Home | Books | Belling the Cat

Belling the Cat

288 Views

By Staff Middle Land

April 15, 2024
5:07 pm
Los Angeles, CA

Adapted from Aesop LONG ago all the Mice came pattering from fields and pantries to hold a council meeting. They sat around under a washtub with a candle for a light and very solemnlyasked: “What shall we do to keep ourselves safe from Pussy? She hides in secret places and suddenly springs out on us when we do not know she is near. What are we to do?” Well, the Mice all wiggled their whiskers and blinked their eyes very gravely. Some said, “Let us do this!” And some said, “Let us do that!” But at last a young Mouse named Big Whiskers proudly rose to his feet. “Friends and fellow Mice,” he was very sure indeed that he knew more than all the rest. “I know just what

Adapted from Aesop

LONG ago all the Mice came pattering from fields and pantries to hold a council meeting. They sat around under a washtub with a candle for a light and very solemnlyasked: “What shall we do to keep ourselves safe from Pussy? She hides in secret places and suddenly springs out on us when we do not know she is near. What are we to do?”
Well, the Mice all wiggled their whiskers and blinked their eyes very gravely. Some said, “Let us do this!” And some said, “Let us do that!” But at last a young Mouse named Big Whiskers proudly rose to his feet.

“Friends and fellow Mice,” he was very sure indeed that he knew more than all the rest. “I know just what we should do. Let us tie a bell by a ribbon around the neck of our foe. Then she will not be able to move without jingling that little bell. Whenever we hear the bell tinkle, we will always know she is near and so will have plenty of time to scamper out of her reach.” With this, Big Whiskers sat down twirling his showy mustache.

“Three cheers for Big Whiskers! We vote to follow his plan! Hurrah!” cried the other Mice and they all began to talk at once about whether to get a brass bell or whether to get a silver bell, and whether to use a blue or a pink ribbon to tie the bell on the Cat. But at last, a very old Mouse, who had not spoken before, got up from his seat.
“Wait!” he cried in a voice that startled the rest like thunder. “Big Whiskers’ plan is fine, but I’ve only this question to ask. Pray with all your talking, will one of you answer me this—who is going to be the one to put the bell on the Cat?”

For a moment the Mice looked foolish and nobody spoke a word. Who indeed would dare to go straight up to Pussy and tie the bell on her neck? Big Whiskers slunk away and hid himself in a corner. Not a single Mouse dared! Then the old Mouse looked around, peering up over his spectacles and very sadly he said: “It is all very well to talk about doing great things, but all that really counts is to do them.”