1.In the cottage where Jack and little Annie lived there was a big cat which Annie called her own.
2.One night，when all was still，a little mouse was seen moving about on the floor，picking up crumbs.
3.When Jack saw it，he rose from his stool and tried to catch it；but mousie was too quick for him.In a moment it was off to a hole，and out of sight.
4.That night Jack set a wire trap near the hole，and put a little bit of cheese in the trap.Mousie could not keep away from the cheese.
5.During the night it crept into the wire trap.Down came the door，and poor mousie was caught.When morning came，there it was，trying hard to get out.
6.The big cat wanted to get hold of mousie；but Annie kept the cat in her arms，and would not let it go near the trap.
7.It was not a common mouse that was caught，but a pretty little harvest-mouse，which had found its way into the cottage.
8.The harvest-mouse lives among the long grass of the fields.It is about two inches inlength，and its coat of brown fur is very soft and thick.
9.No bird can make a nicer home for its little ones than this mouse does.The nest is like a little round ball，with a very small opening.It is built of dried grass，and is made very close and firm.
10.Jack and Annie would not let mousie be drowned.They had read in their lesson-book about the harvest-mouse and its pretty ways.So they were going to set mousie free.
11.They took the trap out to the big field at the back of the cottage.There the grass was long and soft.
12.When the door of the trap was opened，out came mousie.It run off as fast as it could，and was soon out of sight in the long，soft grass.You may be sure that it was never seen in the cottage again.
