14. Titty Mouse And Tatty Mouse
Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse both lived in a house.
Titty Mouse went gleaning, and Tatty Mouse went gleaning. So they both went gleaning.
Titty Mouse gleaned an ear of com, and Tatty Mouse gleaned an ear of com. So they both gleaned an ear of com.
Titty Mouse made a pudding, and Tatty Mouse made a pudding. So they both made a pudding.
Tatty Mouse put her pudding into the pot to boil; but when Titty went to put hers in, the pot tumbled over and scalded her to death.
Then Tatty sat down and wept.
A three-legged stool said, "Tatty, why do you weep?"
"Titty's dead," said Tatty," and so I weep."
"Then," said the stool, "I'll hop."
So the stool hopped.
Then a broom in the comer of the room said, "Stool, why do you hop?"
"Oh," said the stool, "Titty's dead, and Tatty weeps, and so I hop."
"Then," said the broom, "I'll sweep."
So the broom began to sweep.
Then said the door, "Broom, why do you sweep?"
"Oh," said the broom, "Titty's dead, and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and so I sweep."
"Then," said the door, "I'll jar."
So the door jarred.
Then said the window, "Door, why do you jar?"
"Oh," said the door, "Titty's dead, and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, and so I jar."
"Then," said the window, "I'll creak."
So the window creaked.
Now there was an old bench outside the house, and when the window creaked, the bench said, "Window, why do you creak?"
"Oh," said the window, "Titty's dead, and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, and the door jars, and so I creak."
"Then," said the old bench, "I'll run around the house."
Now there was a fine large walnut tree growing by the cottage, and the tree said to the bench, "Bench, why do you run around the house?"
"Oh," said the bench, "Titty's dead, and Tatty weeps, * and the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, and the door jars, and the window creaks, and so I run around the house."
"Then," said the walnut tree, "I'll shed my leaves."
So the walnut tree shed all its beautiful green leaves.
Now there was a little bird perched on one of the boughs of the tree, and when all the leaves fell, it said, "Walnut tree, why do you shed your leaves?"
"Oh," said the tree, "Titty's dead, and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, and the door jars, arid the window creaks, and the old bench runs around the house, and so I shed my leaves."
"Then," said the little bird, "I'll molt all my feathers."
So he molted all his pretty feathers.
Now there was a little girl walking below, carrying a pitcher of milk for her brothers' and sisters' supper, and when she saw the poor little bird molt all its feathers, she said:
"Little bird, why do you molt all your feathers?"
"Oh," said the little bird, "Titty's dead, and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, and the door jars, and the window creaks, and the old bench runs around the house, and the walnut tree sheds its leaves, and so I molt all my feathers."
"Then," said the little girl, "I'll spill the milk."
So she dropped the pitcher and spilled the milk.
Now there was an old man just by on the top of a ladder thatching a rick, and when he saw the little girl spill the milk, he said:
"Little girl, what do you mean by spilling the milk? - your little brothers and sisters must go without their supper."
Then said the little girl, "Titty's dead and Tatty weeps, and the stool hops, and the broom sweeps, and the door jars, and the window creaks, and the old bench runs around the house, and the walnut tree sheds its leaves, and the little bird molts all its feathers, and so I spill the milk." "Oh," said the old man, "then I'll tumble off the ladder and break my neck."
So he tumbled off the ladder and broke his neck.
When the old man broke his neck, the walnut tree fell down with a crash, and upset the old bench and the house, and the house falling knocked the window out, and the window knocked the door down, and the door upset the broom, and the broom upset the stool, and poor little Tatty Mouse was buried beneath the ruins.