Calamity on the Farm

One day, Farmer MacMillan was out in his vegetable garden. The sun was shining and his tomatoes were red and ripe.

But as he was reaching down to inspect his vine, what do you think he saw?

A mouse! A little mouse, getting big and fat from eating Farmer MacMillan’s ripe tomatoes!

Now you can imagine the state of agitation that Farmer MacMillan was in. He was furious. He threw down his hoe. He stamped around the garden.

“This mouse is going to eat me out of house and home!” he fumed. “I have to stop it.” But what could Farmer MacMillan do?

He plopped himself down on the stump of a tree and thought and thought and thought.

The morning sun came and went, and the afternoon sun hung low in the sky. Then Old Puss came and rubbed up against Farmer MacMillan’s leg. “Eureka!” he exclaimed.

Farmer MacMillan took Old Puss over to the tomato patch. Being a cat, Old Puss set about doing what cats do best. She chased that mouse right out of the garden!

Then she set about doing what cats do second best, which is laying lazily about. She lay right smack down in the middle of the tomato patch, squashing some bright red tomatoes!

Now Farmer MacMillan tried and tried to get that cat off his tomatoes, but she would not move a muscle.

Then, wouldn’t you know it, along came Lil’ Pup. Lil’ Pup was a feisty thing, always yipping and yapping. Farmer MacMillan hollered at Pup. Lo and behold, Pup caught the scent of Old Puss.