ome, and told them of the cat that haunted the garden, and of
the mousehunt, and the great white owl, but these bad mice paid no
attention to what their kind good mother said to them.

"Among other things, she begged them not to go near the brick traps
which the gardener had set among the beans and peas, to entice simple
mice to eat the bait, and then they were sure to be killed, by the
trap falling on them; but they did not regard those prudent counsels
in the least, and a day or two after, they all sallied out into the
garden, (with Whitefoot, their leader) in search of something nice.
After they had rummaged the ground under the nut-tree for some time
without finding a single nut, they came to a row of late-sown peas;
these they made a terrible havoc amongst, regardless of their mother's
advice. They were going home, well pleased with their regale, when,
unluckily, Whitefoot espied a parcel of nice wheat, laid out very
carefully under a sort of brick house; now Whitefoot run all round it
and thought it stood too firm to be knocked down, and as he was rather
greedy, he determined to venture under, and eat up the wheat; he was
in such a hurry, for fear that either of his companions should come
and want to share his prize, that, in his haste, he pushed down a bit
of a stick which held the brick up--down it fell, and hapless
Whitefoot was crushed to death in an instant.

[Illustration]

"This was the effects of his disobedience to his mother.

"The noise of the fallen brick alarmed the timid little mice; away
they ran as fast as they could, nor did they once stop to look behind
to see what had become of their brother Whitefoot, who was found next
morning by the gardener, under the brick, and was given to the black
cat to eat. Now had he minded what his mother had told him the day
before, he would have been alive and frisking about with the rest.
See, Alfred, what comes of disobedience and greediness." said his
mother. "Yes, mamma, (said Alfred) I will remember how poor Whitefoot
was served, and not disobey you, though you know, I could not be
killed by a brick trap as he was." "No, Alfred, but you might get hurt
in a hundred different ways by going where I bid you not--recollect
when I had so often told you not to play with the fire, how you burnt
your hand, by lighting bits of paper; and if I had not come in, you
would have been burnt to death." "Yes, mamma, and it hurt me so much,
I have never done it since." "No