Chapter III: Part 3

"Spreading a napkin for table-cloth on the rock, they were soon arranging their provisions; here a sandwich rested upon a pedestal of apple, to prevent its tilting over a slice of custard pie; there a small bottle, containing a mysterious fluid, suggestive of weak molasses and water, dripped through its broken cork into a store of pickled limes. But what matter if the gingerbread did taste of mustard, or if the chicken was encrusted with spilled sugar, on a first of May picnic?

"After surveying the result of their labors with great satisfaction, they were just preparing to enjoy the result, with appetites only sharpened by previous misfortunes, when Bessie's attention was attracted by the curtain of one of the cottage-windows being drawn aside, and a head appearing behind the glass. It was such a hideous head, with tangled white hair surmounted by a queer cap, and the face was so sharp-nosed and wrinkled, that the little girl paused, with a chicken wing elevated half-way to her mouth, to stare at the apparition fixedly.

"Nellie, noticing her sudden silence, turned also; and, when she saw the face, gave a shriek, and commenced tumbling cakes, pies, and pickles into the basket. Then the head disappeared from the window, and a comical little old man, in a dressing-gown, popped out of the door, like a spider from its hole. He hobbled towards them, shaking his cane, and croaking like a hoarse old raven.

"'Get out, will ye, a-tramping of my rye, and a-bringing of your traps under my very nose. Hullo, there! just wait till I catch ye.'

"He looked so wild and angry, as he came towards them, all the time wagging his head, and tapping the ground spitefully with his cane, that they ran away across the rye as fast as ever they could; the old man shrieking and chattering after them all the while, until they reached the wall and stumbled over into the highway, Bessie still clutching her chicken wing.

"Hurrying along as rapidly as possible, to escape from their dreadful pursuer, they came to a place of cross roads, and, puzzled which direction to take, they decided on a pleasant road turning to the right. When they had proceeded a short distance, they noticed a high fence running parallel with the road, in which was a door. Impelled by her usual heedless curiosity, Nellie turned the knob and peeped into the inclosure. The view of winding paths and shrubbery proved so inviting, that they entered. They saw broad avenues bordered by rows of fine elms, trim hedges, and flower parterres, all leading to a large mansion with closed windows and doors, as if nobody lived there, while a dome of glittering glass conservatories rose on one side. The children strolled about, every moment discovering something new to admire,--now it was a graceful-arched bridge; now it was a white statue gleaming through the shrubbery; now it was a massive carved urn, filled with hardy, clinging ivy vines.

"Seeing no one near, they determined once more to eat their dinner; and so, selecting a pleasant bank for the purpose, were soon discussing their good things.

"'Now you will find that May-day is nice, after all,' said Nellie triumphantly, her mouth full of cake, as she poured some of the contents of the bottle into a cup the size of a thimble.

"Oh, false hope! There was a crackling of dry twigs behind them, and, with an alarming growl, a large, savage-looking dog bounded directly into their midst. To see a huge black nose appear over one's head, and a double row of sharp, white teeth displayed within a few inches of one's eyes, is trying to the courage,--at least our little friends found it so; for they not only abandoned their baggage to the enemy, but beat a hasty retreat, Nellie rushing wildly down one alley, while Bessie escaped by another.

"The dog, instead of following them, began to devour their repast, selecting such dainty morsels from the _debris_ as best suited his palate.

"Bessie found herself, she scarcely knew how, behind a summer-house, where she crouched trembling for a time, until, summoning courage, she ventured to call, in a quavering little voice, to her missing friend. Receiving no response, she began a search, frightened that she was alone. She peered about on every side, entreating Nellie to appear,--first from under a bush that would not have concealed a cat; then lifting a watering-pot left by the gardener, as though she expected to find her companion rolled in a ball below the spout; until, with heaving sobs, she paused by a bridge, and made a last desperate effort. This time she heard a faint response, as Nellie presently crawled forth from under an arch of the bridge, sadly splashed with water, her hat gone, and her ankle sprained. What need to tell how they wandered through avenue, grove, and by-way, hopelessly bewildered and lost?--how, utterly discouraged and terrified at last, as the sun began to slant towards the western horizon, they sat down by the road-side, to indulge in a flood of tears?

"'It's not a bit like story-books,' sobbed Nellie. 'I am so hungry and tired and cold. Oh, dear!'

