"Why, dear me," said Brother Mouse, "we're House Mice—we always live in houses. We don't know why, we just know it's so! and we're no trouble to any one; we take only the tiniest crumbs of food, when Mary the cook leaves us anything at all—she doesn't often—and the children are so hungry and Mother hasn't a bit of anything in the nest to give them." "And they're hungry," chimed in little Sister House Mouse.
"What would you like for their supper, and yours too?" asked Buddy, "because I think I can get you something, and if you will promise not to go into the kitchen again I will promise to leave your supper wherever you say every evening this summer. Will you promise?"
"Will we?" choroused the little Mice, "we certainly will! Honest 'n true 'n black and blue."
"Well, then," said Buddy, "just you wait right where you are—" and he slipped out of bed and ran to the kitchen.
He was back in almost no time at all, with some bread and some bits of cheese and a cookie, which he broke into bits and placed on the porch floor, and then, just to show the little neighbors that he meant to play fair, he hopped back into bed again.
It just did his kind little heart good to hear the delighted squeals of the Little Neighbors when they found the food. He smiled to himself as he heard them scamper away with as much as they could carry. It was only a moment until they were back again, and this time they stayed to eat their own supper.
"Mum, mum," said Sister Mouse with her mouth full of food, "Mary is a wonderful cook!"
"Where do you live, Little Neighbors," asked Buddy, "so I shall know where to leave your food every day."
"Up in the woodshed loft," said Brother Mouse. "We like it there, because there is always moss and shavings to make warm nests of; and sometimes Bob the gardener leaves an old coat there for us to chew up and line our nests with. But we must go home now and let you go to sleep, because you must be very sleepy."