The Travels of Fuzz and Buzz

by Geraldine Mockler

She was very cross when she saw that neither she nor Rags was going to have any of those five mice for breakfast.

As for the mice, they were trembling so much at the narrow escape they had had, that it was some time before they could thank Fuzz and Buzz for having let them in.

Then they all ran away from the door and right down into the middle of the barn, for the cat had put her paw through the hole and was trying to catch them. But when she found that her claws touched nothing but the air, she climbed down from the roof and began to scold Rags for having sent her on a wild-goose chase. Though why she should call the five mice wild geese she did not even know herself. While she was scolding Rags the five mice were eating a very nice breakfast indeed, and their poor little half-frozen bodies were gradually getting warm again in the snug, cosy barn.

Miss Patty Grey-Fur had quite forgiven them for the plot they had hatched against her, and when she saw how hungry and how cold they were, she became very sorry that she had not let them in before. She saw now how greedy and selfish she had been, and she was very much ashamed of herself. She made up her mind never again to be so greedy, but to let every mouse in the yard come into the barn and share the good corn in it.

But Fuzz and Buzz had not forgotten the poor half-frozen-looking sparrows and pigeons who had been at the meeting the night before, and they begged their aunt to allow them to put out some breakfast for the birds too.

"Why, of course," said Miss Patty Grey-Fur, who wanted now to be as good and kind as she had before been bad and selfish. "I am sorry that my front-door is too small for them to come inside, but we will carry some corn out to the gutter."

As there were altogether nine mice in the barn, and as they all worked with a will, there was soon quite a little pile of corn in the gutter. The birds were not very long in finding out the feast that had been got ready for them, and they flew down on to the roof and made a very good meal indeed.

"And now," said Fuzz when all the birds had had as much as ever they could eat, "we ought to be going home again." But he looked with a little shiver out on to the white world that lay round the barn. "And we shall have to walk all the way, you know, Buzz," he said, "for the stream won't take us back again, as it is going the wrong way."

"No, you shall not walk," cooed a pretty gray pigeon, who was still perched on the edge of the gutter. "I will carry you both as far as the wood. So get as much corn as you can and we will start at once, for I should like to be back before it gets dark."

Then the gray pigeon flew down into the yard, and picked up in his beak a paper bag which was lying in the snow. It had once held sweets, but now it was empty, and had been thrown away by one of the children.