Mouser Cats Story | Page 9

Crow showing his new feathers to the peacocks.]
"Now Mr. Crow is really a wise bird, and how it happened that he was so foolish as to do what he did, beats me. Anybody with half an eye could see that he had simply stuck these feathers in his tail, and was trying to make us believe they had grown there. If he had stayed on the tree where we couldn't get very near him, there might have been some chance of deceiving us; but there he was right down where we could put our paws on him if we wanted to. And the peacocks! Angry? Oh me, oh my, don't say a word!
"One big one reached over with his beak, and pulled a feather from Mr. Crow's tail.
"'The next time you set yourself up for one of us, it would be a good idea to tie the feathers in, else they may drop out, as this one has,' the peacock said, and I expected to see Mr. Crow almost faint away with shame. But bless you, he never thought of doing anything of that kind. He took the feather as bold as a lion, looked at the end of it, and then he said, careless-like:
"'Well, I declare! I guess I must be moulting,' and with that, off he flew. We didn't see him again for as much as two weeks, and then he agreed not to write any poetry about us if we wouldn't tell the story of the feathers; but young Mr. Thomas Cat couldn't hold in, and reported it far and near, till Mr. Crow paid him back in good shape."

WHEN YOUNG THOMAS CAT PAINTED A CANARY.
"But what about painting a canary?" your Aunt Amy asked. "You spoke of such a thing a moment ago."
"Yes, and it is what I am telling you about. Mr. Crow wrote the poetry which tells the story, and you shall hear it."
Then Mrs. Mouser Cat repeated the following:
For he was such a knowing puss-- Oh yes, he was! A really clever, sharp young puss-- Oh yes, he was! He wouldn't do as others do, He said, "I know a thing or two, I do!
"To-morrow is the great bird show-- I think it is; The far-renowned canary show-- Of course it is. Some yellow ochre, so I've heard, Will wondrously improve a bird, I've heard
[Illustration: Thomas Cat Paints the Canary]
"I think I'll enter at that show-- I think I will, Just make one entry for that show-- By Jove, I will. And if my bird don't get the prize, Why it will be, as I surmise, A surprise!"
The show was held--a great success-- Of course it was! By all 'twas called a huge success-- Indeed it was! The judges were experienced cats; They wore tail-coats, and large top-hats-- Such hats!
Young Tom was there--he'd brought his bird-- Just think! he had! He'd really dared to bring that bird-- Oh yes, he had! He said, "No one will ever know That my canary's all no go, Oh no!"
[Illustration: The Spry Old Judge]
But one old judge was rather spry-- Oh yes, he was! You'd not have thought him half so spry, But oh, he was! He said, "Why really, on my word! Disqualify that shocking bird!-- Absurd!"
So Tom's bird was disqualified-- Of course it was! Disgracefully disqualified, Ah yes, it was! And Tom, although he thought he knew A thing or two, found others too Who knew.
"Mr. Thomas must have believed that honesty was the best policy, before he got through with the bird show," your Aunt Amy suggested, and Mrs. Mouser Cat laughed as she replied:
"It would have shamed almost any cat; but it didn't seem to make a bit of difference with young Thomas. He was just as pert as ever the next day, and went around telling about the prize he would have taken if the judge hadn't discovered the fraud. It would have served him right if he had been punished as was Mr. Fox."

WHEN MR. FOX WAS TOO CUNNING.
"Is that another story?" your Aunt Amy asked.
"Yes, it is," Mrs. Mouser said reflectively, "and it shows that there are times when even a fox can be too cunning. One day while Mr. Fox, who used to live down in the swamp, was sneaking around behind the barn on this farm, he saw a bag hanging on the limb of a tree just over the water barrel.
"'Now I wonder what that is?' he said to himself, as he stopped and looked first at the bag and then at the barrel. 'It smells good, and I believe there's meat somewhere around here.'
[Illustration: Mr. Fox Hits Upon a Plan.]
"Then he climbed upon the barrel, and saw that it was half full of water, so he began to wonder what the meaning of it was.
"'It must