Five Mice in a Mouse-trap by the Man in the Moon.   By: Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards (1850-1943)

FIVE MICE IN A MOUSE TRAP, BY THE MAN IN THE MOON.

DONE IN VERNACULAR, FROM THE LUNACULAR,

BY LAURA E. RICHARDS,

Author of "Babyhood," Etc.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY KATE GREENAWAY , ADDIE LEDYARD , AND OTHERS .

BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY ESTES AND LAURIAT, 299 TO 305 WASHINGTON STREET, 1881.

Copyright, BY ESTES & LAURIAT, 1880.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. THE MAN IN THE MOON, 9

CHAPTER II. THE MOUSE TRAP, 14

CHAPTER III. THE MICE, 19

CHAPTER IV. JOLLYKALOO, 45

CHAPTER V. TOMTY, 64

CHAPTER VI. A NIGHT JOURNEY, 79

CHAPTER VII. A RAINY DAY AND WHAT CAME OF IT, 97

CHAPTER VIII. A STORY CHAPTER, 109

CHAPTER IX. A PICNIC, 123

CHAPTER X. THE CARRIAGE CLOUD, 138

CHAPTER XI. A BIRTHDAY PARTY, 154

CHAPTER XII. SICKNESS IN THE MOUSE TRAP, 169

CHAPTER XIII. OFF TO THE SEA SHORE, 179

CHAPTER XIV. STORIES AGAIN, 193

CHAPTER XV. FOLLOWING A SUNBEAM, 207

CHAPTER XVI. UNDER THE SEA, 215

CHAPTER XVII. GOOD BYE, 227

[Illustration]

CHAPTER I.

THE MAN IN THE MOON.

CHILDREN, down on the planet which you call Earth, allow me to introduce myself to you! I am the Man in the Moon. I have no doubt that you know a good deal about me, in an indirect way, and that your nurses have told you all sorts of nonsense about my inquiring the way to Norwich as if I didn't know the way to Norwich! and various things equally sensible. But now I am going to tell you a little about myself, and a great deal about yourselves , and about everything in general. In short, I am going to write you a book, and this is the beginning of it.

[Illustration: PATCHKO'S FATHER.]

You see, I live very quietly up here, very quietly indeed, with only my dog to bear me company. He is a good dog, and very funny sometimes, but still I have a good deal of time on my hands, and nothing amuses me so much as to watch all that is going on down on your planet, and see what people in general, and children in particular, are doing, every day and all day. You may wonder how I can see so far, and see distinctly, but that is easily explained. I have a great, monstrous mirror, which is oh! well, if I were to tell you how big it is, you would not believe me, so I will only say that it is very big indeed. This mirror has also the advantage of being a very strong magnifying glass, and as I can tip it in any direction I please, you will easily understand that I can see just what is going on in any part of the world that I happen to be interested in. For instance, Tommy Tiptop, the glass was tipped towards New York this morning, and I saw you take away your little sister's stick of candy, you greedy boy! Yes, and I saw you put in the closet for it, too, so that was well ended. Children are the same, I find, all the world over, for it was only yesterday that a little boy in Kamschatka (an ugly little Tartar he is, and not so very unlike you), named Patchko, while his father was out hunting, took away a tallow candle from his sister, which seemed just as good to her as the barley sugar did to little Katie.

[Illustration]