The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse

The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse

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Beatrix Potter
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Title: The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse
Author: Beatrix Potter
Release Date: March 8, 2005 [eBook #15284]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
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THE TALE OF JOHNNY TOWN-MOUSE
By BEATRIX POTTER
Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," &c.
Frederick Warne & Co., Inc. New York
1918

TO AESOP IN THE SHADOWS

Johnny Town-mouse was born in a cupboard. Timmy Willie was born
in a garden. Timmy Willie was a little country mouse who went to
town by mistake in a hamper. The gardener sent vegetables to town
once a week by carrier; he packed them in a big hamper.
The gardener left the hamper by the garden gate, so that the carrier
could pick it up when he passed. Timmy Willie crept in through a hole
in the wicker-work, and after eating some peas--Timmy Willie fell fast
asleep.
He awoke in a fright, while the hamper was being lifted into the
carrier's cart. Then there was a jolting, and a clattering of horse's feet;
other packages were thrown in; for miles and miles--jolt--jolt--jolt! and
Timmy Willie trembled amongst the jumbled up vegetables.
At last the cart stopped at a house, where the hamper was taken out,
carried in, and set down. The cook gave the carrier sixpence; the back
door banged, and the cart rumbled away. But there was no quiet; there
seemed to be hundreds of carts passing. Dogs barked; boys whistled in
the street; the cook laughed, the parlour maid ran up and down-stairs;
and a canary sang like a steam engine.
Timmy Willie, who had lived all his life in a garden, was almost
frightened to death. Presently the cook opened the hamper and began to
unpack the vegetables. Out sprang the terrified Timmy Willie.
Up jumped the cook on a chair, exclaiming "A mouse! a mouse! Call
the cat! Fetch me the poker, Sarah!" Timmy Willie did not wait for
Sarah with the poker; he rushed along the skirting board till he came to
a little hole, and in he popped.
He dropped half a foot, and crashed into the middle of a mouse dinner
party, breaking three glasses.--"Who in the world is this?" inquired
Johnny Town-mouse. But after the first exclamation of surprise he
instantly recovered his manners.
With the utmost politeness he introduced Timmy Willie to nine other
mice, all with long tails and white neckties. Timmy Willie's own tail
was insignificant. Johnny Town-mouse and his friends noticed it; but
they were too well bred to make personal remarks; only one of them
asked Timmy Willie if he had ever been in a trap?
The dinner was of eight courses; not much of anything, but truly

elegant. All the dishes were unknown to Timmy Willie, who would
have been a little afraid of tasting them; only he was very hungry, and
very anxious to behave with company manners. The continual noise
upstairs made him so nervous, that he dropped a plate. "Never mind,
they don't belong to us," said Johnny.
"Why don't those youngsters come back with the dessert?" It should be
explained that two young mice, who were waiting on the others, went
skirmishing upstairs to the kitchen between courses. Several times they
had come tumbling in, squeaking and laughing; Timmy Willie learnt
with horror that they were being chased by the cat. His appetite failed,
he felt faint. "Try some jelly?" said Johnny Town-mouse.
"No? Would you rather go to bed? I will show you a most comfortable
sofa pillow."
The sofa pillow had a hole in it. Johnny Town-mouse quite honestly
recommended it as the best bed, kept exclusively for visitors. But the
sofa smelt of cat. Timmy Willie preferred to spend a miserable night
under the fender.
It was just the same next day. An excellent breakfast was provided--for
mice accustomed to eat bacon; but Timmy Willie had been reared on
roots and salad. Johnny Town-mouse and his friends racketted about
under the floors, and came boldly out all over the house in the evening.
One particularly loud crash had been caused by Sarah tumbling
downstairs with the tea-tray; there were crumbs and sugar