The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1901-02-07

the green world, for though the sweet
grass cools his breast and holds his
nest and his little ones, yet the blue,
blue sky Is quite full Of Joy and goes
far up above the farmhouse smoke and
above the hawks and is wider than the
widest field, and though he. were to
sing his heart out from dewy dawn to
sunset he could never fill 1t all with
music. Oh, the big blue sky is very
wide, indeed. and very far away. as
you will see one day when you are
strong and quite grown up
Just then q gnat few by, and Mrs.
Harvest-Mouse sprang up and caught
it and gave it to the children through
the wall, for though she talked about
the sky she knew that they were hun
Rry and saw the gnat and caught II
cleverly.
And now that the sun was getting
low she talked about the winter. She
said as surely as the night came on
when the daylight died away so surely
would the winter come when summer
time was ended.
What could the winter be? the chill
dren thought, and one wee mouse made
bold to say he did not care, and II
might come any time for him. He had
lust caught and eaten tiny fly that
had crept through the network of the
nest. and he would catch and eat the
winter, too no doubt. Why not? He
was getting strong and bold enough for
anything.
&C. %1NnSs n n IT,
tie ear showed pink between the grass
es and silenced all his silly talk at once
and then went on to tell how the win
ter was as far beyond their thinking as
the blue blue sky was high above their
heads.
''The warm, soft wind that rings our
bindweed BELLS" she said, and makes
sweet music in the grass will turn to
cold and bitter blasts that will blow
will wither one by one and fall away,
and the grasses will turn quite dull and
dry and rub against each other with a
shrill and fearsome sound as the wind
sweeps up along the hedge bottom"
At that the little mouse. whose ear
was tingling still, felt frightened, and
he Quivered while his mother talked
and wondered what would come of 1t.
She knew just how he felt, and now
she gave him comfort and advice about
the future, and she told them all what
they must do. For" said she, the
winter. 10 too great and strong for tiny
creatures like ourselves, and so while
the big world and the hedge bottom are
bearing the cold weather we may sleep
quite peacefully. each in tiny hole.
until the winter time is over and the
summer comes again. You must seek
your holes when the right time comes
and then be sure to curl your tails well
in to keep them from the frost"
They all squeaked a little promise to
remember what she said and not think
they knew better, and then they whis-
pered softly to each other of the great
world and the sky and the winter time
and how quite soon they should be
grown up mice. And while they talked
and chartered merrily. catching flies
from time to time and trying who
could be most clever and saying how
much they had grown since yesterday
Mr.. Harvest Mouse came home and
rubbed noses with his wife with a
grave and anxious air. for he brought
bad news from the corn close by. The
hawk had come and caught their kind
~ neighbor, Mr.. Field-Mouse. But this
he said quite gently. sitting close to
Mrs. Harvest Mouse. lest the little ones
should hear. All" she said and heav-
ed sigh. chow glad I am we chose the
long, stiff grass in the hedge bottom
rather than the corn in the fieldv'
Yes" said he; 1--WE did we'll to choose
the hedge bottom" And with that he
ran about the nest and counted his
eight children anxiously and scolded
them a. little. and then went a-hunting
for his supper till by and by the quiet
night came down and settled on the lit
tie family and all was peace and dark
ness for awhile.-Black and White