Mouser Cats Story

Mouser Cats' Story

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Mouser Cats' Story, by Amy Prentice
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Title: Mouser Cats' Story
Author: Amy Prentice
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[Illustration: Mrs. Mouser Cat walked up to Aunt Amy with a mouse in
her mouth]
MOUSER CATS' STORY
By AMY PRENTICE
With Thirty-Five Illustrations and a Frontispiece in Colors
BY J. WATSON DAVIS

[Illustration]
MOUSER CAT'S STORY.
On that day last week when it stormed so very hard, your Aunt Amy
was feeling very lonely, because all of her men and women friends in
the house were busy, and it was not reasonable to suppose any of her
bird or animal acquaintances would be out. As she sat by the window,
watching the little streams of water as they ran down the glass, she said
to herself that this was one of the days when she could not hope to be
entertained by story-telling.
[Illustration: Mrs. Mouser Cat.]
"You don't seem to care whether Mrs. Man makes the pickles properly,
or not," a voice from the doorway said, and, looking around in surprise,
your Aunt Amy saw Mrs. Mouser Cat, an animal with whom she was
very well acquainted, but who had never before ventured to speak with
her.
Considerably astonished, because it had not come into her mind that
Mrs. Mouser might prove to be as entertaining as any of the other
animals she had talked with, your Aunt Amy asked:
"What about the pickles, Mrs. Mouser?"

"Why, Mrs. Man is putting them up; didn't you know it?" the cat
replied, and your Aunt Amy said with a sigh:
"Oh, yes indeed, Mrs. Mouser, I know that, and you also know it is not
possible for me to do any work around the house, owing to my illness.
That is why I am idle on this day when the storm makes it seem very,
very lonely.
"You can sit out of doors all the afternoon with a foolish old duck, or
talk by the hour with Mr. Turtle, who hasn't got sense enough to go in
when it rains, and yet you never invited me for an afternoon's
story-telling," and Mrs. Mouser arched her back as if she was angry.
"Do you know any stories?" your Aunt Amy asked, surprised again,
and Mrs. Mouser replied quickly:
"It would be funny if I didn't. I've lived on this farm more than six
years, and have known pretty much all that has happened around here
in that time."

WHY CATS CATCH MICE.
"I wish you could think of a story to tell me now," your Aunt Amy said.
"I am just in the mood for hearing one."
"It is the hardest thing in the world to stand up and begin telling a story
without anything to start one going," Mrs. Mouser said thoughtfully, as
she brushed her whiskers with her paw. "After you once get into it, of
course, they come easy enough. How would it do if I should explain
why it is that cats catch mice?"
"Was there ever a time when they didn't catch mice?" your Aunt Amy
asked, surprised for the third time.
[Illustration: Mrs. Pussy Cat Visits her Cousin]
"Oh, yes indeed," Mrs. Mouser said in a matter-of-fact tone. "All cats
used to be good friends with the mice, once upon a time, and it
happened that because an old Mrs. Pussy, who lived in the city, didn't
have anything in the house to eat, the cats took up catching mice. You
see it was in this way: A cat that had always lived in the country, made
up her mind one day