Page 14 - English Reader - 3

“Run!” and the Country Mouse and Town Mouse ran back as fast as they could. “That

was the old Cat,” said the Town Mouse. “She is an expert in catching mice.”

“How terrible!” said the Country Mouse. “I don’t want to go back to the kitchen again.”

“All right. I will take you to a better place,” said the Town Mouse, and took his cousin
down to the cellar. There was a big cupboard in the cellar where there were many

shelves. On the shelves were jars of butter, jam, pickles, packets of cheese, bread, and

biscuits.

Everything smelled delicious. The Country Mouse ran along the shelf and nibbled at
whatever he could get. Suddenly he saw a big piece of cheese in a funny little box

which had an open door. He was about to put his head in the box to get at the cheese
when the Town Mouse
screamed, “Stop! Stop!

That is a mousetrap!”

The Country Mouse
stopped and said,

“What is a mousetrap?”

“That box is a

mousetrap,” said the
Town Mouse. “The

minute you get into
it, the door will shut
and you are dead.”

The little Country
Mouse looked at the
trap, and he looked

at the cheese, and

he looked at the Town
mouse. ‘‘I don’t like your
town life at all,’’ he said. ‘‘My life

in the country is much better. I may not get
all these fancy foods, but at least I can eat in peace and comfort, and don’t have to be

frightened all the time!”

So, the Country Mouse went back to his home, in the village and was happy.

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