No More Learning

topped bonnet. Grandmother Skipper and her
youngest grandchild came next, and after them
came Lady Newly- Wed and her husband. On
they came, one after the other, until quite a large,
merry crowd had gathered in the back yard. The
young mice wanted to dance, so partners were
chosen, and the merry whirlers went spinning
round and round until they were almost ready to
drop.
Billy Nibble and Patty Pry grew tired of danc-
ing and seated themselves on top of the gate.
Tucker Gray saw them, and he feU jealous, for he
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? The Back Yard Party.
291
had a great fondness for little Patty and did all in
his power to coax her away from Billy, but she
would not come. Then Tucker went off and de-
voted himself to Polly Pruin. Polly was charmed,
^^^r-
W^^^
---
^^^^^'^^^^^^^
? p^\ ^ --
^
for she had been sitting all alone, waving her new
turkey feather fan. But all at once the fun was
brought to a close, the house door w^as throw^n
open, and out stole old Tom, the big, black cat.
Such a scapering you never saw, and no one
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? 292 Bruin's Singing School.
stopped until he had safely reached his home. It
was a shame that they should be so rudely dis-
turbed in the midst of their fun, for they were
having a very gay time all by themselves, and
they are such cute and cunning little things that
we like to see them enjoy themselves.
Bruin's Singing School.
You will really be quite surprised when I tell
you how Uncle Bear started the singing school at
Matchless Hollow. It happened in this way.
One real cold winter night, when the snow lay on
the ground like a great white blanket, quite a
number of young people made up a sleighing
paiiy. It was the first sleighing of the winter,
and everybody was extremely anxious to go.
What lots of fun they had as they sped over
the hard, white crust ! After a while some of the.
folks began holding their ears and rubbing their
hands together in a manner that showed they were
far from warm. "Wouldn't it be jolly," some
one called out, " to stop at Uncle Bear's. " " Oh,
do," came from all sides. It did not take them
long to reach the home of the Bears, but it did
take some time to rouse the old folks from the
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? Bruin's Singing School.
293
sound sleep into which they had fallen. Both the
old people seemed glad to see their young friends,
and the warm fire soon sent the blood tingling
through their young bodies. " Won't you give us
a song," said Auntie Bear, " Uncle and I are so
fond of music. ^^ It took them some time to get
started, but after a while they began, and they
sung very merrily. One song after another was
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? 294 Bruin's Singing School.
sung, and then Uncle Bear asked them why they
did not have a singing school. He was willing to
lead them, he said, for he did not think he had
forgotten all he had learned when he was young.
Everybody was delighted, and an evening was set
for the following week. With many thanks for
the kind reception they had received, the young
people started off, singing a farewell song as they
gathered together out in the moonlight.
They wanted everybody to know about this
singing school they were to have every Tuesday
evening in the Hollow, so on their way home they
arranged to get Bonny Bun, the white rabbit, to
carry invitations to all the dwellers of the forest.
This he could do very easily, for he wore a pair of
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? Bruin's Singing School. 295
snow-shoes which helped him to get over the
ground very quickly. Everybody was invited,
even to the birds, and such a crowd as gathered in
the Hollow was enough to fill Uncle Bear's heart
with delight. He arranged them in a circle and
began to sing, starting out with a familiar song
about the hunter and his gun. After one or two
songs he said they must settle down to business.
He said they had better put all their time for this
one evening on the scale, so he made each one sing
it alone, then altogether, while he stood beating
time with his soft, fat hand. Then he told the
animals to keep quiet and listen to a quintette of
birds that were perched on a nearby tree. These
birds sang a very beautiful song that made the
woods ring with melody.
Indeed, it was so very beautiful that the other
animals were almost afraid to try their voices after-
ward. However, they all did the best they could
to follow the instructions of their leader.
When the hour for closing came they all agreed
that they had spent a very pleasant evening, and
voted to come again the next week. This was the
beginning of a singing school, the like of which
had not been known in many years. The singing
shool proved to be a very popular thing, and be-
fore the winter was over there were hundreds of
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? 296
Adventures of the Mice.
the young folks of the forest attending it. The
greatest part of the fun was the going and coming,
and this was especially delightful to the young
lovers, and in the spring there were many wed-
dings as a result.
Adventures of the Mice.