"Just as they were preparing to rouse themselves to try and find their way, a gayly painted express wagon came rattling along at a smart pace. The good-natured driver stopped readily enough to answer their questions as to the way home; and, when he had gleaned a few particulars of their story, he took them into his conveyance, and carried them safely within the city limits.

"When the sun had set, and the evening shadows fell cold and gray through the narrow streets, two forlorn little forms, all travel-stained and weary, crept along to their respective homes; ready to beg forgiveness for their truancy, ready to acknowledge their folly, and nestle into their soft, warm beds, to dream of the smiling woodland or pleasant meadows in the story-books first of May."

"Where did you hear that?" asked the Spider.

"Who knows but I may be an author, too?" responded the Saucepan airily. "Surely it is my own affair."

"I have been thinking of this story for a month," said the Spider, in a patronizing tone. "Still I am glad you had the pleasure of telling it."

This was malicious on the part of the Spider, and of course the Saucepan was in danger of losing her temper in consequence. The Caterpillar had by this time recovered somewhat from his low spirits, and determined to distinguish himself, because he feared they all must consider him a person of inferior ability. When they again met, the Cricket hoped to talk a little, as he had not had a single opportunity to do so since the arrival of the three travellers; but he was again doomed to disappointment.

"Allow me to speak," said the Caterpillar, with a dignified manner.

Then he commenced:--

GRANDPAPA MOUSE AND HIS FAMILY.

"Grandpapa mouse was quite an old gentleman at the time of which I write. He and his wife lived in a nice, large granary belonging to a rich farmer, which would have made them a splendid home, but for one reason. Do you know what that was? Why, they did not have to scamper all about to find their living, as some mice do; for they had every thing that was good piled up about them. They could nip a kernel from an ear of corn here, or taste a bit of barley there; until they were so fat they hardly knew what to do with themselves.

"Grandpapa was taken with the gout, and had to sit all day with one leg wrapped in a wisp of hay, besides having to take nothing but water gruel, which seemed to him a very sad case indeed.

"As for Grandmamma, she was so large round the waist, her grandchildren had to nibble a hole twice the usual size for her to pass through, when she wished to take the air.

"They were seated one winter's night each side of the fire, which consisted of some shreds of corn-husk upon a pebble, and certainly made as bright a blaze as need be. Grandpapa was feeling better; for the mouse doctor had been to see him that day, and had given him a new liniment of great virtue. He was whistling quite a gay tune, and staring at the fire, when suddenly he exclaimed,--

"'It is almost Christmas time, my dear.'

"Grandmamma had been dozing over her knitting-work; so she rubbed her eyes, and said,--

"'What?'

"'It is almost Christmas,' he repeated louder, for she was a trifle deaf. 'I heard the farmer say so to-day, when he was counting his turkeys out there. I think we had better give a dinner-party, and invite all our children home.'

"'Perhaps we had,' assented Grandmamma with a sigh: she knew how much work it would make. 'We have not enough spare rooms, though, I am afraid.'

"'We can easily gnaw a few new ones,' said Grandpapa briskly. 'Let us send our invitations by the postman to-morrow.'

"So they wrote to all their children; and the next morning the little servant mouse had to watch under a bush until the letter-carrier came. Now this postman was a snow-bird, who had promised always to take messages for the mice, if they would steal him bits of bread and cake from the pantry.

"'If you please, sir, my master has got some letters for you,' called the little servant, in a wee, piping voice, for her nose was getting cold out of doors.

"'Put them into my bag,' said the snow-bird, hopping along jauntily.

"So the little servant stood upon her hind legs to place the letters in the tiny bag which the snow-bird carried under his left wing; then she threw her apron over her head, and ran home.

"I suppose there never was such a sweeping and scratching and gnawing in any other mouse family, as went on in this one for the next two weeks. All of them worked so hard, making new holes for their expected guests, that the little servant had an attack of mumps at the last minute, and had to have her head tied up in a rag of cobweb.

"Christmas Eve came at last. Grandpapa had his coat of fur nicely brushed, and Grandmamma wore a new cap with a ruffle round it.

"Presently there sounded the patter of little footsteps, which announced the arrival of the eldest son, and his family of six children. Grandmamma had scarcely kissed them all round, when in walked the eldest daughter, with her husband and baby. She had only just been shown to her room to take off her bonnet, when all the rest came,--a son from the city; a daughter from the next village; and the youngest child, who lived in a distant town, and was an old bachelor.

