Page:The art of story-telling, with nearly half a hundred stories, y Julia Darrow Cowles .. (IA artofstorytellin00cowl).pdf/179

 really eat sich a mess as dat in de country whar you come from?'

"'Yes, indeed,' say de country cat, mighty glad to meet up wid town folks, an' larn town ways. 'Don't you eat sich in town? What you eat in town, anyhow?'

"De town cat look all 'bout. He boun' to sen' Miz Pussy Cat on a arrant dat'll take her 'way from dem good victuals. Right den he see Mr. Mouse peep out a hole to ax Miz Cat how she come on. He boun' if Miz Cat git to runnin' after Mr. Swif' Foot Mouse he have time to steal her dinner.

"'We eats mices,' he say, in de grandest way imaginable. 'You never will larn town ways tell you larn to eat mices!'

"I done told you dat Miz Pussy Cat plumb crazy 'bout larnin' to do like town folks does. She hop up and leave dat lunch, quick as you could wink—an' dat ol' hongry town cat grab hit des' as quick. She ran dat mouse plumb down all de way to de Co't House. Dar she ketch him, an' right dar she eat him—all but de squeak an' de teef.

"Den, by dat, she got de taste; and all cats been eatin' rats and mouses to dis good day."