om whence _Harper's Young People_ is issued is called
Franklin Square.

MR. AND MRS. MOUSE.

Once upon a time there lived a Mr. and Mrs. Mouse. They were sometimes
almost tempted to be sorry that they did live, for they were often very
short of anything to eat, and it happened once or twice that they were
very nearly eaten up by cats, or hunted by dogs, all of which made them
very unhappy. They had changed their house over and over again, till
they were quite sick of such a wandering life. At last Mr. Mouse said to
his wife one day, "My dear, I have made up my mind not to settle down
anywhere till I have thoroughly examined the place to see if it will
suit, for I am tired of having to change every week like this."

"Very well, dear," said his wife, "I quite agree with you. I am as tired
of this moving as you can be. Do you know, I am getting quite thin from
all this worry of dogs and cats. I feel quite loose in my coat, and I
feel so dreadfully nervous of traps every time I venture out at night
into the kitchen."

"Poor little thing!" said Mr. Mouse; "but I think I know of a place that
may suit us. The old lady that lives up stairs in her bedroom is a kind
old woman, I have heard cook say. Don't you think we might look behind
the wainscot of her room, and see if it would suit?"

So they agreed to go up stairs that very night and pay a visit to the
old lady's room. The old lady was a great invalid, and hardly ever left
her room. Mr. and Mrs. Mouse inspected the whole room carefully, she
looking after their lodgings, and he seeing what chances there were of
food, and what kinds of it, for Mr. Mouse was rather dainty in his
eating, if he were not hard up for food, as they had been a good deal
lately. They found everything perfection. As to lodgings, Mrs. Mouse
found a hole which delighted her extremely. It was obscurely hid in the
wainscot under the wardrobe, where nobody could possibly see them going
in and out--just to her liking. With a little nibbling of the wood here
and there inside the hole, she thought it would make the most delightful
house anybody ever had. There were no nasty draughts to give her colds,
and if they wanted a little amusement during the day, there was the
whole length of the wardrobe to race along under; for, to tell the
truth, Mr. and Mrs. Mouse were both quite young yet, and enjoyed a good
scamper immensely. She also found that there had been no other mice for
a very long time, if t