23-RECOLLECTIONS OF A RAT

RECOLLECTIONS OF A RAT Six months later, I heard a car horn outside my home. It was seven o'clock at night. I looked out the window. A limousine the color of cheese was parked on the street. A mouse wearing a striped suit was leaning out the window. It was Flusher Pottypaws, of course! "Come on down, Stilton, it's late!" he called up. "It's time for the exhibit of Impressionable paintings. And after that, there's the room music concert!" I went downstairs and got in the car. "I hope you don't mind me correcting you," I squeaked. "But the paintings are called

Impressionist, not Impressionable. And it's chamber music, not room music." Pottypaws raised his BUSHY eyebrows. "Prancing plungers, I didn't know that!" he thundered. Then he shouted to his secretary in the front seat. "Make a note of that, Scribblescratch!" "Right away, sir," Scribblescratch said. Pottypaws chuckled and nudged me with his elbow. "At this rate, I'll soon be a truly Intellectual mouse," he said. "I'm already writing my autobiography. I think I'll call it Recollections of a Rat!" Pottypaws got a dreamy look on his face. "I could print the whole thing on a single roll of toilet paper! That way you can read it one piece at a time, tearing off a piece as you go! We could get a toilet paper

company to sponsor us. Fluffybottom, maybe. What do you think?" Before I could answer, he ROARED at his secretary. "Make a note of that, Scribblescratch!" Pottypaws turned back to me. "So, what do you think, Partner?" I didn't want to tell Pottypaws what I really thought of his stinky idea. "I'll, uh, think about it," I said. "It certainly is... original!"

Then we reached the exhibit of paintings. We got out of the limousine and went to the art gallery. First-rat Art had organized a party to kick off the exhibit. Pottypaws was thrilled to be there. "I am Flusher Pottypaws, from the First-rat Art group!" he announced. He began shaking hands with all of the reporters and art critics. "Hi, there! How are

you? IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF, IT DOESN'T STINK! Ha, ha, ha." After a while, he came up to me. "Thank you, Geronimo. I am so happy to be involved in publishing. You have made my wish come true. You are a true friend!" I was impressed. Maybe Pottypaws really can become an Intellectual mouse—with a capital I.