ail in a little basket. And when she
got there, I mean to the mouse house, she found the mouse lady home all
alone, for Jollie and Jillie and Squeaky-Eaky, the little cousin mouse,
had gone to a surprise party, given by Nellie Chip-Chip, the sparrow
girl.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you," said Mrs. Longtail. "Come right in, if you
please, Mrs. No-Tail. I'll make you a cup of tea."

"Oh, are you able to be about?" asked Bully's mamma.

"Yes," replied Jollie's mamma. "I am much better, thank you. I am so
glad you brought me a custard pie. But now sit right down by the window,
where you can smell the flowers in the garden, and I'll make tea."

Well in a little while, about forty-'leven seconds, Mrs. Longtail had
the tea made, and she and Mrs. No-Tail sat in the dining-room eating
it--I mean sipping it--for it was quite hot. And they were talking about
spring housecleaning, and about moths getting in the closets, and eating
up the blankets and the piano, and about whether there would be many
mosquitoes this year, after Bawly had killed such numbers of them with
his bean shooter. They talked of many other things, and finally Mrs.
Longtail said:

"Let me get you another cup of tea, Mrs. No-Tail."

So the lady mouse went out in the kitchen to get the tea off the stove,
and when she got there, what do you think she saw? Why, a great, big,
ugly, savage cat had, somehow or other, gotten into the room and there
he sat in front of the fire, washing his face, which was very dirty.

"Oh, ho!" exclaimed the cat, blinking his yellow eyes, "I was wondering
whether anybody was at home here."

"Yes, I am at home!" exclaimed the mouse lady, "and I want you to get
right out of my house, Mr. Cat."

"Well," replied the cat, licking his whiskers with his red tongue, "I'm
not going! That's all there is to it. I am glad I found you at home, but
you are not going to be at home long."

"Why not?" asked Mrs. Longtail, suspicious like.

"Because," answered that bad cat, "I am going to eat you up, and I think
I'll start right in!"

"Oh, don't!" begged Mrs. Longtail, as she tried to run back into the
dining-room, where Mrs. No-Tail was sitting. But the savage cat was too
quick for her, and in an instant he had her in his paws, and was glaring
at her with his yellowish-green eyes.

"I don't know whether to eat you head first or tail first," said the
cat, as he looked at the poor mouse lady. "I must make up my mind before
I begin."

Now w