Night had come, and the Nibble Family had
all returned to their home in the front cellar. By
and by some of the neighbors dropped in, until
quite a party had gotten together.
'' We had a feast,"
said Lady Nibble, " but
no danger attended it.
We found a whole
cheese on the pantry
shelf with not a sign
of a cover over it. It
would have been folly
to miss such a chance
as this, so we went to
work and ate until we
could hardly move. If it is not carried off we
hope to have another feast to-morrow. "
" Do you know, I almost lost my life to-day,"
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? Adventures of the Mice.
297
eaid a very young mouse, ^'and I'll tell you how;
I saw the most tempt-
ing piece of cheese in
the centre of a funny
red box ; so I put ray
head in to take a bite,
and, bless you, a spring
snapped down and held
me tight. I jumped
around and around
with this thing on my
head, and shook it as
hard as ever I could,
although I was nearly
choked to death, but I
could not get out. At
last, by some rare good
fortune, the wire that
held the spring broke
and set me free. It
was a narrow escape,
and it taught me a
good lesson. Never,
as long as I live, will I
venture near a trap. "
" We had quite a scare, too," spoke up one of
*)/. young Snueaks. " My brothers and I crawled
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? 298
Adventures of the Mice.
into the jail to see what we could find to eat. "We
often pick up crumbs there. Well, this morning
we found more than crumbs -- we had quite a fine
breakfast of cold potatoes, bread and a pitcher of
milk. We were so interested in our eating that
we did not hear a sound until a shadow made me
look up, and I saw a big yellow cat coming to-
wards us. I ran, a piece of bread still in my
mouth, and called to my brothers, and all of us
had just time enough to get out of the clutches of
that huge yellow monster. '^
"As you are all relating experiences,'' said
another mouse, " I might as well tell mine. I
strolled out in the wheat field to-day, and there on
a sheaf of wheat sat a dozen or more of our cousins,
the field mice, nibbling away at the grain. They
asked me to join them ; so I did, and I really had
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? Adventures of the Mice. 299
a very pleasant time. If you have a chance, visit
them some day. You will like them and the
grain also. ''
" Speaking of something to eat " -- this from
Bobby Nibble -- " makes me think of the egg
which three of us boys found. We found it in
the school house play ground, and we ate every bit
of it. It had been cooked, I suppose^ for some
fellow's lunch. Why he left it I don't know, but,
at any rate, we found it and had a jolly good time
with it. "
"I carried off a jam pie this afternoon," said
Tommy Scratch, "and if you will come across to
my house I will share it with you. " No one needed
a second invitation nor a bit of coaxing. Away
they all scampered, thinking that the end of the
day was to be the best part. And they enjoyed the
feast to the fullest extent, for it was not often that
they had such a treat as this. They thought Tommy
must have been very brave to dare to carry off a
whole pie. They looked upon him as sort of a
hero, and were very polite to him all through the
evening.
The little mice must have kept very late hours
that night, for all night long could be heard the
sound of their little feet as they scampered here
and there.
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? Cousin Bear's Party.
Mr. and Mrs. Bruin had received an invita-
tion to a party. One of the Bear Cousins, who
lived back of the hill, had invited them, and Mrs.
Bruin told her husband that they must not fail to
go, for it would undoubtedly be a grand affair if
the Bears gave it. As soon as possible Mr. Bruin
ordered a new suit of clothes from his tailor, a hat
from his hatter, and a pair of the most stylish
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? Cousin Bear's Party. 301
slippers from his shoemaker. These, with his fine
twisted cane, made up a very fine costume. Mrs.
Bruin immediately summoned lier dressmaker, and
together they fashioned a gorgeous crimson gown.
Her bonnet of fine white straw was lined with red,
and, to her delight, her fond husband bought her
a fine feathered fan.
The night of the party Mr. Bruin and his lov-
ing wife started off in high glee. As they went
along they were the objects of great admiration.
Mrs. Bruin wore two magnificent sun flowers in
her belt. The night was perfect. The moon was
shining brightly, and the snow beneath their feet
sparkled like diamonds. It was quite a long walk,
but the house was finally reached, and a most de-
lightful time they had. Game followed game in
quick succession, until the call to supper sounded
in their ears. The refreshments were superb. Mr.
Bruin declared that he had never eaten such pork,
so tender and juicy, and the lamb was perfect.
