Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-01-18
said "Oh!" and almost dropped it, she
I

said "Oh!' and almost dropped it, she
was 80 surprised.
Inside was little mouse!
He was larger than a common mouse
and had very long hind legs. He lay
quite still in Helen's hand, and she
ran to the house to show him to hei
mamma
1T is jumping-mouse," her mann.
ma said, ''and he had rolled himself!
up i'll that nest to sleep through the
winter. See how tired and sleepy he
isr'
The mouse was stirring little. He
moved his legs very slowly, and said
as plainly as mouse could say to q
little girl:
''Do please let me alone. I'm SC
sleepy. 1t isn't time to get up yet"
SO Helen tucked him up in his nest
again, and carried him back to the
sand bank, and tried to fix him just
as she had found him.
Through the cold winter, when the
wind blew among the pine tree tops, and
the snow lay upon the ground, Helen
often thought of the little mouse
asleep in the sand bank, and hoped
he was comfortable.
Then when it came warm again, how
she wished she could see him when
he awoke, stretched himself, and per-
haps rubbed his eyes; then crept out
of his bed and went jumping about
with his long hind legs, hunting TO,
something to eat.
Helen thought he must feel little
| lame and stiff after such very long
nap. and she wondered if he would
| tell his friends about dream he had,
of being taken out of bed by little
girl and carried to see the little girls
mamma, then put carefully back in
the sand bank again. The Favorite.
/ The Rescue of Pit-a-Pat and Peterkin.
| Pit-a.Pat opened one round blue
eye. and yawned round pink yawn.
Then she opened the other eye, and
/ yawned again. Then she blinked
vigorously with both Of them, and
| stretched out one dainty forepaw, then
! the other. Then she arose, performed
| several Delsartean exercises, gave her
| little gray Jacket a ew settling touches
with her pink tongue, and admins
tered to Brother Peterkin gentle
and gingerly cuff.
Whe eupon Peterkiu went through
/ precisely the same motions. But the
paws he stretched out were as black
as Mistress Mary's shoes; and so were
! his other paws, and his whole suit, in
ia t.
Then they glanced toward the win
dow.
/ Oh, Joy!
What they had been longing for
ever since Mistress Mary adopted
them was a chance to get on that
window sill, and see what they could
see. But wise Mistress Mary had per.
ceived their thoughts, or else she had
great wisdom concerning kittens in
gen raj. Il forgot 10 tell you that
Eit-a-Pat and Peterkin are kittens.
1 Did you guess?) SO she kept the
curtains tucked up beyond their reach,
and they were too wee to climb up
the wall OF spring to the sill.
b now! One curtain had been
loosened by the brisk breeze, and was
sweeping the carpet; while the other
fluttered ayly forth from the window.
unison, and started toward the win
dow (also in unisonl. Which reached
it first L cannot say. Neither can |
tell you which proposed swinging on
the curtain outside.
l only know that Mistress Mary,
hieing her homeward, with bottle of
cream Ito make them puT, and purr
and purrN, glanced upward to hct
window, and saw a little coal blacl
kit clinging desperately to the end of
the curtain, while little Quaker gray
kit was clasping her little white ms
tightly around the little black kits
waist (if kits have waists), while her
little gray tail waved wildly and hel
fuzzy little 'back legs" las Polly calls
theln) dangled forlorniy in space-all
from third story Window
''Meooww!" "Meooowwwr' quoth
they At least. it sounded so to me.
But Mistress Mary states that Peter
was saying, "Hold on tight to you,
big brother, PattyW while Patty
gasped back, 'Yes, Brother Peter, ]
will"
Mistress Mary few up the stairs,
and in twinkling those frightened
little explorers were safe on her shoul.
der, where they clung, trembling and
poking their cold little noses into the
: soft folds of her newest and most
! fetching necktie, while she poured out
brimming saucer of cream, by way
Of discipline. But, whether they
( promised ever to do so any ore OF
whether they ever will do so any
more, cannot say, for Mistress Mary
has not yet given them another chance
christian Register.
She "Snssed" Fer Well.