, 1880-06-07
The Singing Mouse.

This is verltable, and real, and pa
thetic, and indisputable story of a
mouse and as shall be obliged to
bring in human beings, [ beg your
pardon, but they are necessary to the
story.
Now have been in the bad habit of
living awake nights between three and
SIX in the morning. 1t is dreary time.
No one up no one awake There ought
not to be any one awake) no sounds,
except distant fog whistle, or milk
mans cart, or worst of all, drunken
mans foolish song as he goes home,
staggering no ligat ; no heat no any
thing and very dismal thoughts, I as
sure you, come at that hour.
Well, one night as l lay trying to
think what crime [ had committed that
l should feel so remorseful, what did /
hear but little song like an -iaolian
harp, very soft, very low, very pleas
ant in my chimney.
Come, cheer up be patient. Don t
grieve, don't be discouraged, were the
words Of this little song, expressed in
little " toot, too peep, peep tweet,
tweet toot, toot," little notes. They
were singuIarly sweet, and amused and
excited me very much.
When | got up to look and see what
made the song, it stopped, and l went
back to bed again and Immediately fell
asleep. In the morning-so ungrateful
are we for angelic visitations-I forgot
all about the mysterious concert, and
went about my usual avocaticns.
The next morning, however, I woke
b,l laIf 1f
cry and remorse, when there came
again. '' loot, toot, pity, nifty, twee,
wee, toe, too, peet, weet, sweet. toot,
toot, toor' was too wise to get
up this time, but lay and listened.
Finally the little voice seemed to say
"If you are patient, all will come
right. l am poor and lonely and sad i,
too but sing myself happy. Don't
be so hopeless. There are other lots
worse than yours go to sleep sweet,
tweet, pity, witty, toot, toot, too"
So 1 went to sleep, and the next
evening somebody told me to take a
plate of crackers and cheese up to my
room, and when I began to be wakeful
to eat them. and should go to sleep af-
ter that little refreshment.
/ woke at three the next rsCrning and
heard my little tweet, weet. too, too,
toot very near to me. There was a
dim gaslight in my room, and by its
rays | saw little mouse sitting near
my crackers and cheese, absolutely SER
enading them.
Yes, it was singing mouse, and she
had left her hiding place in the chin
ney, attracted by the delicious smell Of
that ckeese.
Presently she stopped singing, and
sitting up very straight, she took NOR
sci of cheese in her paws.
How I wanted to get up and sup with
the pretty little courser of Queen
Titaria (for it ought to be true that
mice do draw fairies carriases-some-
body told me soy! But I have met
many mice-I have kept house long
time-and I know they never like to
have strangers at their meals. So lay
still and watched the little creature.
She ate great deal of cheese which
isn't quite the thing for musical lady
to do-and then she nibbled at the
cracker, and then I, who wanted to
hear her sing, made noise with the
coverlid.
She was eff in twinklirg.
Then kept very still, and she sang
me a beautiful little song of gratitude.
She was very poetical over that cheese;
it had touched her heart.
The Hext morning Maria came to me
and seemed full of trouble. Maria has
lived with US great many years, and
We all are little afraid of her. She
makes the beds, and sweeps, and car
ries out notes and letters, and runs er-
ranas, and darns stockings. She was
nurse once. to one of the children,
who now IS grown-up NSan, and if we
ever Say we will send Maria home, this
big maA Says we shall not. So, to tell
you the truth, Maria does pretty much
as she pleases.
"Well, there, mum, says Maria. "is
all your new handkerchiefs with the
moneygrab all gnawed out by then,
there disgustin' mice, and I'm a-goiu'
to buy mouse traps and set'em all over
the houseT'
"Yes, Maria" say set them up
stairs, down stairs, anywhere but in
my room"
I though Maria fixed ne with cold,
gray, pitiless eye, and Ifeltembarrassed,