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[This e-text comes in two forms: Latin-1 and ASCII. Use the one that
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name is written with French accents. There are no other significant
differences.

The story is given twice: first with line breaks, punctuation and
paragraph indentation as in the original, and then as an unformatted
narrative.]




  [Illustration]

  THE COCK, THE MOUSE

  AND THE LITTLE RED HEN




  [Illustration]




                 [Illustration]

            _The_ COCK, _The_ MOUSE
                   _and the_
                 LITTLE RED HEN

               An Old Tale Retold
                      _by_
               FÉLICITÉ LEFÈVRE


                 [Illustration]

             With 24 Illustrations
                      _by_
                   TONY SARG

            MACRAE · SMITH · COMPANY
                  Philadelphia




                  To My Nieces
        CECILIA GARRY and NELLY MELVILLE
                      and
              to my little friend
                  HARFORD LURY
             this book is dedicated
                  with my love


                      4511
              Nineteenth Printing
 _Manufactured in the United States of America_




  THE COCK, THE MOUSE

  AND THE LITTLE RED HEN




  Once upon a time there was
  a hill, and on the hill there
  was a pretty little house.

    It had one little green
  door, and four little windows
  with green shutters,
  and in it there lived

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

  A Cock

  [Illustration]

  and A Mouse

    and
      A Little
        Red
          Hen

  [Illustration]

  On another hill close by
  there was another little
  house. It was very ugly.

  [Illustration]

    It had a door
  that wouldn't shut,

  [Illustration]

  and two broken windows,
  and all the paint
  was off the shutters

  And in this house
  there lived

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

  A BOLD BAD FOX
    and FOUR BAD
    LITTLE FOXES

  [Illustration]

    One morning these
  four bad little foxes

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

    came to the
      big bad Fox
        and said:

    "Oh, Father, we're so
  hungry!"

    "We had nothing to eat
  yesterday," said one.

    "And scarcely anything
  the day before," said another.

    "And only half a chicken
  the day before that," said
  the third.

    "And only two little
  ducks the day before that,"
  said the fourth.

  [Illustration]

    The big bad Fox shook
  his head for a long time,
  for he was thinking.

  [Illustration]

    At last he said in a
      big gruff voice:

    "On that hill over there
  I see a house. And in that
  house there lives a Cock."

    "And a Mouse," screamed
  two of the little foxes.

  [Illustration]

    "And a little Red Hen,"
  screamed the other two.

    "And they are nice and fat,"
  went on the big bad Fox.
  "This very day, I'll take my
  great sack, and I will go up
  that hill, and in at that door,
  and into my sack I will put
  the Cock, and the Mouse,
  and the little Red Hen."

  [Illustration]

    "I'll make a fire
      to roast the Cock,"
        said one little fox.

  "I'll put on the saucepan
  to boil the Hen,"
  said the second.

  [Illustration]

  "And I'll get the frying
  pan to fry the Mouse,"
  said the third.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

  "And I'll have the biggest
  helping when
  they are all cooked,"
  said the fourth, who
  was the greediest of all.

  So the four little foxes
  jumped for joy, and the
  big bad Fox went to get
  his sack ready to start
  upon his journey.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

  But what was happening
  to the Cock and the Mouse,
  and the little Red Hen, all
  this time?

  [Illustration]

    Well, sad to say, the Cock and
  the Mouse had both got out of
  bed on the wrong side that
  morning.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

    The Cock said the day was
  too hot, and the Mouse grumbled
  because it was too cold.

    They came grumbling down
  to the kitchen, where the good
  little Red Hen, looking as bright
  as a sunbeam, was bustling about.

    "Who'll get some sticks to
  light the fire with?" she asked.

    "_I_ shan't," said the Cock.

    "_I_ shan't," said the Mouse.

    "Then I'll do it myself," said
  the little Red Hen.

    So off she ran to get the sticks.

  [Illustration]

  "And now, who'll fill
  the kettle from the
  spring?" she asked.

  [Illustration]

  "_I_ shan't,"
  said the Cock.

  "_I_ shan't," said
  the Mouse.

  [Illustration]

  "Then I'll do it myself,"
  said the little Red Hen.
  And off she ran to
  fill the kettle.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

  "And who'll get the
  breakfast ready?" she
  asked, as she put the
  kettle on to boil.

  [Illustration]

  "_I_ shan't,"
  said the Cock.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

  "_I_ shan't,"
  said the Mouse.

  "I'll do it myself,"
  said the little Red Hen.

