"Not I! not I!" said all the Mice together. And they scampered away to their holes.
THE DARK DAY
Listen, and I will tell you of the famous dark day in Connecticut. It was in the month of May, more than a hundred years ago.
The sun rose bright and fair, and the morning was without a cloud. The air was very still. There was not a breath of wind to stir the young leaves on the trees.
Then, about the middle of the day, it began to grow dark. The sun was hidden. A black cloud seemed to cover the earth.
The birds flew to their nests. The chickens went to roost. The cows came home from the pasture and stood mooing at the gate. It grew so dark that the people could not see their way along the streets.
Then everybody began to feel frightened. "What is the matter? What is going to happen?" each one asked of another. The children cried. The dogs howled. The women wept, and some of the men prayed.
"The end of the world has come!" cried some; and they ran about in the darkness.
"This is the last great day!" cried others; and they knelt down and waited.
In the old statehouse, the wise men of Connecticut were sitting. They were men who made the laws, and much depended upon their wisdom.