Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-25
FOR THE CHILDREN
The Mouse Who
Dared

Little White Ear ran to his mother.
What shall dot" he squeaked.
"A big Human Being Il lying across
our door-on the other side! I'm
afraid to go out"
"stay in. them" answered his mother
She was mouse OF few words. 1.-THE
Human Being will move soon. They
never rest long"
but there's some cheese near BY"
urged White Ear. IT want it,"
"Cheese!" said Mouse Mother,
alarmed. "Then it's trap. Don't 90
near it,"
How tiresome!" exclaimed Father
go" --'ho had lust come along. I'VE
want cheese badly enough"
., A.r crept back to the hole.
| There she lay, the strange big thing
who was so quiet. He could see her
white frock and her golden hair, with
the blue bow over one eye. He could
see one small foot, with it's open-work
sock and black, shiny slipper. What
he could not see was any sign of her
getting up and walking away. Father
Mouse came. too, and looked.
Now it happened that their stores
were low: the piece Of cheese beside
the quiet figure was exactly what they
wanted. Nothing but Mother Mouse's
warnings kept Father Mouse from
making dash for it.
II should get back before she had
time to move" he urged. But \ o.. /
Mouse shook her head. They all had
short nibble at piece Of bacon rind,
which was the only thing that was left
in the larder, and then they all went
to bed.
Bright and early the next morning
White Ear was at the hole. There lay
the Human Being. Nothing about her
was changed at all. The bow had not
moved an inch. She could not have
turned her head! "She sleeps sound.
ly," observed Mother Mouse
1.-THE cheese is there" replied Father
Mouse. But his wife shook her head.
BY and by some neighborly mice
came along. They listened to the
news; they peeped through the hole;
they discussed the stiffness Of the
sleeping Human Being and the size
and flavor Of the cheese. But they all
agreed that 1t would be foolish to try
to get it. You never know when a
Human Being will move, or what 1t
will do.
The visitors, who had called IN hope
of being asked to breakfast. went away
disappointed. White Ear had to be
contented with a smell, and his father
and mother did not even take that.
White Ear was very hungry. A
smell Is nice for the time being, but
it does not last long. He returned to
the hole Very still was Human Be.
ing; very large looked the cheese.
At last White Ear could bear It no
longer.
He squeezed through the hole, and
made bold dash for the cheese. At
the very moment he started, his
father and mother saw him, and
Mother Mouse snatched at his tail
but she was too late. White Ear
grasped the cheese, pushed 1t toward
the hole. and through it; then he got
safely through himself-and turned to
look at the danger he had passed.
Human Being was Just as quiet as be-
fore, and her blue bow did not even
f1utter
Now that he was safe back with the
cheese Mother Mouse had not the
heart to scold him. Father Mouse
gave him sly pat with his tail. They
ate some Of his booty, and put the rest
away for supper.
AS soon as White Ear mad nad, not
enough, but all that they would let
him eat CT the cheese, he rushed back
to the hole. And then he saw
strange sightl
Human Being began to move-but
in such funny war! She slowly.
slowly l~-sed out of his sight without
sitting up or even crawling! She was
being dragged away!
White Ear had to put his sharp nose
and long whiskers through the hole
Just to see haw she managed 1t. And
then he understood it all.
"Mother!" he cried, as he ran back
to Mrs. Mouse What do you sup
pose? She was Human Being. but
she was that always quiet kind they
call q doll!"-Frances Harmer, IN
Youths Companion.
LARGEST car the people around here had