Mouse And Mouser

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  "title": "Mouse And Mouser",
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  "language": "en",
  "summary": "\"Mouse and Mouser\" is a short fable by Joseph Jacobs told entirely in rhyming dialogue between a polite Mouse and a sharp-tongued Cat. The Mouse pays a social call, cheerfully sharing news of a found sixpence, a trip to market, and a pudding set to cool on the windowsill — only to reveal, with timid dread, that a cat has already eaten it. The Cat's responses grow more menacing with each exchange, building quiet tension beneath the playful rhythm until the conversation reaches its chilling, inevitable end.",
  "body": [
    "The Mouse went to visit the Cat, and found her sitting behind the hall door, spinning.",
    "MOUSE. What are you doing, my lady, my lady, What are you doing, my lady?",
    "CAT ( sharply ). I’m spinning old breeches, good body, good body I’m spinning old breeches, good body.",
    "MOUSE. Long may you wear them, my lady, my lady, Long may you wear them, my lady.",
    "CAT ( gruffly ). I’ll wear’ em and tear ’em, good body, good body. I’ll wear ’em and tear ’em, good body.",
    "MOUSE. I was sweeping my room, my lady, my lady, I was sweeping my room, my lady.",
    "CAT. The cleaner you’d be, good body, good body, The cleaner you’d be, good body.",
    "MOUSE. I found a silver sixpence, my lady, my lady, I found a silver sixpence, my lady.",
    "CAT. The richer you were, good body, good body, The richer you were, good body.",
    "MOUSE. I went to the market, my lady, my lady, I went to the market, my lady.",
    "CAT. The further you went, good body, good body The further you went, good body.",
    "MOUSE. I bought me a pudding, my lady, my lady, I bought me a pudding, my lady.",
    "CAT ( snarling ). The more meat you had, good body, good body, The more meat you had, good body.",
    "MOUSE. I put it in the window to cool, my lady, I put it in the window to cool.",
    "CAT. ( sharply ). The faster you’d eat it, good body, good body, The faster you’d eat it, good body.",
    "MOUSE ( timidly ). The cat came and ate it, my lady, my lady, The cat came and ate it, my lady.",
    "CAT ( pouncingly ). And I’ll eat you, good body, good body, And I’ll eat you, good body.",
    "( Springs upon the mouse and kills it. )",
    "Joseph Jacobs was an Australian folklorist and literary scholar, best known for his late 19th-century collections of English and Celtic fairy tales that helped preserve oral storytelling traditions in written form. \"Mouse and Mouser\" is a rare dramatic piece in his catalogue, written entirely as a verse dialogue — a form closer to a nursery play than a conventional fable — giving it an unusually theatrical tension."
  ],
  "body_text": "The Mouse went to visit the Cat, and found her sitting behind the hall door, spinning.\n\nMOUSE. What are you doing, my lady, my lady, What are you doing, my lady?\n\nCAT ( sharply ). I’m spinning old breeches, good body, good body I’m spinning old breeches, good body.\n\nMOUSE. Long may you wear them, my lady, my lady, Long may you wear them, my lady.\n\nCAT ( gruffly ). I’ll wear’ em and tear ’em, good body, good body. I’ll wear ’em and tear ’em, good body.\n\nMOUSE. I was sweeping my room, my lady, my lady, I was sweeping my room, my lady.\n\nCAT. The cleaner you’d be, good body, good body, The cleaner you’d be, good body.\n\nMOUSE. I found a silver sixpence, my lady, my lady, I found a silver sixpence, my lady.\n\nCAT. The richer you were, good body, good body, The richer you were, good body.\n\nMOUSE. I went to the market, my lady, my lady, I went to the market, my lady.\n\nCAT. The further you went, good body, good body The further you went, good body.\n\nMOUSE. I bought me a pudding, my lady, my lady, I bought me a pudding, my lady.\n\nCAT ( snarling ). The more meat you had, good body, good body, The more meat you had, good body.\n\nMOUSE. I put it in the window to cool, my lady, I put it in the window to cool.\n\nCAT. ( sharply ). The faster you’d eat it, good body, good body, The faster you’d eat it, good body.\n\nMOUSE ( timidly ). The cat came and ate it, my lady, my lady, The cat came and ate it, my lady.\n\nCAT ( pouncingly ). And I’ll eat you, good body, good body, And I’ll eat you, good body.\n\n( Springs upon the mouse and kills it. )\n\nJoseph Jacobs was an Australian folklorist and literary scholar, best known for his late 19th-century collections of English and Celtic fairy tales that helped preserve oral storytelling traditions in written form. \"Mouse and Mouser\" is a rare dramatic piece in his catalogue, written entirely as a verse dialogue — a form closer to a nursery play than a conventional fable — giving it an unusually theatrical tension.",
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