THE
TALE
OF
JOHNNY
TOWN
MOUSE
BY
BEATRIX
POTTER
Johnny
Town
mouse
was
born
in
a
cupboard.
Timmy
Willie
was
born
in
a
garden.
Timmy
Willie
was
a
little
country
mouse
who
went
to
town
by
mistake
in
a
hamper.
The
gardener
sent
vegetables
to
town
once
a
week
by
carrier;
he
packed
them
in
a
big
hamper.
The
gardener
left
the
hamper
by
the
garden
gate,
so
that
the
carrier
could
pick
it
up
when
he
passed.
Timmy
Willie
crept
in
through
a
hole
in
the
wicker
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
a
clattering
of
horse's
feet;
other
packages
were
thrown
in;
for
miles
and
miles,
jolt,
jolt,
jolt!
and
Timmy
Willie
trembled
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
the
carrier
sixpence;
the
back
door
banged,
and
the
cart
rumbled
away.
But
there
was
no
quiet;
there
seemed
to
be
hundreds
of
carts
passing.
Dogs
barked;
boys
whistled
in
the
street;
the
cook
laughed,
the
parlor
maid
ran
up
and
down
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
the
hamper
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
Willie
did
not
wait
for
Sarah
with
the
poker;
he
rushed
along
the
skirting
board
till
he
came
to
a
little
hole,
and
in
he
popped.
He
dropped
half
a
foot,
and
crashed
into
the
middle
of
a
mouse
dinner
party,
breaking
three
glasses.,
"Who
in
the
world
is
this?"
inquired
Johnny
Town
mouse.
But
after
the
first
exclamation
of
surprise
he
instantly
recovered
his
manners.
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
bred
to
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
Timmy
Willie,
who
would
have
been
a
little
afraid
of
tasting
them;
only
he
was
very
hungry,
and
very
anxious
to
behave
with
company
manners.
The
continual
noise
upstairs
made
him
so
nervous,
that
he
dropped
a
plate.
"Never
mind,
they
don'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
waiting
on
the
others,
went
skirmishing
upstairs
to
the
kitchen
between
courses.
Several
times
they
had
come
tumbling
in,
squeaking
and
laughing;
Timmy
Willie
learned
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
exclusively
for
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
Willie
had
been
reared
on
roots
and
salad.
Johnny
Town
mouse
and
his
friends
racketted
about
under
the
floors,
and
came
boldly
out
all
over
the
house
in
the
evening.
One
particularly
loud
crash
had
been
caused
by
Sarah
tumbling
downstairs
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
noise
prevented
him
from
sleeping.
In
a
few
days
he
grew
so
thin
that
Johnny
Town
mouse
noticed
it,
and
questioned
him.
He
listened
to
Timmy
Willie's
story
and
inquired
about
the
garden.
"It
sounds
rather
a
dull
place?
What
do
you
do
when
it
rains?"
"When
it
rains,
I
sit
in
my
little
sandy
burrow
and
shell
corn
and
seeds
from
my
Autumn
store.
I
peep
out
at
the
throstles
and
blackbirds
on
the
lawn,
and
my
friend
Cock
Robin.
And
when
the
sun
comes
out
again,
you
should
see
my
garden
and
the
flowers,
roses
and
pinks
and
pansies,
no
noise
except
the
birds
and
bees,
and
the
lambs
in
the
meadows."
"There
goes
that
cat
again!"
exclaimed
Johnny
Town
mouse.
When
they
had
taken
refuge
in
the
coal
cellar
he
resumed
the
conversation;
"I
confess
I
am
a
little
disappointed;
we
have
endeavored
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
in
the
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
not
know
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
cabbage
leaf;
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.
And
nobody
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
sniffing
the
smell
of
violets
and
spring
grass.
He
had
nearly
forgotten
his
visit
to
town.
When
up
the
sandy
path
all
spick
and
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
and
sit
in
the
sun."
"Hmm!
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
happen
to
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
had
gone
to
the
sea
side
for
Easter;
the
cook
was
doing
spring
cleaning,
on
board
wages,
with
particular
instructions
to
clear
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
had
better
settle
in
the
country,
Johnny."
"Hmm,
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,
like
Timmy
Willie.
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