"What a time there was! Grandpapa grew quite hoarse with shouting at his different sons; and as for the children, there were so many of them tumbling about, it is only a wonder their mothers ever could tell them apart.

"At last the elder ones had their supper and were sent to bed, where they soon forgot every thing in sound sleep. Then all the mothers began to talk together in one corner with Grandmamma about their houses and cook-books, while the gentlemen discussed mouse politics in another. So the evening passed away very pleasantly; and by ten o'clock they were all asleep, too, except Grandpapa: he was so excited, that his wife had to give him a Dover's powder before he could shut an eye.

"The next morning the children were awake bright and early, wanting all sorts of things to eat, and poking into odd places where they should not have gone.

"'O Grandpapa! is there no ice this morning?' cried an eager young mouse; 'I have such a prime pair of skates!'

"'Can you cut a pigeon wing backwards?' asked one of the city cousins. 'I will show you how to do it in style.'

"'May we go, too?' urged all the little mice in chorus.

"Grandpapa consented: so the small servant went to show them the way; and they soon reached the pond, which was in reality a frozen puddle, about twelve inches square, and very smooth, on the edge of a wood.

"All the country mice put on their skates, made of beech-nuts, with crooked pins for runners, and began to caper about in a great way. The vain young city mouse then fastened on his, which were tiny apple-seeds beautifully polished, and strapped with gray horse-hairs.

"'See,' said he, 'my skates are rockers;' and sure enough they were, for he soon toppled over backwards, while all the others laughed to behold his fall. If a cat had happened to spy them, what a dainty Christmas dinner she might have had! But no cat did; so they had a splendid time, and went home as hungry as mice can be.

"As for the ladies, they had enjoyed the quiet in-doors very much indeed. You must not suppose that all the children were able to scamper out. There were ever so many babies, that looked just like little bits of pink pigs. Those from the city had nurses, but those from the country had not.

"'It is time for my baby's morning nap,' said the city mouse, looking at her watch. 'Dear me! is there no cradle?'

"Then Grandmamma sent to the lumber room, and had one her children once used brought out. It was half of a peach-pit, which, when lined with soft paper, made an excellent bed for the fretful baby mouse.

"So the day wore on, and at last they began to get sniffs of nice things cooking. Grandmamma bustled about with her cap-strings flying, and grew very red in the face from scolding the little servant, who was all the while going the wrong way, because she could do nothing but stare at the finery of the nursery maids.

"At last dinner was quite ready; so Grandpapa took his place at the head of the table, and Grandmamma hers at the foot: yet they could see nothing but the tips of each other's noses, the pile of good things was so high. Before the old gentleman was placed a dish of toasted cheese, that made every mouse present smack his lips with delight; while before his wife was a fine large egg; and the rest of the table held bits of meat, cracker, and blades of wheat. The children had a smaller table to themselves, with just as much to eat as their parents. They behaved pretty well at first, until one roguish little mouse thrust his nose into the cheese, and the next one gave him a push that sent him sprawling across the table. This made all the others frolic, too, so that the city mouse had to come and box their ears all around.

"While she was doing this, the little servant happened to come along, carrying a nut-shell of honey; and what did she do but catch her foot in the beautiful long tail of the city mouse, and spill the honey all down her back. There was a regular uproar at this: the city mouse was so angry, it seemed as though she never would take any more dinner.

"Grandpapa had been very still all this time: he was eating as if he never expected to have the gout again. If his doctor had only seen him, I am sure I do not know what in the world he would have said.

"When they had finished the meal, they made a circle around the fire; and, the ladies not objecting, the gentlemen lit their cigars, which were in reality straw tubes.

"'I wish somebody would tell a story,' said a little lame mouse, who had been obliged to stay in the house all day, because it could not run and jump like the others, but had to hobble along on a crutch made of a lucifer match.

"'Yes, yes, Grandpapa, tell us a story,' cried all the other young mice in a breath.

"'I don't know any stories,' said Grandpapa, puffing away at his straw cigar. 'Ask your uncle.'

