Mouser Cats Story | Page 9

that way,
and he had twice as many visitors as he ever had before, all wanting to
know about the new feathers.
"Well, of course he couldn't keep saying that they were coming, and
not show any signs of them, so one day he said he felt terribly sick and
guessed he should go into the hospital. Then we didn't see anything of
him for most a week, until little Redder Squirrel came around and said
Mr. Crow was all right; that he had as many as six peacock feathers
growing right out of his tail.
"Well, now, you can believe we were astonished, and more excited
over it than we had been since young Mr. Thomas Cat painted the
canary yellow. Of course we asked Redder Squirrel where we could see
him, and he said Mr. Crow had agreed to come out on the hill, just

under the tree, that afternoon.
"If we animals around here were anxious to see him, you can guess that
the peacocks were just about wild, and when the time came for Mr.
Crow to show himself, all the peacocks for as many as five miles
around were gathered under the big tree. Mr. Crow didn't know
anything about their coming, until he marched right out in the midst of
them.
[Illustration: Mr. Crow showing his new feathers to the peacocks.]
"Now Mr. Crow is really a wise bird, and how it happened that he was
so foolish as to do what he did, beats me. Anybody with half an eye
could see that he had simply stuck these feathers in his tail, and was
trying to make us believe they had grown there. If he had stayed on the
tree where we couldn't get very near him, there might have been some
chance of deceiving us; but there he was right down where we could
put our paws on him if we wanted to. And the peacocks! Angry? Oh me,
oh my, don't say a word!
"One big one reached over with his beak, and pulled a feather from Mr.
Crow's tail.
"'The next time you set yourself up for one of us, it would be a good
idea to tie the feathers in, else they may drop out, as this one has,' the
peacock said, and I expected to see Mr. Crow almost faint away with
shame. But bless you, he never thought of doing anything of that kind.
He took the feather as bold as a lion, looked at the end of it, and then he
said, careless-like:
"'Well, I declare! I guess I must be moulting,' and with that, off he flew.
We didn't see him again for as much as two weeks, and then he agreed
not to write any poetry about us if we wouldn't tell the story of the
feathers; but young Mr. Thomas Cat couldn't hold in, and reported it far
and near, till Mr. Crow paid him back in good shape."

WHEN YOUNG THOMAS CAT PAINTED A CANARY.
"But what about painting a canary?" your Aunt Amy asked. "You
spoke of such a thing a moment ago."
"Yes, and it is what I am telling you about. Mr. Crow wrote the poetry
which tells the story, and you shall hear it."
Then Mrs. Mouser Cat repeated the following:
For he was such a knowing puss-- Oh yes, he was! A really clever,

sharp young puss-- Oh yes, he was! He wouldn't do as others do, He
said, "I know a thing or two, I do!
"To-morrow is the great bird show-- I think it is; The far-renowned
canary show-- Of course it is. Some yellow ochre, so I've heard, Will
wondrously improve a bird, I've heard
[Illustration: Thomas Cat Paints the Canary]
"I think I'll enter at that show-- I think I will, Just make one entry for
that show-- By Jove, I will. And if my bird don't get the prize, Why it
will be, as I surmise, A surprise!"
The show was held--a great success-- Of course it was! By all 'twas
called a huge success-- Indeed it was! The judges were experienced
cats; They wore tail-coats, and large top-hats-- Such hats!
Young Tom was there--he'd brought his bird-- Just think! he had! He'd
really dared to bring that bird-- Oh yes, he had! He said, "No one will
ever know That my canary's all no go, Oh no!"
[Illustration: The Spry Old Judge]
But one old judge was rather spry-- Oh yes, he was! You'd not have
thought him half so spry, But oh, he was! He said, "Why really, on my
word! Disqualify that shocking bird!-- Absurd!"
So Tom's bird was disqualified-- Of course it was! Disgracefully
disqualified, Ah yes, it was! And Tom, although he thought he knew A
thing or