and I made a trip together. We were both very gay, and one hot summer
morning he said to me,--
"'"Every one is bound to the mountains: let us go, too."
"'"But," said I, "you know my father is away on business, and I am the
eldest son, left in charge of the family."
"'"Never mind," rejoined he, "we can have such splendid fun!"
"'Well, we ran away from home (my cousin lived with us, as he had been
left an orphan at a tender age). We travelled along bravely for a time,
although the sun was dreadfully hot upon our backs.'
"'"Oh, dear!" I panted, "I never was so warm in my life."
"'"What is easier than to carry an umbrella, then?" suggested my
companion; and with that he nibbled the stems of two toad-stools until
they separated, and carrying one above his own head, gave me the other.
This was a delightful change, for the toad-stools spread so as to
shelter our faces from the sun. We trotted along comfortably after this,
and finally came to the brink of a brook, where we paused, because we
did not know how to get across.
"'"The mountains look such a little way off," said my cousin dismally;
yet the brook still whirled on, seeming to laugh at our discomfiture.
"'"I believe we could skip from stone to stone," urged the gray mouse,
who was determined not to turn back, if he could possibly help it.
"'So I tried the bits of stone for some distance; and then I found
myself away out where the water was ever so deep, and I was seized with
fright, not daring to move an inch either way, but clinging to the wet,
slimy rock. Presently a beautiful trout came swimming towards me, its
sides all clothed in variegated scales, and its handsome eyes sparkling
with fun.
"'"What is the matter; are you sea-sick?" laughed the trout, splashing
the foam from its tail in my face.
"'"Oh! don't, if you please, I am so giddy now," I cried, and then
tumbled headlong into the water.
"'Ugh! what a cold bath that was: it makes me shiver only to think of
it. The wicked fish took me on his back, and gave me such a sail as I
hope I may never have again in this world. It went up and down, and up
and down again, approaching the shore occasionally only to dart off for
a fresh trip, until I fairly squealed with fright, clasping its slippery
back the while. At last it flung me off, and I landed by my cousin, who
did nothing but laugh at me. I was very cross by this time; so, after
trying to dry myself upon some blades of grass, I determined to return
home. Just then a fat old bull-frog paddled lazily towards the bank.
"'"Will you carry us across the brook?" inquired my cousin eagerly.
"'"How much do you weigh?" asked the bull-frog, winking slowly.
"Just take up this fellow, and see." He then lifted me upon the
bull-frog's back, who carried me safely across before I could say a
single word. Afterward he brought my cousin over also, and we were able
to resume our journey.
"'Fortunately we overtook a field mouse soon after, who invited us to
visit his family in the stump of a tree, which we were glad enough to
do, as we were both hungry and tired. That night I was very ill with
chills and fever,--probably owing to the cold bath I had taken; and the
field mice had to give me a dose of some kind of bark that they always
kept in the house, as they lived in a swampy region, which made me
better. They none of them thought I could go on the next morning; and,
as the gray mouse was so anxious to climb the mountains, I proposed his
starting without me. This he consented to do, when one of the young
field mice offered to be his guide; and if I felt well enough, I was to
join them after a while. I had a very nice visit, indeed: the field mice
were so hospitable and kind. I spent most of my time in the house with
the ladies, and the eldest daughter was--who do you think? Why, your
mother, of course; and a prettier young mouse I never saw.'
"'Don't be foolish,' interrupted Grandmamma.
"'Yes; but you were just as pretty as ever you could be,' urged
Grandpapa, politely.
"'I know I was considered the belle of our society;' and Grandmamma
tossed her head when she thought of the admirers of her youth.
"'I concluded I would not join my cousin at all,' went on Grandpapa;
'but this I was finally obliged to do, for days passed on and they did
not return. At this we all began to look grave; so the father
field-mouse told me that he was afraid something had happened, and he
thought we had better search for them. We made a party of eight, and set
out towards the mountains, anticipating something dreadful must have
befallen the travellers. Ah, what a time we had!
