Five Mice in a Mouse-trap, by the Man in the Moon.

BY THE SEA.

DONE IN VERNACULAR, FROM THE LUNACULAR,
Author of Babyhood, Etc. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY KATE GREENAWAY , ADDIE LEDYARD , AND OTHERS . ————— BOSTON: Published by ESTES AND LAURIAT, 299 to 305 Washington Street, 1881.

Copyright, By Estes & Lauriat, 1880.


PATCHKO'S FATHER.
But, children all, I beg your pardon! I am not writing this book for Tommy Tiptop, and I hope that most of the boys who read it will be better than he is. I do want, however, to tell you about some children of whom I am very particularly fond, and whom most of you do not know. These children live in the town of Nomatterwhat, which, as you are probably aware, is in the State of Nomatterwhere, which again is, or really ought to be, one of the United States of America. Perhaps these are Indian names; similarly, perhaps they are not. There are five of these children, and I call them my Five Mice; and the queer house that they live in I call the Mouse-trap. They are such funny children! I watch them sometimes all day long, their pranks are so amusing; and then when night comes, I slide down a moonbeam and sit by their pillows, and tell them stories and sing them songs. Ah! they like that, you may believe! And you all shall hear the stories and songs too, if you like, for I will write them down. So now, children all, listen! in America, Jennie and Johnny; in France, Marie and Emil; in Germany, Gretchen and Hans; in Italy, Tita and Nanni; in Kamschatka, Patchko and Tinka. Listen all, great and small, to the old
MAN IN THE MOON