The shiny acorn rolled to the door and
struck against it with a tap. Quickly the
little door opened and the acorn rolled
inside. The Field Mouse hurried as fast as
he could down the last stairs, and pushed
through just as the door was closing. It
shut behind him, and he was in a little
room. And there, before him, stood a
queer little Red Man! He had a little red
cap, and a little red jacket, and odd little
red shoes with points at the toes.
"You are my prisoner," he said to the
Field Mouse.
"What for?" said the Field Mouse.
"Because you tried to steal my acorn,"
said the little Red Man.
"It is my acorn," said the Field Mouse;
"I found it."
"No, it isn't," said the little Red Man,
"I have it; you will never see it again."
The little Field Mouse looked all about
the room as fast as he could, but he could
not see any acorn. Then he thought he
would go back up the tiny stairs to his own
home. But the little door was locked, and
the little Red Man had the key. And he
said to the poor mouse,--
"You shall be my servant; you shall
make my bed and sweep my room and
cook my broth."
So the little brown Mouse was the little
Red Man's servant, and every day he made
the little Red Man's bed and swept the
little Red Man's room and cooked the little
Red Man's broth. And every day the
little Red Man went away through the tiny
door, and did not come back till afternoon.
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