Hutchinson gazette., 1900-04-26
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PRIDE BEFORE A FALL,
Observation-Disclosures,

Mistress Puss had gone away to
visit her daughter, who had moved TO
the next town, and was going to
spend a week. Mrs, Belinda Gray
mouse, the mother Of "the Ave little
urays," who lived In the wall under
the sink In the squires ample but
terry, Ind II on the best authority She
had heard Mistress Fuss announce
the fact herself that she was going,
and, moreover, she had peeped out OF
her comfortable corner just after tea
and seen Mistress puss depart
Mrs. Belinda sighed with sotlsfac.
tion. "A week for pleasure said
she. "a whole week for the doing
lust ms I've n mind TO- without fear OF
having Mistress Puss always spying
about or puTmg In the vicinity OF
my heels, A very ill-natrcd body
she Is, I'm glad she's gone, Now, TO
make the hest Of thcopportunliy, and
introduce my daughters TO society,"
This, her decision, she announced
TO her five small daughters whom she
had summoned about her,
az think" said she, tive will make
II ball. That will he very elegant
Now. whom shall we inyitc?' "Oh,
don't let's have that family In the
chlckep-housc. They are terribly
poor since the squire built the corn
house and put all the grain in there,
Don't let's have thcm!" said Miss
Molly, the eldest, "You needn't fear,
my dear" replied her mother. 81 had
no intention of inviting them "But
mother" suggested little lIitty the
youngest, IN timld, littlc squeak OF
voice, "why not invite them? I'm
sure they'd have a good time at the
Dali. Tiny Tim Tim used to he Hit
tvs playmate before his father lost
his stocks in grain Tiny Tim loves
TO dance" "Thats not the question
at all. Hitty." said Mrs, Belinda, IAN
mice like to dance, but Tins family
are not in our set"
"Neither are those two families
down in the barn" broke in Milo the
second daughter. 81 do hope you're
not going to ask them to come"
Mrs. Belinda looked dubious, The
Browns and the Bright Eyes, to
whom Milo referred, were very veal
thy mice They were in the habit of
stealing oats out Of the horses mong-
ers and giving teas TO their ncquaint-
ances every week, but they were only
barn mice after all.
And Mrs. Belinda had firmly deter
mined to ask down the Slys, who
lived in the easement Of one OF the
parIor windows. What would the
parlor folk say 10 the barn folk? Just
as like as not the Slys would never
again accept an invitation of hers II
she couldn't introduce to better be-
havcd, more influential people than
the Browns and the Bright Eyes,
She would have to exclude them
from the ball to please the parIor
contingent She might as well make
up her mind to that, And she'd take
good care that they didn't hear of the
ball in time so that they would come,
"iust dropping in,' as they had u
way of doing when anything was go
ing on. Then II they heard of it af-
terward, why II was easy enough to
say. wa her smart society air. that
"she was so sorry they didn't receive
an invitation. 1t must have been lost
or overlooked"
That settled the case OF the barn
mice. So for the remainder of that
evening Mrs. Graymouse and her five
daughters worked over the list Of
guests to be invited to the ball, And
when il was complete it didn't really
please any one OF them. But ut least
they had the satisfaction OF knowing
that they had invited only the best,
the "swell set of the premises.
The next night the invitations were
WI .on and delive I'd, and then came
all the plans for the arrangements, 1t
was decided to have something really
unique in its way for ballroom. I'VE
will take Mrs, Squire's dishpans and
her shining milk pans, and turn them
upside down upon the kitchen floor.
They will make u very brilliant set
ting for the ball." said Mrs. Gray
mouse to her daughters, "and, more
over, they will reflect in their shining
surface all your beauty and grace"
So it happened that had you peeped
into the porch window Of Mrs.
Squire's warm kitchen the next night
but one after that you would have
seen rows of shining pans arranged
across the floor,
But what you wouldn't have seen
from that same window is most inn
portant, for you couldn't see what
was hidden underneath those pans.
We must go back little SO that
you may understand.
Two nights before, Skinner had
been journeying about in the village,
and as luck would have it, he haH
overheard through the plaster, the
voices of Mrs Belinda and her daugh-
ters, as they discussed their list of
guests. lie had heard Molly's denun-
citation and llitty's plea for the poor
chicken-house mice, who were not
rich enough to be invited; he had
heard the mean way that the barn
mice were to betreatcd, and he, down
upon the pans came the lady and had
heard the many unliind things which
the family (all except little Hitty)