Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

Yesterday afternoon the writer witnessed a strange sight in the record office. Our attention was attracted by several lusty squeaks from the inside of a pail, almost full of water into which a half-grown mouse had fallen. The alarm had hardly died away before four or five more mice appeared on the scene, and began clambering to the top edge of the pail. For several moments after gaining the top of the pail and catching sight of the mouse in the water a squeaking conference was held.
First one mouse and then another would cling to the rim of the bucket with his hind legs, and while almost touching the water with his nose, squeak out either consolating or advice to the immersed; but while all this was going on the swimming powers of the unfortunate mouse in the pail were rapidly giving out. At last a happy thought seemed to strike the biggest mouse in the crowd, and almost without a squak he firmly fastened his fore feet to the edge of the pail and let his body and tail hang down. The drowning mouse saw it, and making a last desperate effort for life, swam to the spot, seized the tail of his brother mouse, and amid squeaks of delight from all the mice present, was hauled high and dry out of the water and over the edge of the bucket.-Corinne Record.