“Why, look at that Jack-in-the-box, he’s hanging way out of the box,� she said. “That will never do, it will spoil all the fun. Teddy would love to see it fly out at him and would call it the ‘Scare Box.’ I must fix it back in place.� Then the mother pushed the Jack, with his black beard and black hair, down, down into the box, and she shut and locked the lid.
Poor Squeaky, hidden under the queer man’s skirts, felt the springs close tightly about him and squeaked one shrill “Eeâ€� of fright. The father said: “I never heard such a perfect squeak; it is wonderful the toys they make for children. Now in my day—â€� And his voice drifted off, as he turned out the lights and followed the mother upstairs to bed.
Poor little Squeaky. On all sides there seemed to be a big spring coiled and coiled about him. “I am in a trap,â€� he moaned, “and they didn’t even give me a mite of cheese to eat. But, then, nothing seems to hurt me. It is not the way Mother-Mouse said: it does not pinch me or choke me. I wonder what kind of a trap it is—a queer man with springs for a body. Well, I am safe for a while, but I wonder if he will ever let me get out again. I want to go home.â€� And poor Squeaky cried himself to sleep.
In the morning he heard shouts of “Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!â€� and it seemed as though the big tree trembled in all its branches, as the toys were taken down, one by one. Then such a noise was heard—drums beating, horns tooting, children shouting:
“Just see our new doll’s house!�
“Oh, see my new train, how fast it goes over these tracks!�
“Just see this beautiful dolly! She can open and shut her eyes, and she says ‘ma-ma, pa-pa’ whenever I pull the string.�
“Ee-ee-ee!� groaned poor Squeaky, “I can squeak ‘ma-ma, pa-pa’ that way too, if they would only let me out so that I could go home to my ma-ma and pa-pa.�
As if in answer to his wish, Squeaky suddenly felt the box lifted down from the tree. “Come here, Teddy,� said the children’s mother, “here is a new scare box. We will have some fun. Now, carefully watch me and we will open the lid.� Teddy leaned against his mother’s knee, watching closely. “Are you ready? Well, let us count. One, two, three!� the mother opened the lid. Out jumped the man with the black beard and black hair and, with a loud squeak of joy, out jumped Squeaky. “Ee-ee-ee!� said Squeaky. “Ee!� said the Jack-in-the-box. “Whee-ee-ee!� yelled the small boy in delight.
“Oh, Ee-ee-ee,� shrieked the mother, as she threw the box on the floor and, holding her skirts up high, she jumped on her chair, screaming, “a mouse! a mouse! a mouse!