THE TALE OF JOHNNY TOWN-MOUSE

By Beatrix Potter

Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," etc.

To Aesop In The Shadows

Johnny Town-mouse was born in a

cupboard. Timmy Wil ie was born in a

garden. Timmy Wil ie was a little country

mouse who went to town by mistake in a

hamper. The gardener sent vegetables to

town once a week by carrier; he packed

them in a big hamper.

The gardener left the hamper by the garden

gate, so that the carrier could pick it up when

he passed. Timmy Wil ie crept in through a

hole in the wicker-work, and after eating

some peas Timmy Wil ie fel fast asleep.

He awoke in a fright, while the hamper was

being lifted into the carrier's cart. Then there

was a jolting, and a clattering of horse's feet;

other packages were thrown in; for miles

and miles jolt jolt jolt! and Timmy Wil ie

trembled amongst the jumbled up

vegetables.

At last the cart stopped at a house, where

the hamper was taken out, carried in, and

set down. The cook gave the carrier

sixpence; the back door banged, and the

cart rumbled away. But there was no quiet;

there seemed to be hundreds of carts

passing. Dogs barked; boys whistled in the

street; the cook laughed, the parlour maid

ran up and down-stairs; and a canary sang

like a steam engine.

Timmy Wil ie, who had lived al his life in a

garden, was almost frightened to death.

Presently the cook opened the hamper and

began to unpack the vegetables. Out sprang

the terrified Timmy Wil ie.

Up jumped the cook on a chair, exclaiming

"A mouse! a mouse! Cal the cat! Fetch me

the poker, Sarah!" Timmy Wil ie did not wait

for Sarah with the poker; he rushed along

the skirting board til he came to a little hole,

and in he popped.

He dropped half a foot, and crashed into the

middle of a mouse dinner party, breaking

three glasses. "Who in the world is this?"

inquired Johnny Town-mouse. But after the

first exclamation of surprise he instantly

recovered his manners.

With the utmost politeness he introduced

Timmy Wil ie to nine other mice, al with long

tails and white neckties. Timmy Wil ie's own

tail was insignificant. Johnny Town-mouse

and his friends noticed it; but they were too

wel bred to make personal remarks; only

one of them asked Timmy Wil ie if he had

ever been in a trap?

The dinner was of eight courses; not much

of anything, but truly elegant. Al the dishes

were unknown to Timmy Wil ie, who would

have been a little afraid of tasting them; only

he was very hungry, and very anxious to

behave with company manners. The

continual noise upstairs made him so

nervous, that he dropped a plate. "Never

mind, they don't belong to us," said Johnny.

"Why don't those youngsters come back with

the dessert?" It should be explained that two

young mice, who were waiting on the others,

went skirmishing upstairs to the kitchen

between courses. Several times they had

come tumbling in, squeaking and laughing;

Timmy Wil ie learnt with horror that they

were being chased by the cat. His appetite

failed, he felt faint. "Try some jel y?" said

Johnny Town-mouse.

"No? Would you rather go to bed? I wil

show you a most comfortable sofa pil ow."

The sofa pil ow had a hole in it. Johnny

Town-mouse quite honestly recommended it

as the best bed, kept exclusively for visitors.

But the sofa smelt of cat. Timmy Wil ie

preferred to spend a miserable night under

the fender.

It was just the same next day. An excel ent

breakfast was provided for mice

accustomed to eat bacon; but Timmy Wil ie

had been reared on roots and salad. Johnny

Town-mouse and his friends racketted about

under the floors, and came boldly out al over

the house in the evening. One particularly

loud crash had been caused by Sarah

tumbling downstairs with the tea-tray; there

were crumbs and sugar and smears of jam

to be col ected, in spite of the cat.

Timmy Wil ie longed to be at home in his

peaceful nest in a sunny bank. The food

disagreed with him; the noise prevented him

from sleeping. In a few days he grew so thin

that Johnny Town-mouse noticed it, and

questioned him. He listened to Timmy

Wil ie's story and inquired about the garden.

"It sounds rather a dul place? What do you

do when it rains?"

"When it rains, I sit in my little sandy burrow

and shel corn and seeds from my Autumn

store. I peep out at the throstles and

blackbirds on the lawn, and my friend Cock

Robin. And when the sun comes out again,

you should see my garden and the

flowers roses and pinks and pansies no

noise except the birds and bees, and the

lambs in the meadows."

"There goes that cat again!" exclaimed

Johnny Town-mouse. When they had taken

refuge in the coal-cel ar he resumed the

conversation; "I confess I am a little

disappointed; we have endeavoured to

entertain you, Timothy Wil iam."

"Oh yes, yes, you have been most kind; but

I do feel so il ," said Timmy Wil ie.

"It may be that your teeth and digestion are

unaccustomed to our food; perhaps it might

be wiser for you to return in the hamper."

"Oh? Oh!" cried Timmy Wil ie.

"Why of course for the matter of that we

could have sent you back last week," said

Johnny rather huffily "did you not know that

the hamper goes back empty on Saturdays?"

So Timmy Wil ie said good-bye to his new

friends, and hid in the hamper with a crumb

of cake and a withered cabbage leaf; and

after much jolting, he was set down safely in

his own garden.

Sometimes on Saturdays he went to look at

the hamper lying by the gate, but he knew

better than to get in again. And nobody got

out, though Johnny Town-mouse had half

promised a visit.

The winter passed; the sun came out again;

Timmy Wil ie sat by his burrow warming his

little fur coat and sniffing the smel of violets

and spring grass. He had nearly forgotten

his visit to town. When up the sandy path al

spick and span with a brown leather bag

came Johnny Town-mouse!

Timmy Wil ie received him with open arms.

"You have come at the best of al the year,

we wil have herb pudding and sit in the sun."

"H'm'm! it is a little damp," said Johnny

Town-mouse, who was carrying his tail

under his arm, out of the mud.

"What is that fearful noise?" he started

violently.

"That?" said Timmy Wil ie, "that is only a

cow; I wil beg a little milk, they are quite

harmless, unless they happen to lie down

upon you. How are al our friends?"

Johnny's account was rather middling. He

explained why he was paying his visit so

early in the season; the family had gone to

the sea-side for Easter; the cook was doing

spring cleaning, on board wages, with

particular instructions to clear out the mice.

There were four kittens, and the cat had

kil ed the canary.

"They say we did it; but I know better," said

Johnny Town-mouse. "Whatever is that

fearful racket?"

"That is only the lawn-mower; I wil fetch

some of the grass clippings presently to

make your bed. I am sure you had better

settle in the country, Johnny."

"H'm'm we shal see by Tuesday week; the

hamper is stopped while they are at the sea-

side."

"I am sure you wil never want to live in town

again," said Timmy Wil ie.

But he did. He went back in the very next

hamper of vegetables; he said it was too

quiet!!

One place suits one person, another place

suits another person. For my part I prefer to

live in the country, like Timmy Wil ie.