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diff --git a/27346.txt b/27346.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..29edf86 --- /dev/null +++ b/27346.txt @@ -0,0 +1,607 @@ +Project Gutenberg's Grandmother Puss, or, The grateful mouse, by Unknown + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Grandmother Puss, or, The grateful mouse + +Author: Unknown + +Release Date: November 28, 2008 [EBook #27346] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRANDMOTHER PUSS *** + + + + +Produced by Louise Hope + + + + + GRANDMOTHER + + PUSS, + + Or The Grateful Mouse. + + McLoughlin Brothers. New-York. + + * * * * * + * * * * + + GRANDMOTHER PUSS, + + or, + + THE GRATEFUL MOUSE. + + +I wish that all the little boys and girls who read +this story could _see_ Grandmother Puss; but as they +cannot, I will tell you something about her. She is +a very large, and handsome old cat of grave aspect, +and solemn manners. Her face is black, with white +marks around the eyes, and across the nose, which +make her look as if she wore spectacles; and she has +a grandson called Peter, who lives with her. + +When Peter was but six weeks old, he was left an +orphan; for some very, very wicked dog had killed +his mother! Grandmother Puss at once took the lonely +kitten to her heart, with many tears, sharing her +milk with him; and as he grew larger, giving him the +fattest and most tender mice, she could catch. + +I think she spoiled him, as other Grandmothers do. +He never watched for mice, and did nothing to earn +his own living, but passed his time chiefly in +chasing his own tail, and other vain and foolish +amusements. Now, there was an old gray rat who lived +in a hole, in the cellar. He was always up to some +kind of mischief--had spoiled a great deal of milk, +and carried off all the cheese he could get his paws +on--once he was even seen trying to get away with an +egg, which he was rolling gently toward his hole! + +He did so much harm, and was so very knowing and +sly, that at last Grandmother Puss declared, with +tears in her eyes, that she would neither taste, +touch, nor handle a single mouse, until she had +caught the old gray robber. And she kept her word. +She sometimes sat a whole night, watching for the +old rogue, but although she often saw him, she could +never catch him. + +There was also a cunning little mouse, who lived +near by. He was called Cooky, because he was once +seen lugging off a whole cooky, to give to his lame +sister. Now, the wicked old rat tried nearly as hard +to catch poor Cooky as Grandmother Puss did to get +the old rat; and Cooky was more afraid of the grim +old rat, than he was of the cat herself. One night +Cooky saw the rat at one end of the cellar, very +busy, eating a piece of cheese that he had stolen. +So Cooky betook himself to the other end, where he +had seen some fine apples, and he was very fond of +apples, indeed. + +So he crept softly up to the heap, and was just +about to taste a fine, juicy one, when the cat saw +him. "I said, I would not touch, or taste a mouse," +she said, "but I did _not_ say I would not scare +one, and I cannot see these nice apples spoiled--so +here goes." With these words, she made a rush for +the mouse, making all the noise she could; which is +not usual with cats, you know, which go very softly, +in order not to scare the mice before they can catch +them. + +Cooky, of course, darted away to his hole in a hury, +and there peeped out carefully. "Now," said he to +himself, "that cat has a kind look; I've a good mind +to try, and make a bargain with her, so that I can +get something to eat once in a while. Perhaps I can +make her promise not to eat me, but it will do no +harm to try, and everybody knows that Grandmother +Puss is a cat of her word." So just as Puss was +about to start for the other end of the cellar, +for a tussle with the old rat, she heard a small +squeaking voice, which said, "Please, Grandmother +Puss, I want to make a bargain with you." "A bargain +with _me!_" said Puss, looking about in surprise for +the small voice. "What do you mean?" + +"Why, I want to come into the cellar whenever I +like, and eat whatever scraps I can find, besides +taking away a little for my poor, lame sister. Now, +if you will let me do so, and promise not to hurt +me, I will do anything in the world that you ask me +to do--that is _right_--and that I am able to do." + + [Illustration: The Old Rat Stealing Cheese.] + +This was a big speech for a little mouse, but +Grandmother Puss only thought how Cooky could help +her in the matter of catching the old gray rat. She +turned it over in her mind for some time, keeping +one eye on Cooky, who, in his eagerness, had come +outside his hole, and at last said: "Do