"'We came to a place where the rock rose so steep and straight before
us, that I did not consider it possible to climb it. What do you suppose
we did? We tied ourselves together, as travellers do when ascending the
Alps in Switzerland, although not with such ropes as they use; we
fastened the tips of our tails together with bits of grass, then marched
along side by side. This was an excellent arrangement, as we afterwards
found; for at one time they all slipped, obliging me to bear their
weight upon my tail. It was a terrible moment: I feared it would break,
or be pulled out from the roots entirely!
"'At last we reached a shelf of rock where we could rest awhile. The
view from this place was splendid. The valleys lay below blooming with
verdure, many-colored flowers, and golden grain almost ready for the
harvest; the rivers sparkled under the clear sunlight in silvery
threads; and of the towns scattered along the the hillside as far as I
could see, the church steeples looked like mere arrowy spikes. When I
gazed down upon this beautiful smiling earth, and up at the blue sky
where the soft white clouds were floating idly along, it seemed to me
very wonderful that the good God, who had made such grand things, had
made also little me.
"'We climbed up and up for several days, following footprints that were
certainly those of mice; and we hoped belonged to our friends. At last,
even such traces ceased; and we were fairly at our wits' end, when we
heard faint sounds behind a large leaf. Peering cautiously around the
corner, we saw the gray mouse and his companion stretched upon a bed of
moss, groaning in the most dismal manner. They were overjoyed to see us
again, for they had supposed they must die up there alone. My cousin
had slipped, and sprained his ankle terribly; while the field-mouse had
lost his balance, in trying to assist him, and fallen down a precipice
some twenty inches high, thus injuring his spine. It was all very well
having found them; but how were we to get them away, when neither of
them could move a step? We sat for a long time looking at each other in
doubt, and then a bright idea struck me.
"'"We can braid this sword-grass together, and lower them down by it," I
said.
"'We soon joined a quantity in this way, then fastened one end about the
waist of my cousin, and let him down to the next ledge. In this way we
got them both to the foot of the mountain. Now it remained to carry them
across the country; so we tore a mullein leaf in two halves, and,
placing the pieces upon birch twigs, formed excellent litters for our
invalids. We reached the stump of the field-mice again, after an absence
of a month. The surgeon mended my cousin's ankle, which was broken; and,
as for the young field-mouse, I am told he has not known what it was to
feel well a day since.
"'During the period that we remained, I made a proposal of marriage to
your mother, and was accepted; so, with the understanding that I should
return in the spring, we finally started home. My mother forgot to scold
us, she was so frightened by our long absence. Besides, she received
very sad news just at this time. My father, who was away on business, as
I have said, was taken with the cholera suddenly, after eating a late
supper of bacon rinds, and died. I tried to be a good son ever after,'
concluded he, wiping a tear from his left eye, 'although if I had not
been naughty this time, I should never have known your mother.'
"'For my part,' remarked the city mouse, 'I have had rather a tough time
of it so far. Now, indeed, I enjoy my ease; but, as I have said, it has
been hardly earned. My desire in going to town was, first, to learn
something of life, and then aspire to belonging to the class of business
mice, which seemed to me the most enviable lot imaginable. I was very
near losing sight of this aim once; still I persevered, until now I am
reckoned among the most influential people. When I began my career, I
was extremely gay; that is, I enjoyed the company of a number of other
young mice, who did nothing but frolic the whole day. I might have kept
on in this way for any length of time, had I not been suddenly checked.
"'I was invited to a ball given by a wealthy mouse at his country
residence, which was located in a nook of the wall of an ice-house. It
was really the finest place for the time of year I ever visited, and the
wealthy mouse had spared no expense in fitting it up nicely. The
coolness of the house was so refreshing in the sultry heat of July; for,
if one was too hot, all one had to do was to skip down where the great
blocks of ice were piled, and soon get cooled off again. Well, we were
all to attend the silver wedding of the old couple. The young mice had
the greatest time at the tailor's, wondering what to wear; for we were
expected to assume the character of some distinguished person, as it was
to be a fancy masquerade. I thought the tailor would have been crazed
with getting our costumes made, we altered our minds so often; but,
finally, all was ready, and, with our dresses wrapped in brown paper,
we started.
