And the long and the short of it was that no other mouse would
undertake the duty; and so this clever proposal was never carried out,
and the Cat remained mistress of the situation.
* * * * *
LITTLE RED RIDING-HOOD
In a great wide forest, full of beautiful trees, and green glades,
and thorny thickets, there lived a long time ago a wood-cutter and his
wife, who had only one child, a little girl. She was so pretty, and so
good, that the sun seemed to shine more brightly when its light fell
upon her rosy little face, and the birds would seem to sing more
sweetly when she was passing by.
Her real name was Maisie; but the neighbors round about all called her
"Little Red Riding-Hood," because of a scarlet riding-hood and cloak
that her kind old grandmother had made for her, and which she nearly
always wore.
She was a happy, merry little child, with a smile and a gentle word
for everybody, and so you may easily believe that everybody loved her,
and was glad to catch a glimpse of her golden curls and her scarlet
cloak as she tripped along, singing, under the green boughs.
Now, this, let me tell you before I forget, was at the time when all
the birds and beasts, or very nearly all, could speak just as well as
you or I; and nobody was surprised to hear them talk, as I suppose one
would be nowadays.
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