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Internet Archive/American Libraries.) Music by monkeyclogs.
[Illustration: BY THE SEA.]
FIVE MICE IN A MOUSE-TRAP, BY THE MAN IN THE MOON.
_DONE IN VERNACULAR,
FROM THE LUNACULAR,_
BY LAURA E. RICHARDS,
_Author of "Babyhood," Etc._
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
_KATE GREENAWAY_, _ADDIE LEDYARD_, _AND OTHERS_.
* * * * *
BOSTON:
PUBLISHED BY ESTES AND LAURIAT,
299 TO 305 WASHINGTON STREET,
1881.
_Copyright,_
BY ESTES & LAURIAT,
1880.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
THE MAN IN THE MOON, 9
CHAPTER II.
THE MOUSE-TRAP, 14
CHAPTER III.
THE MICE, 19
CHAPTER IV.
JOLLYKALOO, 45
CHAPTER V.
TOMTY, 64
CHAPTER VI.
A NIGHT JOURNEY, 79
CHAPTER VII.
A RAINY DAY AND WHAT CAME OF IT, 97
CHAPTER VIII.
A STORY CHAPTER, 109
CHAPTER IX.
A PICNIC, 123
CHAPTER X.
THE CARRIAGE CLOUD, 138
CHAPTER XI.
A BIRTHDAY PARTY, 154
CHAPTER XII.
SICKNESS IN THE MOUSE-TRAP, 169
CHAPTER XIII.
OFF TO THE SEA-SHORE, 179
CHAPTER XIV.
STORIES AGAIN, 193
CHAPTER XV.
FOLLOWING A SUNBEAM, 207
CHAPTER XVI.
UNDER THE SEA, 215
CHAPTER XVII.
GOOD-BYE, 227
[Illustration]
CHAPTER I.
THE MAN IN THE MOON.
CHILDREN, down on the planet which you call Earth, allow me to introduce
myself to you! I am the Man in the Moon. I have no doubt that you know a
good deal about me, in an indirect way, and that your nurses have told
you all sorts of nonsense about my inquiring the way to Norwich--as if I
didn't know the way to Norwich! and various things equally sensible. But
now I am going to tell you a little about myself, and a great deal about
_yourselves_, and about everything in general. In short, I am going to
write you a book, and this is the beginning of it.
[Illustration: PATCHKO'S FATHER.]
You see, I live very quietly up here, very quietly indeed, with only my
dog to bear me company. He is a good dog, and very funny sometimes, but
still I have a good deal of time on my hands, and nothing amuses me so
much as to watch all that is going on down on your planet, and see what
people in general, and children in particular, are doing, every day and
all day. You may wonder how I can see so far, and see distinctly, but
that is easily explained. I have a great, monstrous mirror, which
is--oh! well, if I were to tell you how big it is, you would not believe
me, so I will only say that it is very big indeed. This mirror has also
the advantage of being a very strong magnifying glass, and as I can tip
it in any direction I please, you will easily understand that I can see
just what is going on in any part of the world that I happen to be
interested in. For instance, Tommy Tiptop, the glass was tipped towards
New York this morning, and I saw you take away your little sister's
stick of candy, you greedy boy! Yes, and I saw you put in the closet for
it, too, so that was well ended. Children are the same, I find, all the
world over, for it was only yesterday that a little boy in Kamschatka
(an ugly little Tartar he is, and not so very unlike you), named
Patchko, while his father was out hunting, took away a tallow candle
from his sister, which seemed just as good to her as the barley sugar
did to little Katie.
[Illustration]
But, children all, I beg your pardon! I am not writing this book for
Tommy Tiptop, and I hope that most of the boys who read it will be
better than he is. I do want, however, to tell you about some children
of whom I am very particularly fond, and whom most of you do not know.
These children live in the town of Nomatterwhat, which, as you are
probably aware, is in the State of Nomatterwhere, which again is, or
really ought to be, one of the United States of America. Perhaps these
are Indian names; similarly, perhaps they are not. There are five of
these children, and I call them my Five Mice; and the queer house that
they live in I call the Mouse-trap. They are such funny children! I
watch them sometimes all day long, their pranks are so amusing; and then
when night comes, I slide down a moonbeam and sit by their pillows, and
tell them stories and sing them songs. Ah! they like that, you may
believe! And you all shall hear the stories and songs too, if you like,
for I will write them down. So now, children all, listen! in America,
Jennie and Johnny; in France, Marie and Emil; in Germany, Gretchen and
Hans; in Italy, Tita and Nanni; in Kamschatka, Patchko and Tinka. Listen
all, great and small, to the old
MAN IN THE MOON