"'At the entrance door,--a crack in the stonework,--we were shown by two
waiters, in white jackets and aprons, to the dressing-room, where any
number of guests were tying on their masks, made of scraps of various
colored silks, that certainly had a very stylish appearance. The
reception rooms below were truly magnificent. The walls were hung with
strips of red and blue paper, gnawed into all manner of fanciful shapes,
while a row of glow-worms, placed at intervals, lit up the place in the
most beautiful way. At one end of the room stood the host and hostess
upon a platform an inch high (she wearing her wedding-dress of lily
leaves, which had a very old-fashioned effect, because every one wears
swan's-down nowadays), to receive the company, who marched up to make a
bow, each in turn. I represented Bluebeard, with a green turban round my
head, a red sash with a dagger of a rose-thorn, and a pair of yellow
Turkish trousers. This was all very elegant; but I found I could not
dance the polka very well, I was so much bundled up. A friend of mine
was dressed in a long-tailed coat of scarlet plush, with gold
knee-breeches; another had on for armor half of a nutmeg-grater, with a
tin shield made of the top of a spice-box, and a thistle-cup for helmet.
"'As for the ladies' toilets, I cannot begin to describe them, there was
such a variety of beauty and elegance. One lady's costume I remember
especially, however: it was so very dainty. She was equipped as a
flower-girl, with a short dress of sea-lettuce, looped by tufts of
dandelion down; she wore pink slippers, laced across the instep, a
bodice of wasp-wings, and a hat made of a silver three-cent piece,
ornamented by a flower in the side. I danced with this lady a great many
times, although, as she was masked, I could not see her face at all; and
we became quite well acquainted. The dancing-room grew very hot; and the
band played splendidly (they were katydids, and worked so hard with
their fiddles, it is only a wonder their legs were not worn out
entirely), when I proposed to the young lady-mouse to take a walk in the
moonlight. We found a good many others strolling along arm in arm; and
she had just consented to give me a whisker (as mortals would exchange a
lock of hair), when we heard a shrill voice behind us in the distance.
"'"Oh, that is my grandmother!" exclaimed my lovely companion in a
whisper, and then she fainted away.
"'The grandmother hobbled up, and she was certainly the ugliest little
old mouse I ever saw in my life. Her nose was very long, she wore green
spectacles, and used a cane in walking. When she beheld the insensible
form of her grand-daughter, she fairly shook her cane at me.
"'"What do you mean?" she said in a hoarse, croaking voice. "I came to
the ball to watch this young mouse; and now you have skipped out into
the moonlight to take cold, have you?"
"'She attempted to box my ears, while I tried to dodge her sharp claws;
and, in so doing, the fair young mouse fell to the ground, thus ruining
her pretty hat. The grandmother screamed with rage to see so nice a
costume spoiled, and this sent all the guests out to find what was the
matter. The noise brought still another guest to the scene that we did
not expect: a great cat, with eyes like green fire, came creeping
through the grass; but we never noticed her, we were so busy bickering
and quarrelling among ourselves.
"'Suddenly she gave a pounce into our midst; and we all ran for our
lives, tearing our dresses, losing caps and shoes, tumbling over each
other, until we arrived breathless under shelter. We then began to count
our number, and found that the poor flower-girl mouse was missing. I
peeped out of the crack fearfully, and sure enough the horrible cat was
stepping away lightly with our poor companion in her cruel mouth.
"'Of course the ball was closed after this dreadful accident; and as for
the grandmother, I have heard she was crazy afterward, so that she had
to be confined in an egg-shell with wire bars at the entrance. This
event sobered me very much. I began to think that there was something
more to be done in the world than frisk about and dress finely.