  [Illustration]

    All breakfast time the
  Cock and the Mouse quarrelled
  and grumbled. The
  Cock upset the milk jug,
  and the Mouse scattered
  crumbs upon the floor

  [Illustration]

    "Who'll clear away the
  breakfast?" asked the poor
  little Red Hen, hoping

  [Illustration]

  they would soon leave
  off being cross.

    "_I_ shan't," said the Cock.

    "_I_ shan't," said the Mouse.

    "Then I'll do it myself,"
  said the little Red Hen.

    So she cleared everything
  away, swept up the crumbs,
  and brushed up the fireplace.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

    "And now, who'll help
  me to make the beds?"

  "_I_ shan't," said the Cock.

  "_I_ shan't," said the Mouse.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

    "Then I'll do it myself,"
  said the little Red Hen.

    And she tripped away
  upstairs.

    But the lazy Cock and
  Mouse each sat down in a
  comfortable arm-chair by
  the fire

  [Illustration]

  and soon fell
  fast asleep.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

    Now the bad Fox had
  crept up the hill, and into
  the garden, and if the Cock
  and Mouse hadn't been
  asleep, they would have seen
  his sharp eyes peeping in
  at the window.

  "Rat tat tat, Rat tat tat",
  the Fox knocked at the door.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

    "Who can that be?" said the
  Mouse, half opening his eyes.

    "Go and look for yourself, if
  you want to know," said the
  rude Cock

  [Illustration]

    "It's the postman perhaps,"
  thought the Mouse to himself,
  "and he may have a letter
  for me." So without waiting to
  see who it was, he lifted the
  latch and opened the door.

  As soon as he opened it
  in jumped the big Fox, with
  a cruel smile upon his face!

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

  "Oh! oh! oh!" squeaked the
  Mouse as he tried to run up
  the chimney.

  "Doodle doodle do!" screamed
  the Cock, as he jumped on the
  back of the biggest
  arm-chair

  But the Fox only laughed,
  and without more ado he
  took the little Mouse by the
  tail, and popped him into
  the sack, and seized the
  Cock by the neck and popped
  him in too.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

  Then the poor little Red
  Hen came running down-stairs
  to see what all the
  noise was about,
  and the Fox caught her
  and put her into the sack
  with the others.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

  Then he took a long piece of
  string out of his pocket, wound
  it round and round and
  round the mouth of
  the sack, and tied it very
  tight indeed.

  [Illustration]

  After that he threw the sack
  over his back and set off down
  the hill.

  [Illustration]

    "Oh! I wish I hadn't been
  so cross," said the Cock, as
  they went bumping about.

    "Oh! I wish I hadn't been
  so lazy," said the Mouse, wiping
  his eyes with the tip of his tail.

    "It's never too late to mend,"
  said the little Red Hen. "And
  don't be too sad.

  [Illustration]

    See, here I have my little
  work-bag, and in it there is
  a pair of scissors, and a
  little thimble, and a needle
  and thread. Very soon you
  will see what I am going
  to do."

  Now the sun was very hot,
  and soon Mr. Fox began to
  feel his sack was heavy,
  and at last he thought he
  would lie down under a
  tree and go to sleep for
  a little while.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

  So he threw the sack down
  with a big bump, and very
  soon fell fast asleep.

    Snore, snore, snore, went
  the Fox.

  [Illustration]

  As soon as the little Red
  Hen heard this, she took
  out her scissors, and began
  to snip a hole in the sack,
  just large enough for the
  Mouse to creep through.

  "Quick," she whispered to
  the Mouse, "run as fast as you
  can and bring back a stone
  just as large as yourself."

  [Illustration]

  Out scampered the Mouse,
  and soon came back, dragging
  the stone after him.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

    "Push it in here," said
  the little Red Hen, and he
  pushed it in in a twinkling.

    Then the little Red Hen
  snipped away the hole, till
  it was large enough for the
  Cock to get through.

    "Quick," she said, "run
  and get a stone as big as
  yourself."

  [Illustration]

    Out flew the Cock, and
  soon came back quite out
  of breath, with a big stone,
  which he pushed into the
  sack too.

  [Illustration]

  Then the little Red Hen
  popped out,

  [Illustration]

    got a stone as big as
  herself, and pushed it in.

  Next she put on her thimble,
  took out her needle and thread,
  and sewed up the hole as
  quickly as ever she could.

  [Illustration]

  When it was done, the
  Cock and the Mouse and
  the little Red Hen ran home
  very fast, shut the door

  [Illustration]

  after them, drew the bolts,
  shut the shutters, and drew
  down the blinds and felt
  quite safe.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

    The bad Fox lay fast asleep
  under the tree for some time,
  but at last he woke up.

