekie, so she got into the hole easily enough; but Sleekie was so
fat that he could not get in at all.
He was very much frightened, and went off in hot haste to the
Carpenter, and said to him, "Carpenter, please pare off a little flesh
from my ribs, so that I can get into my hole."
"Do you think I have nothing better to do than paring down your ribs?"
said the Carpenter angrily, and went on with his work.
The Mouse went to the King, and said, "O King, I can't get into my hole,
and the Carpenter will not pare down my ribs; will you make him do it?"
"Get out," said the King; "do you think I have nothing better to do than
look after your ribs?"
So the Mouse went to the Queen. Said he, "Queen, I can't get into my
hole, and the King won't tell the Carpenter to pare down my ribs. Please
divorce him."
"Bother you and your ribs," said the Queen; "I am not going to divorce
my husband because you have made yourself fat by eating too much."
The Mouse went to the Snake. "Snake, bite the Queen, and tell her to
divorce the King, because he will not tell the Carpenter to pare my ribs
down and let me get into my hole."
"Get away," said the Snake; "or I'll swallow you up, ribs and all; the
fatter you are, the better I shall be pleased."
He went to the Stick, and said, "Stick, beat the Snake, because she
won't bite the Queen, who won't divorce the King and make him tell the
Carpenter to pare down my ribs, and let me get into my hole."
"Off with you," said the Stick; "I'm sleepy, because I have just beaten
a thief; I can't be worried about your ribs."
He went to the Furnace, and said, "Furnace, burn the Stick, and make it
beat the Snake, that he may bite the Queen and make her divorce the
King, who won't tell the Carpenter to pare down my ribs, and let me get
into my hole."
"Get along with you," said the Furnace; "I am cooking the King's dinner,
and I have no time now to see about your ribs."
He went to the Ocean, and said, "Ocean, put out the Fire, and make it
burn the Stick, so that it may beat the Snake, and the Snake may bite
the Queen, and she may divorce the King, who won't tell the Carpenter to
pare down my ribs, and let me get into my hole."
"Don't bother me," said the Ocean; "it's high tide, and all the fishes
are jumping about, and giving me no rest."
He went to the Elephant, and said, "O Elephant, drink up the Ocean, that
it may put out the Fire, and the Fire may burn the Stick, and the Stick
may beat the Snake, and the Snake may bite the Queen, and the Queen may
divorce the King, and make him tell the Carpenter to pare down my ribs,
and let me get into my hole."
"Go away, little Mouse," said the Elephant; "I have just drunk up a
whole lake, and I really can't drink any more."
He went to the Creeper, and said, "Dear Creeper, do please choke the
Elephant, that he may drink up the Ocean, and the Ocean may put out the
Fire, and the Fire may burn the Stick, and the Stick may beat the Snake,
and the Snake may bite the Queen, and the Queen may divorce the King,
and the King may tell the Carpenter to pare down my ribs, and let me get
into my hole."
"Not I," says the Creeper; "I am stuck fast here to this tree, and I
couldn't get away to please a fat little Mouse."
Then he went to the Scythe, and said, "Scythe, please cut loose the
Creeper, that it may choke the Elephant, and the Elephant may drink up
the Ocean, and the Ocean may put out the Fire, and the Fire may burn the
Stick, and the Stick may beat the Snake, and the Snake may bite the
Queen, and the Queen may divorce the King, and the King may tell the
Carpenter to pare down my ribs, and let me get into my hole."
"With pleasure," said the Scythe, who is always sharp.
So the Scythe cut the Creeper loose, and the Creeper
began to choke the Elephant, and the Elephant ran off
and began to drink up the Ocean, and the Ocean began
to put out the Fire, and the Fire began to burn the
Stick, and the Stick began to beat the Snake, and
the Snake began to bite the Queen, and the
Queen told the King she was going to
divorce him, and the King was
frightened, and ordered the
Carpenter to pare Sleekie's
ribs, and at last Sleekie
got into his hole.