WHY THE MOUSE IS SO SMALL

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 15, 18 January 1930, Page 18

WHY THE MOUSE IS SO SMALL

Once upon a time there was a little Red Indian boy who wanted to visit his uncle. He had no new clothes so his sister- made hint a coat of white feathers, and away he went, feeling very proud of himself.

He had to make a long journey, so he started .early, and at noon, when the sun was shining brightly, he began lo feel hot and tired. "I think I will have a little rest." thought he, and, taking off his new coat, he lay down under a tree and was soon fast asleep. He must have slept for a long time, for when he awoke the shadows were long and the air chilly. "Why," said the boy, "it is nearly evening. I shall have to run as fast as I can." He stooped lo pick up his coat arid found that it had so shrivelled and shrunk that he could not get into it. "You horrid old sun," he cried, bursting into tears, "you've ruined my coat. But I'll punish you, just wait!" And he ran home, crying. "Never mind, little brother," said his sister, "I'll make you a snare from my own hair, which is stronger than anything in the world, *an.d you shall catch the sun and we will eat him for our dinner." She was as good as her word, and the very next day the boy set his snare just behind a big lake. Then,he hid and watched. Sure enough, the sun rose out of the lake, and click! it was caught in the snare and never got into the sky at all. "Ha! ha!!" cried the boy, "now you're punished for spoiling my coat," and he ran home to tell his sister the good news. Now that the sun was caught, there was neither day nor night. There was nothing but twilight. The birds did not know when to sing and the animals did not know when to come out. When .they discovered what had happened they decided that the sun must at all costs be rescued, otherwise there would never be any more light and heat in the world. One by one, they tried to unfasten the noose, but the ha.it was so strong and the sun so hot that they were scorched, and after that most of them were afraid and wanted tosgo home. Now in those days the mouse was the biggest, of all the animals. His coat was white and his tail very thick and strong, and his teeth large and sharp. He was huge, three times as big as the elephant and twenty times as strong. "I'll rescue the sun," he said, and went boldly towards the snare while all the other animals cheered and the birds cried, "Good; luck, mousie!" : The mouse gave a tremendous jump, and seized the snare with his teeth. He bit and he gnawed. He gnawed and he bit. He pulled and he tore, and at last he broke one tiny hair. "Bravo, mousie!" cried all the others, and the poor old sun beamed with joy. But there were many more hairs to break, and the heat was beginning to make the mouse feel very ill. He felt his coat shrivelling and his bones shrinking. He was miserable, but he knew that he was the biggest of all the animals, and must try to be the bravest, and, although he felt himself shrivelling and shrivelling, he would* not give up. He pulled and he tore, and he bit and he gnaVed. He gnawed and he bit and he tore and he pulled. SNAP! The last hair broke, the sun bounded into the sky, and there was nothing left of the trap but some burned grass and broken hairs. . • .. ..■•'■• "Hurrah!" "Bravo!" "Well done, mousiel" "Congratulations!" shouted all the other animals. "Where are you, you brave fellow?/ Why, who—what—w-what has happened?" ~."'.■''•' They all stood still, gaping with astonishment. Instead of a great big white animal, they saw a teeny-tiny shrivelled up thing with a coat the colour of ashes. Ever since that day, the mouse has always been small. -You see, he was all dried up by the. sun and his white coat was burned to ashes. . ...... As for the boy,* he was so angry when he found what had happened to his prisoner that he set a trap to catch the mouse.Men -still do that, but mousie is sometimes too wise to be caught. Perhaps the other animals take care of him, remembering his bravery in days gone by.