11-MY FUR FELT FRIED!

MY FUR FELT FRIED! Shif T. Paws took back the microphone. "We need to find new offices right away. Any ideas?" Mousella spoke up. "My cousin is a baker," she said. "His name is Bagel Buckwheat. He has a large basement at 85 Curds Court. We could move the business there for now." Shif T. looked pleased. "EXCELLENT!" he said. "We will all meet at eleven o'clock tonight at 85 Curds Court. Now,

everyone come and take a pile of books and papers. Move those tails! It's selling time! Everyone took their piles and headed out to enact Shif T.'s plan. Everyone but Thea, that is. She was sitting at the computer, surfing the Net. I could tell by the look on her face that she had an idea. Before I could ask her about it, Shif T. hung a sack of newspapers around my shoulders. Then he stuffed a huge pile of books into my paws.

"Move your tail, Stilton!" he squeaked. "We need to sell every last copy before tonight! It's selling time!" I started to protest. "But—" Shif T. Paws pushed me out the door. "See you at eleven, Stilton!" I left the building, shaking my head. It was hard to argue with Shif T. Paws. I found a good selling spot at the corner of Limburger Lane and Parmesan Place. I stood right next to the traffic light.

When drivers stopped at the red light, I would shout, "Papers! Get the latest news fresh off the press!" Cheese niblets, I had a tough time! It was so hot that all of the drivers had their air conditioners on and their windows shut. Most of them pretended not to see me. I tried pushing the books. "Books for sale! Nothing beats a good book on a hot summer day!" But only a few people stopped to buy anything. The day dragged on. It got hotter and hotter.

My fur felt FRIED. And I had forgotten to put sunscreen on my snout! I felt like giving up. I was about to walk away when a long, fancy car pulled up. Riding in the back were several female mice. I recognized one of them—the snobby Mrs. Edward S. Smugrat III. I heard Mrs. Smugrat whisper, "Isn't that Stilton, Geronimo Stilton?" "Oh, it's him all right!" one of her friends replied. "I hear he is ruined! It all happened in one morning! Can you believe it?" Mrs. Smugrat handed a large coin to her

driver and whispered something. He rolled down the window, examined me UP and DOWN, then gave the money to me. "Give me a copy of the newspaper," he said. "And keep the change!" I BLUSHED with embarrassment. But then I realized I shouldn't be embarrassed. I was just trying to save my newspaper, by cheddar! I straightened my tail and took the coin. That's one more copy sold, I thought. I felt better after that. I decided to keep going. "Papers! Papers! Get the latest news fresh off the press!"