The Discontented Mouse.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XX, Issue 1415, 24 December 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Discontented Mouse.

A young mouse of more than ordinary inquisitiveness watched a cook as she was preparing a dinner.

" Ha 1" said he, " there must be something wrong, something askew in tbe scheme of things. Wby should these huge giants called men and women have such delicious things to eat, While we poor mice have to forage for a piece of stale bread or cheese at the risk of being gobbled up by some cannibal cat."

The more he thought over the matter the more this young mouse grew discontented. He gradually developed a socialistic, or, rather, anarchist temper, and oame to the conclusion that suffering from such grave injustice tbers could be no wrong in helping himself to the good things to which he had as good right as any other creature. In this temper he watched the cook put by the stock pot for soup. Seizing his opportunity, he scrambled up the sides of the pot. and leaned over the edge to taste theicontents. Alas 1 he overbalanced himself, and fell in, and was drowned in the rich liquor. In the morning when the cook was about to make the soup she discovered the corpse floating in the stock.

"Ah!" said she, "rnioe is like men and women. They're all us hankerin 1 arter other people's good things instead of bein' content with what Providence has awarded em," and she threw the mouse to the cat.