Mouser Cats Story | Page 7

'There's Mr. Bear, and it's water I'm after, not
bear!'
"Then Tommy Man let go of the windlass, and of course down went Mr.
Bear to the bottom of the well with a bump that nearly shook him to
pieces.
"Now almost anybody might have thought that Tommy would run
away after that; but no, he made up his mind to serve Mr. Bear out
good and hard, so he went to work winding up the windlass again.
Then, when he had hauled Mr. Bear nearly to the top, he let him go
back with a worse bump than before, and so he kept on doing this same
thing thirteen or fifteen times, until Mr. Bear was so sore and bruised
that he couldn't do much of anything more than hold himself on to the
edge of the bucket.

"By that time Tommy had got all the sport he wanted, and he let Mr.
Bear crawl out of the bucket. I have heard it said that it was more than
two weeks before the old fellow could get out of bed, and the lesson
did him as much good as the one Mr. Donkey gave the Wild Hog, for
he wasn't quarrelsome again, and behaved himself decently well
forever after."

MR. DONKEY'S LESSON IN GOOD MANNERS.
"I think the story about the donkey must be one which I have never
heard," your Aunt Amy said. "Although the animals on the farm have
told me quite a lot about Mr. Donkey, I have never thought of him as a
teacher.
"It isn't what you might rightly call a story; but only something that
happened when Mr. Donkey showed his good sense. Now I don't
understand why Mr. Man tells about any one being as stupid as a
donkey. Why, our Neddy is as wise as anybody on this farm, and you
will think so when I have told this story about him.
"It was one night after supper, and he thought he would take a stroll up
the road, because he hadn't been working very hard that day, and the
exercise might do him good. He was going along, minding his own
business, when Mr. Wild Hog came out from the bushes, and into the
road.
"Mr. Donkey stepped over one side so as to give him plenty of room,
saying 'good evening' politely, and was walking on when Mr. Wild Hog
bristled up to him, showing both his big tusks, and said:
"'Why don't you turn out when you meet anybody of consequence?'
"'Perhaps I do when I meet them,' Mr. Donkey replied, and that made
Mr. Hog terribly angry. "'Do you know I have a mind to give you a
lesson in good manners?' growled Mr. Hog, and Mr. Donkey said with
a grin:
"'Why not go off somewhere alone, and give yourself a lesson or two?'
"Of course that made Mr. Hog more angry than ever, and he said:
"'Do you know what I do when stupid animals like you try to be too
smart?'
"'No; I don't care either,' Mr. Donkey replied; 'but I will show you what
I do when animals make bigger hogs of themselves than is natural.'
"Just as he said this he turned around, swung up both heels, struck Mr.

Hog under the chin, and knocked him over and over as many as six
times. Then Mr. Donkey trotted off slowly, with a smile on his face that
was for all the world like Mr. Crocodile's after he had been to the
dentist's."
[Illustration: Mr. Wild Hog tries to give Mr. Donkey a lesson in good
manners.]

WHEN MR. CROCODILE HAD HIS TEETH EXTRACTED.
"Why did he go to the dentist?" your Aunt Amy asked, thinking to hear
another story.
[Illustration: Mr. Crocodile in Pain.]
"I had better repeat the poetry Mr. Crow wrote about it, for that tells the
whole story, and without further delay Mrs. Mouser Cat recited the
following:
Come, listen, and I'll sing awhile About a winsome crocodile, Who had
a most engaging smile Whene'er he smole.
His basket with fresh fish to fill Each day he'd tramp o'er vale and hill,
For he possessed quite wondrous skill With rod and pole.
But as he fished, one summer's day, A toothache chased his smiles
away; No longer could he fish and play His favorite role.
[Illustration: Not a Tooth in His Head.]
He stamped and growled, the pain was vile, No more he grinned, Sir
Crocodile, (And he'd a most engaging smile Whene'er he smole.)
So straight he to the dentist went, On stopping or extraction bent, His
soul was with such anguish rent; He reached his goal.
"Come sit down in the chair awhile; Open your mouth, Sir Crocodile!"
(He had a most engaging smile Whene'er he smole.)