"'When I returned to the city, I went to a merchant mouse of great
reputation to seek employment. After some delay, I was shown into his
counting-room (behind the fireplace of a lawyer's office), where I found
him, as was to be expected, busily engaged at his desk. I told him I
should like to be appointed one of his clerks, as I hoped to rise, like
himself, to the rank of wealth and importance. He put his pen behind his
ear,--it was the pin-feather of a bird,--and smiled rather grimly, as
though he fancied a good many mice would enjoy growing as great as he
had. The salary I should receive was very small, he told me, and I would
have to work very hard for it; still I was not discouraged by all this,
so the next morning I entered his store.
"'He was one of the most influential provision mice in the city, doing a
large wholesale business with other cities, and the country as well. I
belonged at first to the number of young clerks whose duty it was to go
about the streets and houses with bags, like rag-pickers, to find odd
scraps of bread, cheese, sugar, nuts, raisins, and starch, which we
brought to the warehouse, where they were taken in charge by other
clerks, who packed them to be carried away, or sold them in piles at a
time.
"'It was terribly fatiguing, for we were expected to bring a full bag
always by nightfall; but I determined to be industrious; so I
persevered, although the time seemed _so_ long before I was promoted to
the rank of clerk in the receiving department. From this I have
progressed slowly enough, yet I have gained much knowledge. Dear me! I
could tell you where a crumb of cheese came from in the dark. Now I am
the head of the house; for my employer has retired from business,
leaving me in charge. I have also married his only daughter,' said the
city mouse, with a proud air.
"'I am glad you have succeeded;' commented Grandpapa kindly; 'only be
careful that prosperity does not make you arrogant, as it is apt to.
"'Now, my dear daughter;' he added, turning to the mouse who had arrived
second on Christmas Eve, 'what have you been doing this long time?'
"'I went to visit my cousin, as you will doubtless remember. She is a
great matchmaker, and perhaps you knew that when you sent me to her; for
I was then quite mature in age, and did not inherit any of my mother's
beauty, besides. Well, she found me plenty of suitors, and before long I
married. I enjoyed life very much at first; but sorrows in plenty
awaited me,' sighed the daughter, arranging her crape head-dress.
"'I had four beautiful children; and my pride in them was so great that
I decided to take them to the mouse fair, where prizes were to be given
to the handsomest babies. The mice were flocking from all quarters to
this splendid exhibition, which was given in order to raise funds for an
orphan asylum that was much needed in the region.
"'The place selected was under a rock on the margin of a wood. The tent
was made of rags joined together; and at the entrance we all paid the
admittance fee,--a kernel of corn, which was to go towards the fund. The
collection within was very fine. There were a few grains of maize
brought all the way from Egypt at immense expense. There was a portrait
of one of our distinguished ancestors, painted in brickdust by a young
mouse artist of great talent; there was a scrap of bacon sent from
England; and there were two whole figs given to the fair by a wealthy
mouse of high rank. There were also a number of articles to be sold by
lottery; a work-box formed of a filbert hollowed out, and lined with
moss, besides being fitted up with needles and scissors of fish-bone; a
pony carriage made of a scallop shell upon spool wheels, the most
luxurious thing to drive in I ever beheld; a candlestick of brown sugar,
beautifully nibbled into filigree work by a blind mouse of large
experience; and a blanket composed of a sheep's tail, embroidered with
cat-whiskers.
"'These are a few of the things I remember, because I nearly ruined my
husband by taking shares in them all; and I actually drew nothing, so
all that money, or corn rather, was lost.
"'Behind the tables stood rows of young lady-mice, all dressed alike,
with buttercup caps upon their heads, and wearing aprons, the pockets
trimmed with gold thread. This gave them a very pretty appearance; and
they sold much more among the gentlemen mice than they would have done,
had they been more plainly dressed.
