25-CROSS MY PAWS!

CROSS MY PAWS! Professor von Volt looked angry. "Well, well, Miss Ratmousen. Did you forget something?" he smirked. "After all, this isn't your first visit to my lab, is it?" Sally turned pale. Then she put her paws on her hips. "Of course this is my first visit!" she squeaked. "I've never set eyes on this joint before. Cross My Paws!" The professor shook his head. Then he switched on one of the machines. "This video was recorded last Sunday," he said. "How do you explain this, Miss Ratmousen?" The recording showed Sally and Pawsley rummaging through the lab. "THAT'S NOT ME!"

Sally squeaked. "I've been framed! Professor von Volt sighed. "I didn't just fall off the cheese truck, Miss Ratmousen," he snorted. "You are a liar and a sneak. I can't have my experiments falling into the wrong paws." He picked up a small suitcase and waved good-bye to us. I wondered where he would set up shop this time. In a grass hut? Under a lake? Somewhere in the Blue Cheese Mountains? You never knew with Professor von Volt. Before he left, I gave him the silver ring I had found. Now I knew what those initials stood for. They stood for Paws von Volt. "Thank you, Geronimo. This ring has been in our family for generations," my friend beamed.

At that moment, Sally raced over. "Listen Volt, I'll pay you anything for those inventions. Anything you want!" she shrieked. "Right now! At once! Immediately!" When he didn't answer, Sally grabbed the professor by the tail. "You don't want this to get ugly, do you?" she hissed. Again the professor didn't answer. Instead, he picked up the Uoltinator. He used it to lift Sally into the air, Then he set her down on a chandelier. Sally was fuming. Uh-oh, I gulped. She looked madder than my grandma Onewhisker when she found a mouse trap in her garden! With a terrifying squeak, Sally leaped onto the professor. "Give it up, Volt!" she yelled, reaching for the Voltinator. "With this thing, I'm gonna get RICH, RICH RICH!

And then I'm gonna rule the world!" A picture flashed before my eyes. It was the front page of a newspaper. RATMOUSEN TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD! the headline screamed. RIGHT NOW! AT ONCE! IMMEDIATELY! Just then, the professor threw something onto the center of the floor. A YELLOWISH FOG filled the room. It smelled like cheese. "Don't worry," my friend called as he raced away. "It's just a Swiss cheese smoke bomb. It won't hurt you."

After a while, we found our way out of the laboratory. Sally had a murderous look in her eyes. "You'd better watch your step, Volt!" she SCREAMED to the empty hallway. "I'm going to find you and steal all of your inventions one day!" But I knew she wouldn't. The professor was probably halfway to the Mousehamas in an invisible boat by now. Yep, Professor Paws von Volt truly was one clever scientist.