"So they began to clamor at the bachelor uncle, and he finally consented to amuse them. Now, of all the family, he was the most doleful mouse imaginable; and before he began his story Grandmamma whispered to one of her daughters-in-law, that he had been disappointed in love, which accounted for his melancholy. Whether this was true or not, I do not know; but he also suffered from dyspepsia, and that is apt to make one sad, it is said: so perhaps it was his liver, and not his heart, that was affected. He now drew his seat closer to the fire, and began:--

"'I fear I shall not be able to tell you any thing very wonderful: still I can give you some description of my own life since I left home; and, when I have finished, I hope some of my brothers and sisters will also tell us what they have been about. When I was a young mouse, my health was very delicate: the doctor feared a throat affection, so I decided to go farther south for change of air. There was no need for me to settle anywhere: I was not a marrying mouse.' [Here Grandmamma nodded and winked, as much as to say, "I told you so."]

"'Ordinary society did not suit me at all: to hear a mouse talk of nothing but his dinner, seemed very tame. That reminds me it is time to take my medicine two hours after eating. Dear, dear, I nearly forgot!'

"The bachelor unfastened a bit of goose quill, corked at both ends, that was hung about his neck with a string, and took a pill from it. He then resumed his story:--

"'I journeyed on in frequent danger, until I reached the handsome town where I now live. I had to cross a broad beach, and saw the ocean rolling in great waves of foam, before I came to the houses. It was night, and the stars shone brightly overhead; but I was so tired with my day's tramp, that I crawled into a stone wall, to rest. I was soon disturbed by a squirrel's scrambling in after me.

"'"Good evening, sir," I said; for my mother had always taught me to be especially polite to strangers. "Will you tell me where I can find a night's lodging?"

"'"Do you like gay company?" replied the squirrel, peering at me with his bright eyes.

"'"I like grave people better."

"'"Why, then, I know the very place," cried he. "Go to the town library, where you can find a set of students."

"'I thanked him, and went on until I arrived at the library, where I was received most courteously by the society of literary mice, to which I now belong. Perhaps you may have noticed the leather medal I wear upon my left shoulder. Never shall I forget their kindness that night. They first inquired if I was married, because they did not admit such parties; and when I satisfied them I was not, they at once gave me the hole recently occupied by a brother, who had died of brain fever, brought on by overwork.

"'What a delightful time we have of it there! We spend the day getting in stores of provisions, strolling about out of doors, or taking a nap; then when evening comes, and the old librarian places all the books in order before going home, we begin to scamper about, having the place all to ourselves.

"'Our president (he has nibbled more books than any of us, and that is why we elected him) calls us about him after a while, and asks what we have seen that is interesting or new. This is a most agreeable arrangement; since one of us is always appointed to be about the library during the day, to hear what the people may say there. I have been particularly useful in this way, and that is one reason I am so much of a favorite.

"'One thing troubles me greatly at present, so that I must make off home again as soon as ever I can: I left the whole of the society in such a state of mind over it, that they were not going to allow themselves any Christmas dinner.'

"'Pray what is the important question?' inquired Grandpapa.

"'Why, about a month ago,' replied the bachelor, warming one foot at the blaze, 'it was my turn to visit the reading-room. I had crept around very quietly for some time, hearing old gentlemen talk over their newspapers, or watching ladies rustle in and out, when a young man and a little girl came in. With them was a tan terrier, which began to trot around, snuffing such mischief as he might, when he suddenly spied me seated at my ease upon a large book, and leaped up at me, barking furiously. If the young man had not seized him by the collar, I do not know what would have become of me. As it was, there he sat under his master's chair, winking, and ready to eat me alive any minute.

"'The little girl kept asking her brother strange questions about different things, until he said,--

"'"Did you know, Mimi, that the moon is made of green cheese?"

"'She said, "No."

"'"It is," he continued. "The wise men that study the stars have just found it out."

"'I pricked up my ears at this, and as I had a chance soon after to make my escape, I did so.'

"'What!' exclaimed the whole mouse family. 'Is the moon nothing but a big slice of cheese, then?'

"'Do you believe it, my son?' inquired Grandpapa, rubbing his nose with a puzzled air.

"'Dear me, dear me!' sighed Grandmamma, wiping her spectacles, 'what next?'

"'I don't know what to believe,' continued the bachelor. 'I told the others of it that night, and I do not believe the president has slept a wink since. We have searched everywhere to learn if it is really true; we have set an extra watch of four to listen in the library; and if they have not found out something when I go back, I, for one, shall start direct for Harvard University, to settle the matter.

"'Now, you see, if the moon is really made of green cheese,' he added, shaking his head wisely, 'I should suppose it would have been eaten up long ago.'

"Here he stopped suddenly. Every one of his nephews and nieces had fallen asleep, some in their mothers' laps, and others huddled together in little balls upon the floor. A great deal they cared about the moon!

