The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse | Page 2

and smears
of jam to be collected, in spite of the cat.
Timmy Willie longed to be at home in his peaceful nest in a sunny
bank. The food disagreed with him; the noise prevented him from
sleeping. In a few days he grew so thin that Johnny Town-mouse
noticed it, and questioned him. He listened to Timmy Willie's story and
inquired about the garden. "It sounds rather a dull place? What do you
do when it rains?"
"When it rains, I sit in my little sandy burrow and shell corn and seeds
from my Autumn store. I peep out at the throstles and blackbirds on the
lawn, and my friend Cock Robin. And when the sun comes out again,
you should see my garden and the flowers--roses and pinks and
pansies--no noise except the birds and bees, and the lambs in the
meadows."
"There goes that cat again!" exclaimed Johnny Town-mouse. When

they had taken refuge in the coal-cellar he resumed the conversation; "I
confess I am a little disappointed; we have endeavoured to entertain
you, Timothy William."
"Oh yes, yes, you have been most kind; but I do feel so ill," said
Timmy Willie.
"It may be that your teeth and digestion are unaccustomed to our food;
perhaps it might be wiser for you to return in the hamper."
"Oh? Oh!" cried Timmy Willie.
"Why of course for the matter of that we could have sent you back last
week," said Johnny rather huffily--"did you not know that the hamper
goes back empty on Saturdays?"
So Timmy Willie said good-bye to his new friends, and hid in the
hamper with a crumb of cake and a withered cabbage leaf; and after
much jolting, he was set down safely in his own garden.
Sometimes on Saturdays he went to look at the hamper lying by the
gate, but he knew better than to get in again. And nobody got out,
though Johnny Town-mouse had half promised a visit.
The winter passed; the sun came out again; Timmy Willie sat by his
burrow warming his little fur coat and sniffing the smell of violets and
spring grass. He had nearly forgotten his visit to town. When up the
sandy path all spick and span with a brown leather bag came Johnny
Town-mouse!
Timmy Willie received him with open arms. "You have come at the
best of all the year, we will have herb pudding and sit in the sun."
"H'm'm! it is a little damp," said Johnny Town-mouse, who was
carrying his tail under his arm, out of the mud.
"What is that fearful noise?" he started violently.
"That?" said Timmy Willie, "that is only a cow; I will beg a little milk,
they are quite harmless, unless they happen to lie down upon you. How
are all our friends?"
Johnny's account was rather middling. He explained why he was
paying his visit so early in the season; the family had gone to the
sea-side for Easter; the cook was doing spring cleaning, on board
wages, with particular instructions to clear out the mice. There were
four kittens, and the cat had killed the canary.
"They say we did it; but I know better," said Johnny Town-mouse.
"Whatever is that fearful racket?"

"That is only the lawn-mower; I will fetch some of the grass clippings
presently to make your bed. I am sure you had better settle in the
country, Johnny."
"H'm'm--we shall see by Tuesday week; the hamper is stopped while
they are at the sea-side."
"I am sure you will never want to live in town again," said Timmy
Willie.
But he did. He went back in the very next hamper of vegetables; he said
it was too quiet!!
One place suits one person, another place suits another person. For my
part I prefer to live in the country, like Timmy Willie.

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