you know Mr. +Gray Rat, Cooky?" "Yes, Madame," said Cooky, with +great politeness. "Do you know where he is now?" +pursued Pussy. "Yes, Madame, I think I do," replied +Cooky, growing bolder every minute. "Well," said +Grandmother Puss, solemnly, "that rat has caused my +good mistress a great deal of trouble, and if you +can in any way tempt him within my reach, so that I +can catch him, I promise never to harm you, or to +allow my grandson, Peter, to do so." "It's a +bargain," said Cooky, "you hide here behind this +box, and when you see me run by, with the rat after +me, you can give one spring, and catch the rogue; +but please be quick about it, or he may catch _me_." + + [Illustration: Death of the Old Rat.] + +So Puss hid behind the box; Cooky went as near old +Gray Rat's hole as he dared, then, giving a +frightened squeak, as though he had just caught +sight of his enemy, turned and ran with all his +speed toward the place where Puss lay concealed. The +old rat heard Cooky's squeak, and was after him in a +moment squealing out, "I'll have you now, master +Cooky, and you'll make me a nice supper." But long +before he could reach Cooky, Grandmother Puss +pounced upon the gray old rascal, and tore him to +pieces in a trice, though I fear she found her prize +too tough for dinner! Then Puss told Cooky to come +and drink milk from her dish, which he did, and then +ran off, well pleased, to his hole, taking some +bread with him to feed his poor, lame sister. + +Although Grandmother Puss thought her grandson. +Peter, much too lazy to try and catch Cooky, still +she thought it safer to forbid him to go near him, +or to disturb him in any way. Now Peter didn't want +to catch Cooky, or any other mouse, so long as he +was free to do so. + +But as soon as Grandmother Puss told him to let +little Cooky alone, and never to go near her, or +frighten her; Peter was at once seized with a +violent wish to do that very thing. I am sorry to +say, that many little children who should know how +to behave much better than Peter; very often feel +the same desire to do what they know is wrong. So +Peter now thought that Cooky must be the sweetest +and tenderest mouse alive. The more he thought of +him, the more his mouth watered for him. He did not +believe his Grandma would punish him much, even if +she found him out. + +He even tried to persuade himself that his Grandma +was merely fattening Cooky up for her own use; and +intended to eat him herself as soon as he was in +good condition! + +This went on for some time, until at last Peter's +desire to taste Cooky grew too strong for him. So +one day, he went softly down the stairs and hid +himself, to wait for Cooky's daily visit to the box. +He thought he was alone in the cellar, but he was +mistaken--Grandma Puss was not far off, watching for +any stray rat who might come that way. + +She saw Peter, and wondered what he was about. She +soon found out. In a short time poor Cooky came out +to get his dinner, with no thought of danger in his +mind. Quick as a flash, the wicked Peter grabbed +him! Luckily for Cooky, Peter thought he would worry +his victim a little before eating him, as cats often +do; and so while he was letting poor Cooky run a +little way, and then catching him again; Grandma +Puss, who had seen the whole thing, crept slyly up, +and in a moment, the astonished Peter was rolling +upon the floor, from the effects of a box on the ear +from his enraged Grandmother. + + [Illustration: Grandma Puss, punishes Peter.] + +Cooky, of course, got back to his hole with great +speed. He was not much hurt, and as soon as he felt +himself safe, he looked out, and saw Puss giving +Peter a cuffing and shaking that did his little +heart good; and which Peter remembered as long as he +lived. Grandma then told him, that in future he must +catch his own mice, and as that gave him plenty to +do, and kept wicked thoughts out of his mind, he +grew up to be an ornament to his race. He is a smart +cat now, catches mice for his Grandma as well as +himself; and is much thought of in the very highest +circles of society. + + +THE END. + + * * * * * + * * * * + +Errata + + darted away to his hole in a hury, [spelling unchanged] + he grew up to be an ornament to his race ["an / an" at line break] + Grandma Puss, punishes Peter [comma as shown] + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Grandmother Puss, or, The grateful +mouse, by Unknown + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRANDMOTHER PUSS *** + +***** This file should be named 27346.txt or 27346.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/7/3/4/27346/ + +Produced by Louise Hope + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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