Mouse

'I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in my own tears! That will be a queer thing, to be sure! However, everything is queer today.' Just then she heard something splashing about in the pool a little way off, and she swam nearer to make out what it was.

At first she thought it must be a walrus or hippopotamus, but then she remembered how small she was now, and she soon made out that it was only a mouse that had slipped in like herself.

'Would it be of any use, now,' thought Alice, 'to speak to this mouse? Everything is so out-of-the-way down here, that I should think very likely it can talk: at any rate, there's no harm in trying.' So she began: 'O Mouse, do you know the way out of this pool? I am very tired of swimming about here, O Mouse!' Alice thought this must be the right way of speaking to a mouse: she had never done such a thing before, but she remembered having seen in her brother's Latin Grammar, 'A mouse—of a mouse—to a mouse—a mouse—O mouse.' The Mouse looked at her rather inquisitively, and seemed to her to wink with one of its little eyes, but it said nothing.

'Perhaps it doesn't understand English,' thought Alice; 'I daresay it's a French mouse, come over with William the Conqueror.' For, with all her knowledge of history, Alice had no very clear notion how long ago anything had happened.

So she began again: 'Où est ma chatte?' which was the first sentence in her French lesson-book.

The Mouse gave a sudden leap out of the water, and seemed to quiver all over with fright.

'Oh, I beg your pardon!' cried Alice hastily, afraid that she had hurt the poor animal's feelings.

'I quite forgot you didn't like cats.' 'Not like cats!' cried the Mouse, in a shrill, passionate voice.

End of The Hound and the Hare Recorded by Patti McCoy in Hudson, Colorado.

Aesop's Fables The Lion, the Mouse, and the Fox A lion was lying asleep at the mouth of his den when a mouse ran over his back and tickled him so that he woke up with a start and began looking about everywhere to see what it was that had disturbed him.

A fox who was looking on thought he would have a joke at the expense of the lion, so he said, Well, this is the first time I've seen a lion afraid of a mouse.

Afraid of a mouse? said the lion testily.

Not I. It's his bad manners I can't stand.

End of The Lion, the Mouse, and the Fox

THE TRUMPETER TAKEN PRISONER A trumpeter marched into battle in the van of the army and put courage into his comrades by his warlike tunes.

Being captured by the enemy, he begged for his life, and said, Do not put me to death, I have killed no one.

Looks like it's working.

I admit Mice exists.

Hello? Oh, I can hear you.

Hello.

False confidence often leads into danger.

One hundred and eight: The Mice and the Weasels.

The Weasels and the Mice waged a perpetual war with each other in which much blood was shed.

The Weasels were always the victors.

The Mice thought that the cause of their frequent defeats was that they had no leaders, set apart from the general army, to command them, and that they were exposed to dangers from lack of discipline.

They, therefore, chose as leaders Mice that were most renowned for their family descent, strength, and counsel, as well as those most noted for their courage in the fight, so that they might be better marshaled in battle array and formed into troops, regiments, and battalions.

When all this was done, and the army disciplined, and the herald Mouse had duly proclaimed war by challenging the Weasels, the newly chosen generals bound their heads with straws that they might be more conspicuous to all their troops.

Scarcely had the battle begun when a great rout overwhelmed the Mice, who scampered off as fast as they could to their holes.

The mouse looked at her rather inquisitively, and seemed to her to wink with one of its little eyes, but it said nothing.

perhaps it doesn't understand english thought alice i dare say it's a french mouse come over with william the conqueror with all her knowledge of history alice had no clear notion how long ago anything had happened so she began again which was the first sentence in her french lesson-book the mouse gave a sudden leap out of the water and seemed to quiver all over with fright oh i beg your pardon cried alice hastily afraid that she had hurt the poor animal's feelings i quite forgot you don't like cats not like cats cried the mouse in a shrill passionate voice would you like cats if you were me well perhaps not said alice in a soothing tone don't be angry about it and yet i wish i could show you our cat dinah i think you'd take a fancy to cats if you could only see her she's such a dear quiet thing alice went on half to herself as she swam lazily about in the pool and she sits purring so nicely by the fire licking her paws and washing her face and she is such a nice soft thing to nurse and she's such a capital one for catching mice oh i beg your pardon cried alice again for this time the mouse was bristling all over and she felt certain it must be really offended we won't talk about her any more if you'd rather not we indeed cried the mouse who was trembling down to the end of his tail as if i would talk on such a subject our family always hated cats nasty low vulgar things don't let me hear the name again i won't indeed said alice in a great hurry to change the subject of conversation and you are you fond of-of dogs the mouse did not answer so alice went on eagerly there is such a nice little dog near our house i should like to show you a little bright-eyed terrier you know with oh such long curly brown hair and it'll fetch things when you throw them and it'll sit up and beg for its dinner and all sorts of things i can't remember half of them and it belongs to a farmer you know and he says it's so useful it's worth a hundred pounds he says it kills all the rats and-oh dear cried alice in a sorrowful tone i'm afraid i'm offended again for the mouse was swimming away from her as hard as it could go and making quite a commotion in the pool as it went.

So she called softly after it, Mouse dear, do come back again, and I won't talk about cats or dogs either, if you don't like them.

When the mouse heard this, it turned round and swam slowly back to her.

Its face was quite pale, with passion, Alice thought, and it said in a low, trembling