The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse

by Beatrix Potter

　　

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The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse is a delightful story about a country mouse's accidental visit to town that turns into a friendship (1918). Would you rather live like Johnny Town-mouse or Timmy Willie?

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　　To Aesop In The Shadows

　　

　　Johnny Town-mouse was born in a cupboard. Timmy Willie was born in a garden. Timmy Willie was a little country mousewho went to town by mistake in a hamper. The gardener sent vegetables to town once a week by carrier; he packed themin a big hamper.

　　 The gardener left the hamper bythe garden gate, so that the carrier could pick it up when he passed. Timmy Willie crept in through a hole in thewicker-work, and after eating some peas—Timmy Willie fell fast asleep.

　　

　　He awoke in a fright, while the hamper was being lifted into the carrier's cart. Then there was a jolting, and aclattering of horse's feet; other packages were thrown in; for miles and miles—jolt—jolt—jolt! and Timmy Willietrembled amongst the jumbled up vegetables.

　　

　　At last the cart stopped at a house, where the hamper was taken out, carried in, and set down. The cook gave thecarrier sixpence; the back door banged, and the cart rumbled away. But there was no quiet; there seemed to behundreds of carts passing. Dogs barked; boys whistled in the street; the cook laughed, the parlour maid ran up anddown-stairs; and a canary sang like a steam engine.

　　Timmy Willie, who had lived all his life in a garden, was almost frightened to death. Presently the cook opened thehamper and began to unpack the vegetables. Out sprang the terrified Timmy Willie.

　　

　　Up jumped the cook on a chair, exclaiming "A mouse! a mouse! Call the cat! Fetch me the poker, Sarah!" Timmy Williedid not wait for Sarah with the poker; he rushed along the skirting board till he came to a little hole, and in hepopped.

　　

　　He dropped half a foot, and crashed into the middle of a mouse dinner party, breaking three glasses.—"Who in theworld is this?" inquired Johnny Town-mouse. But after the first exclamation of surprise he instantly recovered hismanners.

　　

　　With the utmost politeness he introduced Timmy Willie to nine other mice, all with long tails and white neckties.Timmy Willie's own tail was insignificant. Johnny Town-mouse and his friends noticed it; but they were too well bredto make personal remarks; only one of them asked Timmy Willie if he had ever been in a trap?

　　

　　The dinner was of eight courses; not much of anything, but truly elegant. All the dishes were unknown to TimmyWillie, who would have been a little afraid of tasting them; only he was very hungry, and very anxious to behavewith company manners. The continual noise upstairs made him so nervous, that he dropped a plate. "Never mind, theydon't belong to us," said Johnny.

　　

　　"Why don't those youngsters come back with the dessert?" It should be explained that two young mice, who were waitingon the others, went skirmishing upstairs to the kitchen between courses. Several times they had come tumbling in,squeaking and laughing; Timmy Willie learnt with horror that they were being chased by the cat. His appetite failed,he felt faint. "Try some jelly?" said Johnny Town-mouse.

　　

　　"No? Would you rather go to bed? I will show you a most comfortable sofa pillow."

　　The sofa pillow had a hole in it. Johnny Town-mouse quite honestly recommended it as the best bed, kept exclusivelyfor visitors. But the sofa smelt of cat. Timmy Willie preferred to spend a miserable night under the fender.

　　

　　It was just the same next day. An excellent breakfast was provided—for mice accustomed to eat bacon; but Timmy Williehad been reared on roots and salad. Johnny Town-mouse and his friends racketted about under the floors, and cameboldly out all over the house in the evening. One particularly loud crash had been caused by Sarah tumblingdownstairs with the tea-tray; there were crumbs and sugar and smears of jam to be collected, in spite of the cat.

　　

　　Timmy Willie longed to be at home in his peaceful nest in a sunny bank. The food disagreed with him; the noiseprevented him from sleeping. In a few days he grew so thin that Johnny Town-mouse noticed it, and questioned him. Helistened to Timmy Willie's story and inquired about the garden. "It sounds rather a dull place? What do you do whenit rains?"

　　

　　"When it rains, I sit in my little sandy burrow and shell corn and seeds from my Autumn store. I peep out at thethrostles and blackbirds on the lawn, and my friend Cock Robin. And when the sun comes out again, you should see mygarden and the flowers—roses and pinks and pansies—no noise except the birds and bees, and the lambs in themeadows."

　　

　　"There goes that cat again!" exclaimed Johnny Town-mouse. When they had taken refuge in the coal-cellar he resumedthe conversation; "I confess I am a little disappointed; we have endeavoured to entertain you, Timothy William."

　　"Oh yes, yes, you have been most kind; but I do feel so ill," said Timmy Willie.

　　

　　"It may be that your teeth and digestion are unaccustomed to our food; perhaps it might be wiser for you to return inthe hamper.""Oh? Oh!" cried Timmy Willie.

　　"Why of course for the matter of that we could have sent you back last week," said Johnny rather huffily—"did you notknow that the hamper goes back empty on Saturdays?"

　　

　　So Timmy Willie said good-bye to his new friends, and hid in the hamper with a crumb of cake and a withered cabbageleaf; and after much jolting, he was set down safely in his own garden.

　　

　　Sometimes on Saturdays he went to look at the hamper lying by the gate, but he knew better than to get in again. Andnobody got out, though Johnny Town-mouse had half promised a visit.

　　

　　The winter passed; the sun came out again; Timmy Willie sat by his burrow warming his little fur coat and sniffingthe smell of violets and spring grass. He had nearly forgotten his visit to town. When up the sandy path all spickand span with a brown leather bag came Johnny Town-mouse!

　　

　　Timmy Willie received him with open arms. "You have come at the best of all the year, we will have herb pudding andsit in the sun.""H'm'm! it is a little damp," said Johnny Town-mouse, who was carrying his tail under his arm, out of the mud.

　　

　　"What is that fearful noise?" he started violently."That?" said Timmy Willie, "that is only a cow; I will beg a little milk, they are quite harmless, unless they happento lie down upon you. How are all our friends?"

　　

　　Johnny's account was rather middling. He explained why he was paying his visit so early in the season; the family hadgone to the sea-side for Easter; the cook was doing spring cleaning, on board wages, with particular instructions toclear out the mice. There were four kittens, and the cat had killed the canary.

　　

　　"They say we did it; but I know better," said Johnny Town-mouse. "Whatever is that fearful racket?""That is only the lawn-mower; I will fetch some of the grass clippings presently to make your bed. I am sure you hadbetter settle in the country, Johnny."

　　

　　"H'm'm—we shall see by Tuesday week; the hamper is stopped while they are at the sea-side.""I am sure you will never want to live in town again," said Timmy Willie.

　　

　　But he did. He went back in the very next hamper of vegetables; he said it was too quiet!!

　　

　　One place suits one person, another place suits another person. For my part I prefer to live in the country, likeTimmy Willie.

　　

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You may also enjoy reading a parody of this story as a rhyme, titled The Urban Rat and the Suburban Rat and the Aesop's Fable, The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse.

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