    "Dear, dear," he said, rubbing
  his eyes and then looking at
  the long shadows on the grass,
  "how late it is getting. I must
  hurry home."

  So the bad Fox went
  grumbling and groaning
  down the hill

  [Illustration]

  till he came to the
  stream.

  Splash! In went one foot.
  Splash! In went the other,
  but the stones in the sack
  were so heavy that at the
  very next step down tumbled
  Mr. Fox into a deep pool.

  [Illustration]

    And then the fishes carried
  him off to their fairy caves
  and kept him a prisoner there,
  so he was never seen again.

  [Illustration]

    And the four greedy
  little foxes had to go
  to bed without any
  supper.

  [Illustration]

  [Illustration]

    But the Cock and the
  Mouse never grumbled
  again. They lit the fire,
  filled the kettle, laid the
  breakfast, and did all the
  work, while the good little
  Red Hen had a holiday, and
  sat resting in the big arm-chair.

    No foxes ever troubled
  them again, and for all I
  know they are still living
  happily in the little house
  with the green door and
  green shutters, which stands
  on the hill.

  [Illustration]

  The End


       *       *       *       *       *
           *       *       *       *


The Cock, the Mouse and the little Red Hen


Once upon a time there was a hill, and on the hill there was a
pretty little house. It had one little green door, and four little
windows with green shutters, and in it there lived a Cock and a
Mouse and a Little Red Hen[.]

On another hill close by there was another little house. It was very
ugly. It had a door that wouldn't shut, and two broken windows, and
all the paint was off the shutters[.] And in this house there lived
a Bold Bad Fox and Four Bad Little Foxes[.]

One morning these four bad little foxes came to the big bad Fox and
said:

"Oh, Father, we're so hungry!"

"We had nothing to eat yesterday," said one.

"And scarcely anything the day before," said another.

"And only half a chicken the day before that," said the third.

"And only two little ducks the day before that," said the fourth.

The big bad Fox shook his head for a long time, for he was thinking.
At last he said in a big gruff voice: "On that hill over there I see
a house. And in that house there lives a Cock."

"And a Mouse," screamed two of the little foxes.

"And a little Red Hen," screamed the other two.

"And they are nice and fat," went on the big bad Fox. "This very
day, I'll take my great sack, and I will go up that hill, and in at
that door, and into my sack I will put the Cock, and the Mouse, and
the little Red Hen."

"I'll make a fire to roast the Cock," said one little fox.

"I'll put on the saucepan to boil the Hen," said the second.

"And I'll get the frying pan to fry the Mouse," said the third.

"And I'll have the biggest helping when they are all cooked," said
the fourth, who was the greediest of all. So the four little foxes
jumped for joy, and the big bad Fox went to get his sack ready to
start upon his journey.

But what was happening to the Cock and the Mouse, and the little Red
Hen, all this time? Well, sad to say, the Cock and the Mouse had
both got out of bed on the wrong side that morning. The Cock said
the day was too hot, and the Mouse grumbled because it was too cold.
They came grumbling down to the kitchen, where the good little Red
Hen, looking as bright as a sunbeam, was bustling about.

"Who'll get some sticks to light the fire with?" she asked.

"_I_ shan't," said the Cock.

"_I_ shan't," said the Mouse.

"Then I'll do it myself," said the little Red Hen. So off she ran to
get the sticks. "And now, who'll fill the kettle from the spring?"
she asked.

"_I_ shan't," said the Cock.

"_I_ shan't," said the Mouse.

"Then I'll do it myself," said the little Red Hen. And off she ran
to fill the kettle. "And who'll get the breakfast ready?" she asked,
as she put the kettle on to boil.

"_I_ shan't," said the Cock.

"_I_ shan't," said the Mouse.

"I'll do it myself," said the little Red Hen. All breakfast time the
Cock and the Mouse quarrelled and grumbled. The Cock upset the milk
jug, and the Mouse scattered crumbs upon the floor[.] "Who'll clear
away the breakfast?" asked the poor little Red Hen, hoping they
would soon leave off being cross.

"_I_ shan't," said the Cock.

"_I_ shan't," said the Mouse.

"Then I'll do it myself," said the little Red Hen. So she cleared
everything away, swept up the crumbs, and brushed up the fireplace.
"And now, who'll help me to make the beds?"

"_I_ shan't," said the Cock.

"_I_ shan't," said the Mouse.