"The lame mouse, however, had listened to every word with bright eyes, and this pleased the bachelor so much, that he patted her upon the head, saying,--

"'You are a good child, my dear; I shall leave you something in my will.'

"The others were then roused up, and trundled off to bed; but they were so sleepy they did not once think to ask their uncle's pardon.

"'I've been thinking,' said Grandpapa, 'of the time when my gray cousin 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.'

"Upon this Milly caught the small sister by both hands, and whirled her round the room so fast, that Pet had not a particle of breath left in her fat little body. The noise made all the other children open their eyes, and join in the fun; while even the baby sat up in its crib, to crow, and pat its dimpled hands together, because the rest did: babies can never give any better reasons for their actions. Nurse Hannah and her assistant, Sarah, never had such work to dress their charges, as on that morning. First, Tom put on his soldier's cap, which Santa Claus had given him only a few weeks before, and strapped the sword about his waist, which certainly made him look very funny indeed, considering that he still wore only his night-clothes; while all the rest strutted after him in single file, Dick beating a drum, Milly carrying a tin musket, and Pet bringing up the rear, staggering under the weight of a knapsack. In this way, they marched about, always slipping like eels when Nurse Hannah touched them, and making so much noise the while, that she could scarcely hear herself speak. At last, Sarah pounced upon Pet, and bore her away shrieking and struggling to the bath-room, whence, after a good deal of gurgling and splashing, she returned, looking as fresh as a rosebud that the dew has just kissed into fragrance. Milly now began to behave better; for she thought she must set Pet a good example, since she was so much the elder of the two. Tom and Dick, however, grew wilder and gayer as they dressed themselves. They hid Milly's boots so that she could not find them; they whisked the baby out of his crib, where he sat contentedly sucking one thumb, and perched him upon the bureau; and Tom leaped upon the table with a newspaper, which he held upside down, and pretended to read, with Nurse Hannah's steel-bowed spectacles upon his little pug nose.

"At this they all laughed so loudly that mamma came to the door to inquire what was the matter, and tell them it was breakfast-time.

"'O Sarah! please brush my hair, quick,' implored Milly. 'I want to begin my year in season for every thing, if I possibly can.'

"So Sarah brushed her hair, and smoothed down the nice new dress and crisp muslin apron prepared for the occasion; then Milly ran downstairs, and climbed into her high chair, just before papa was ready to ask the blessing, feeling very gay and happy. After breakfast, mamma proposed that they should all go out to play for a time, as the morning was so fine.

"'Then,' she said with a smile, patting her eldest daughter's soft round cheek, 'we will see what we can do to amuse Milly in the house.'

"Mamma then went away, and Milly turned to the window with a half sigh of disappointment. The view from where she stood was beautiful enough to make any child's eyes sparkle with delight. The earth was hidden by a soft covering of fresh snow; the trees and shrubs were powdered with icicle fringes, that gleamed and sparkled in the sun like so many crystal pendants; and the Hudson River swept along, bearing upon its surface, now a stately steamboat, ploughing its way swiftly along through sheets of foam-flakes, and now a flitting sail-boat, with white sail spread like a bird's wings upon the wind. But, for the moment, Milly did not enjoy this splendid winter landscape; nor did she notice the little snow-birds, hopping about the frozen ground on their frail-looking little legs, and cocking their bright eyes up at her, as if begging a crumb from the plenty of the table. A cloud had come over her bright face, causing it for the time to look sullen and sad. Do you know what she was thinking of? Precisely what you or any other little child might in her place. She had expected a birthday gift, and now nothing of the kind was presented to her from papa even down to the baby.

"'I always had one,' reflected Milly, growing more and more aggrieved as she thought of this injustice, until a tear rolled down her cheek. 'I always had one,'--this with a sob,--'even when I was ever so little. I had a rag doll, and a tin horse and cart, and a picture book, and all sorts of things; but to-day'--

"Here Pet came running in with her arms full of wrappings, followed by Sarah also carrying Milly's warm cloak, hat, and mittens.

"'Come,' said Pet, 'we are to slide on the pond with the boys, and have such fun.'

"'I don't want to slide,' pouted Milly, turning away to the window again.

"'What a naughty girl!' exclaimed Sarah, as she tied on Pet's hat, who could do nothing but stare at Milly in amazement, with big, bright eyes.