Boy Blue and His Friends Part 6

"She found them, indeed, but it made her heart bleed, For they'd left their tails behind them."

Sure enough! There was a sheep on the curtain, but it had no tail.

There were some tails in a box on the table.

Bo-peep's mother gave one of them to each of the children.

"Now," said Bo-peep, "I will try first to pin a tail on the sheep."

So her mother tied a handkerchief over her eyes, turned her around three times, and said, "Go."

Bo-peep started off bravely, and pinned the tail to her mother's ap.r.o.n!

How the children laughed! and Bo-peep laughed too, when she saw what she had done.

Boy Blue was sure he could pin a tail on the sheep.

But he pinned it right on the corner of the table cloth.

Then it was Mary's turn. She shut her eyes tight and walked very straight.

She was going to pin the tail in just the right place.

All the children stood still and watched her cross the room.

She pinned on the tail, and how they all shouted!

She had put it into the sheep's mouth.

But she did better than any one else.

So Bo-peep's mother gave her a little woolly lamb to take home to her baby brother.

All the children had a good time at the party.

They played games and ate ice-cream and cake and candy.

Then they sang songs, and Alice's mother told them some stories.

Last of all they sang "Little Bo-peep" again.

And to this day they call Alice "Little Bo-peep."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "All the children had a good time at the party."]

Hickory, d.i.c.kory, dock!

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck one And down he run.

Hickory, d.i.c.kory, dock!

HICKORY, d.i.c.kORY, DOCK

It was very quiet all over the house.

Little Boy Blue was fast asleep, dreaming of Santa Claus.

Boy Blue's father and mother were asleep, too, but I don't know what they were dreaming about.

"Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."

Hark! Was that a mouse? Yes, I think it was.

Some one was awake after all.

Mr. and Mrs. Mouse lived in a hole in the pantry wall.

They were talking quite loud now.

"Yes, we must move right away," Mrs. Mouse was saying.

"This nest is not large enough for six."

"That is true," said Mr. Mouse. "I can't get my tail in now, and when the babies grow, it will be still worse."

"But where shall we go?" said Mrs. Mouse.

"I will go house-hunting this very night, my dear."

"Be sure you find a large house, where the cat can't find us."

"Yes, indeed!" said Mr. Mouse. Then he whisked through a little hole and went away.

"Be careful, dear," called Mrs. Mouse, and she peeped through the hole and watched him out of sight.

Mr. Mouse ran across the kitchen floor into the dining-room.

It was very still!

Then he ran into the hall.

"This is too far from the kitchen," he thought.