"'At last it was time for the prizes to be given to the finest children;
and the committee of ten old mice, who were to decide the important
question took their places, and all mothers were told to come forward.
How lovely my dear babies did look! They never cried, or crumpled their
little white bibs in the least; and I felt so proud of them I could
hardly stand.
"'Well, they took all the prizes: one for his large weight, one for the
size of his nose, which was very remarkable for his age; one for the
smallness of his feet; and the last for the great length of his tail.
Oh! the other mothers were so enraged and jealous, I was afraid they
would tear my eyes out.'
"Here the daughter mouse began to sob and cry, while all of the family
tried to comfort her.
"'I will tell the rest: she will not be able,' piped her husband,
holding a smelling-bottle to her nose.
"'No, no,' she said in a faint voice, while Grandmamma fanned her: 'I
will finish.
"'We started home again with the little dears, and on our way paused to
rest for the purpose of eating a few wild berries in the wood, as a
luncheon, leaving our nurse at some little distance in charge of the
children. We were startled by a sudden squeal, and beheld the nurse
trotting towards us, her eyes wild with fright.
"'"Where are the babies?" I shrieked in terror.
"'Alas! I soon discovered what a misfortune had befallen me. A dog had
found them as they lay asleep, and was now tossing them rudely about in
sport, and I could not defend them. I have never been the same mouse
since their sad death, and I do not expect ever to wear any thing but
mourning.
"They were all very much affected by the sorrows of the eldest daughter.
When she had finished, the city mouse used her handkerchief several
times, while Grandmamma's spectacles were quite dim with tears.
"'Could you give us some items of your experience, also?' inquired
Grandpapa of his eldest son, sleepily but politely.
"'I have really nothing of importance to tell;' and perhaps he was
right, for he certainly had been very quiet all this time, although it
may have been because he ate so much dinner.
"'I have lived a very uneventful life,' he went on, 'not having wandered
further than the next village, where I live in a barn very comfortably.
I have no learned tastes, like my bachelor brother; I do not care in the
least whether the moon is green cheese or not,--as long as I stay on
earth it need not trouble me; I am not a business mouse, like my city
brother; I have never made a journey, like my father here; and all my
children have lived to grow up, so that I have not the same misfortunes
as my poor sister.
"'That is all I can say for myself; and, if it is agreeable to you all,
I propose we go to bed, as some of us will have to make an early start
in the morning,' he said, rising with a yawn of fatigue.
"They consented to this last arrangement, and thus Christmas Day closed
on Grandpapa Mouse and his family."
Public favor was universally awarded the Caterpillar after this effort.
The Cricket next received a reward for all his patience and good humor,
by having an opportunity of telling--
THE ENCHANTED BABY-HOUSE.
"Yes, it was a pleasant day, after all! The bright sunlight danced
through the parted crimson curtains down upon the nursery floor, down
upon curly heads nestled among the pillows, tinging the canary bird's
golden feathers, as he ruffled himself upon the perch before skipping
down to the dining-room of his cage for a stray seed or sip of water,
and blinking straight into the eyes of little Milly, as she first opened
them upon her sixth birthday. The other children were still napping; but
Hannah, the nurse, thought of it, and came to kiss the pet who had first
rested in her arms, a wee bundle of flannel, with a tiny red face. Nurse
thought Milly a great deal prettier and bonnier, as she crept out of bed
now to stand upon the warm hearth-rug in her white night-dress, warming
her little pink toes at the blaze, than when she was only that little
bundle of flannel on the day of her birth.
"'Come, dears,' said nurse, rousing the others: 'it is Milly's birthday,
you know; so be up bright and early.'
"'Yes, yes,' sang Milly, merrily whirling about the room to the step her
dancing-master had last taught her. 'Get up! I am six years old to-day:
only think; and you but four, Miss Pet,--such a little, little girl.'
"'No: I aint,' answered Pet, indignantly, rolling out upon the floor
like a rosy ball of an apple: 'I am so big I can see over the table,
anyhow.'