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The Tale Of Johnny Town-Mouse
By
Beatrix Potter
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 gat=
e,
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 bei=
ng
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 whis=
tled
in the street; the cook laughed, the parlour maid ran up and down-stairs; a=
nd 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.<= o:p>
Up jumped the cook on a chair, exclaiming &quo=
t;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 w=
orld
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 noti=
ced
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, w=
ho
would have been a little afraid of tasting them; only he was very hungry, a=
nd
very anxious to behave with company manners. The continual noise upstairs m=
ade
him so nervous, that he dropped a plate. "Never mind, they don't belon=
g to
us," said Johnny.
"Why don't those youngsters come back with
the dessert?" It should be explained that two young mice, who were wai=
ting
on the others, went skirmishing upstairs to the kitchen between courses.
Several times they had come tumbling in, squeaking and laughing; Timmy Will=
ie
learnt with horror that they were being chased by the cat. His appetite fai=
led,
he felt faint. "Try some jelly?" said Johnny Town-mouse.
"No? Would you rather go to bed? I will s=
how
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 eveni=
ng.
One particularly loud crash had been caused by Sarah tumbling downstairs wi=
th
the tea-tray; there were crumbs and sugar and smears of jam to be collected=
, in
spite of the cat.
Timmy Willie longed to be at home in his peace=
ful
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 pi=
nks
and pansies--no noise except the birds and bees, and the lambs in the meado=
ws."
"There goes that cat again!" exclaim=
ed
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 endeavour=
ed
to entertain you, Timothy William."
"Oh yes, yes, you have been most kind; bu=
t 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 frien=
ds,
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 nobo=
dy
got out, though Johnny Town-mouse had half promised a visit.
The winter passed; the sun came out again; Tim=
my
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 sta=
rted
violently.
"That?" said Timmy Willie, "tha=
t 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 expla=
ined
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, wi=
th 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,&q=
uot;
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 hamp=
er
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 Wil=
lie.