"Then I'll do it myself," said the little Red Hen. And she tripped
away upstairs. But the lazy Cock and Mouse each sat down in a
comfortable arm-chair by the fire and soon fell fast asleep.

Now the bad Fox had crept up the hill, and into the garden, and if
the Cock and Mouse hadn't been asleep, they would have seen his
sharp eyes peeping in at the window. "Rat tat tat, Rat tat tat", the
Fox knocked at the door.

"Who can that be?" said the Mouse, half opening his eyes.

"Go and look for yourself, if you want to know," said the rude
Cock[.]

"It's the postman perhaps," thought the Mouse to himself, "and he
may have a letter for me." So without waiting to see who it was, he
lifted the latch and opened the door. As soon as he opened it in
jumped the big Fox, with a cruel smile upon his face! "Oh! oh! oh!"
squeaked the Mouse as he tried to run up the chimney.

"Doodle doodle do!" screamed the Cock, as he jumped on the back of
the biggest arm-chair[.] But the Fox only laughed, and without more
ado he took the little Mouse by the tail, and popped him into the
sack, and seized the Cock by the neck and popped him in too. Then
the poor little Red Hen came running down-stairs to see what all the
noise was about, and the Fox caught her and put her into the sack
with the others. Then he took a long piece of string out of his
pocket, wound it round and round and round the mouth of the sack,
and tied it very tight indeed. After that he threw the sack over his
back and set off down the hill.

"Oh! I wish I hadn't been so cross," said the Cock, as they went
bumping about.

"Oh! I wish I hadn't been so lazy," said the Mouse, wiping his eyes
with the tip of his tail.

"It's never too late to mend," said the little Red Hen. "And don't
be too sad. See, here I have my little work-bag, and in it there is
a pair of scissors, and a little thimble, and a needle and thread.
Very soon you will see what I am going to do."

Now the sun was very hot, and soon Mr. Fox began to feel his sack
was heavy, and at last he thought he would lie down under a tree and
go to sleep for a little while. So he threw the sack down with a big
bump, and very soon fell fast asleep.

Snore, snore, snore, went the Fox.

As soon as the little Red Hen heard this, she took out her scissors,
and began to snip a hole in the sack, just large enough for the
Mouse to creep through. "Quick," she whispered to the Mouse, "run as
fast as you can and bring back a stone just as large as yourself."
Out scampered the Mouse, and soon came back, dragging the stone
after him. "Push it in here," said the little Red Hen, and he pushed
it in in a twinkling.

Then the little Red Hen snipped away the hole, till it was large
enough for the Cock to get through. "Quick," she said, "run and get
a stone as big as yourself." Out flew the Cock, and soon came back
quite out of breath, with a big stone, which he pushed into the sack
too.

Then the little Red Hen popped out, got a stone as big as herself,
and pushed it in. Next she put on her thimble, took out her needle
and thread, and sewed up the hole as quickly as ever she could. When
it was done, the Cock and the Mouse and the little Red Hen ran home
very fast, shut the door after them, drew the bolts, shut the
shutters, and drew down the blinds and felt quite safe.

The bad Fox lay fast asleep under the tree for some time, but at
last he woke up. "Dear, dear," he said, rubbing his eyes and then
looking at the long shadows on the grass, "how late it is getting.
I must hurry home." So the bad Fox went grumbling and groaning down
the hill till he came to the stream.

Splash! In went one foot. Splash! In went the other, but the stones
in the sack were so heavy that at the very next step down tumbled
Mr. Fox into a deep pool. And then the fishes carried him off to
their fairy caves and kept him a prisoner there, so he was never
seen again. And the four greedy little foxes had to go to bed
without any supper.

But the Cock and the Mouse never grumbled again. They lit the fire,
filled the kettle, laid the breakfast, and did all the work, while
the good little Red Hen had a holiday, and sat resting in the big
arm-chair. No foxes ever troubled them again, and for all I know
they are still living happily in the little house with the green
door and green shutters, which stands on the hill.

       *       *       *       *       *
           *       *       *       *

Errors and Anomalies (noted by transcriber):

The hyphen in "down-stairs" is conjectural, based on hyphenization of
other words in the book.

  said the little Red Hen. And off she ran
    [superfluous close quote after "Hen." deleted]
  See, here I have my little
    [no open quote in original at new paragraph]
  and / A Little / Red / Hen
  was off the shutters
  crumbs upon the floor
  FOUR BAD / LITTLE FOXES
  said the / rude Cock
  back of the biggest / arm-chair
    [no final periods (full stops) in original]