Cousin Bear whispered to Mrs. Bruin that she had
gotten the pork from their neighbor, the farmer,
while the lamb had been procured seven miles away.
It was very late when the Bruins started for home,
and as they sauntered along beneath the stars they
agreed that the party was a great success, and
were more than glad to think that they had gone.
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? Cock Robin.
Cock Robin.
Who killed Cock Eobin,
Where the lilies grow?
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? ^UXu5U allocs
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? 304 Cock Eobin.
I, said the sparrow,
With my bow and arrow,
I laid him low^
Who saw him die
In the cedar top?
I, said the frog,
As I sat on a log,
In company with others,
I saw him drop.
Who was at hand
To catch his blood?
I, said the owl,
With my big bowl,
I caught the flood.
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? Cock Robin.
305
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? 306 Cock Robin.
Who'll make a shroud
So costly and fine?
I, said the beetle,
With my thread and needle,
The task shall be mine.
Who'll dig a grave
In the yew-tree shade?
I, said the mole,
Will soon make a hole,
ril dig the grave.
With my pickax and spade.
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? Cock Robin.
307
A>>t<<'^^-*
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? 308 Cock Robin.
Wlio'U toll the bell
In the chapel tower?
I, said the daw,
With my long claw,
I toll the bell
For half an hour.
Who'll bear a blazing
Torch in the case?
I, said the kite,
Will cany the light
And show the way
To the burial place^
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? Cock Kobin. 309
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? 310 Cock Eobin.
Who'll bear the pall
Both careful and slow?
I, said the stork,
With a measured stride,
My legs are long
And my shoulders wide,
I'll bear the pall
To the plain below.
Who'll sing a psalm
As the hearse goes by?
I, said the thrush,
If others will hush,
I'll sing a verse
Will bring tears
To the eye.
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? Cock Robin.
311
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? 312 Cock Kobin.
Who'll be the parson
With faith and trust?
I, said the rook,
Will read from my book,
*^ Ashes to ashes,
And dust to dust/^
Who'll mark
The songster's earthy bed?
I, said the bat,
Will attend to that,
ril carve his name
On the tree at his head.
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? Cock Robin.
313
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? 314 Cock Robin. ^
Who'll keep it green
When summer is here?
I, said the hare
Will plant flowers there,
I'll keep it green
Through many a yean
Who suffered for his fault,
Ere a week rolled by?
Who, but the sparrow
That shot the fatal arrow
And roused the indignation
Of all creatures
Far and nigh.
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? Cock Robin.
315
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? The Narrow Escape.
Mr. and Mrs. Graycoat and the four little
Graycoats lived iu the garret of a big, roomy, old
farm house. There were great chests up there,
around which the little mice played tag, and cor-
ners dark and dreary in which they often hid.
Fine times these four-footed little fellows enjoyed
scam[)eri ng around wherever they pleased in this
their garret home.
Mrs. Graycoat was a nice little mouse and very
fond of her husband and four little children,
as they were also of her. Mr. Graycoat thought
his wife very beautiful when she put on the pink
calico mob cap that had once been the property of
Charlotte, the bisque doll from Paris. Father
Mouse's coat was also part of the wardrobe of one
of the dolls, and fitted him so tight he could
scarcely breathe in it, but still he was very proud
of his rig and wore it whenever he went to market.
Father Mouse did the marketing, while Mother
Mouse stayed at home with the four little Gray-
coats, for they were such mischievous little chaps
it was not wise to leave them alone. The market-
ing was done in the pantry or else at the great
hanging shelf by the cellar stairs. Father Gray-
coat carried a bag over his arm into which he
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? (317)
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? 318 The Narrow Escape.
dropped one morsel after another for tne wife an^
babies at home.
One morning he started on his daily raid, his
bag over his arm, and his tight-fitting coat but-
toned snugly around him, promising the little
Graycoats to come back soon and to bring a nibble
of cake to each of them if they would be very
good children. He had been gone some time when
Mrs. Graycoat put on her pink cap and gathered
the little ones around her to wait for his coming.
Long and long they waited, and the babies were
growing as hungry as little bears, and cross, too,
for they wanted the promised cake ; but no Father
Graycoat came. What could have happened ?
The little mother was getting anxious, for he had
never been gone so long before. By and by came
the patter of well-known feet, and there stood Mr.
Graycoat, breathless and empty handed and tremb-
ling like a leaf. Such a time as he had had !