THE COMPANIONSHIP OF THE CAT AND MOUSE

A cat and a mouse wanted to live together, and so they set up a common household. They also prepared for the winter and bought a little jar of fat, but since they didn't know of a better and safer place to put it, they stuck it under the altar in the church, where it was supposed to stay until they needed it.

Now, it was not long before the cat felt a craving for the fat and went to the mouse and said, "Listen, little mouse, my cousin has asked me to be godfather for her child. She gave birth to a baby boy, white with brown spots. I'm to hold him at the christening. Would you mind letting me go out today and taking care of the house by yourself?"

"No, no," answered the mouse. "Go there, and when you get something good to eat, think of me. I sure would like a little drop of that sweet, red christening wine."

But the cat went straight to the church and licked up the skin off the top of the fat. Then he strolled around the city and didn't return home until evening.

"You must have enjoyed yourself very much," the mouse said. "What name did they give the child?"

"Skin-Off," the cat answered.

"Skin-Off? That's a strange name. I've never heard of it before."

Soon thereafter the cat felt another craving and went to the mouse and said: "I've been asked to be godfather once more. The child has a white ring around his body. I can't refuse. You must do me a favor and look after the house."

The mouse consented, and the cat went and ate up half the jar of fat. When he returned home, the mouse asked, "What name was this godchild given?"

"Half-Gone."

"Half-Gone! You don't say! I've never heard of such a name. I'm sure it's not on the list of proper baptismal names."

Now the cat couldn't stop thinking about the jar of fat.

"I've been asked to be godfather again for a third time. This child's all black and has white paws. Aside from that there's not a white hair on his body. That only happens once every few years. You'll let me go, won't you?"

"Skin-Off, Half-Gone," the mouse said. "Those are really curious names. I'm beginning to wonder about them. Even so, go ahead."

The mouse cleaned the house and put it in order. Meanwhile the cat ate up the rest of the fat in the jar and came home stout and stuffed late at night.

"What's the name of the third child?"

"All-Gone."

"All-Gone! Hey now! That's the most suspicious of all the names," said the mouse. "All-Gone! What's it supposed to mean? I've never seen it in print!"

Upon saying that, the mouse shook her head and went to sleep.

Nobody called upon the cat to become godfather for the fourth time. However, soon winter came, and there was nothing more to be found outside. So the mouse said to the cat, "Come, let's go to our supply that we stuck beneath the altar in the church."

But when they arrived there, the jar was completely empty.

"Oh!" said the mouse. "Now I know what's happened! It's as clear as day. You ate it all up when you went to serve as godfather. First the skin, then half, then . . ."

"Shut up!" yelled the cat. "One more word, and I'll eat you up!"

"All gone" was already on the tip of the poor mouse's tongue. No sooner did she say it than the cat jumped on her and swallowed her in one gulp.