11-SAVED BY A WHISKER!

SAVED BY A WHISKER! I searched all over for my family. But it was as if they had disappeared. They were not in the saloon. They were not in the GENERAL STORE. They were not at the BLACKSMITH'S. They were not at the doctor's. They were not at the printer's. And they were not at the school. Although that last one didn't surprise me. My cousin Trap never did well in school. His best subject was lunch. Two grilled cheese sandwiches + two cheddar pies = one happy Trap. Just then I heard someone shouting. It was my cousin. He was at the RAILROAD STATION.

Then I heard another voice. I gulped. It was Mick Muscle Mouse! The two were arguing. It seemed that both wanted to use the same watering trough for their horses. Trap's voice was loud and shrill. "You think you're so smart!" he shrieked. "Just wait till my cousin gets here! He'll teach you a thing or two. He's got more brains than a whole library!" Mick spat on the ground. "Oh, yeah?" he thundered. "Who's your cousin?" I tried pretending I was a statue. It didn't work. A plump rodent in the crowd spotted me. "There he is, Mick! The one with the glasses!" he pointed out. Trap pushed me

forward. I nearly fell flat on my snout. "Don't push me! I can't stand it when you push me!" I complained. Mick Muscle Mouse GLARED at me. "You again?" he yelled. The next thing I knew, I was flying through the air. Mick had just hurled me into the sky. I landed with a loud splash in the watering trough. The horses looked ANNOYED. The undertaker, on the other paw, looked thrilled. He jumped up and down and clapped his paws. "Grimsly, let's finish that wooden coffin for the stranger!" he cried. "Something tells me he may need one soon!" Grimsly snickered and raced away. Right at that moment, a Skinny old lady with a flower in her hat came by. She reminded me of my great-aunt No Nonsense. She was one strict rodent.

"Mick Muscle Mouse!" I heard the old lady yell. "What are you doing?" Mick looked at the ground. "N-n-nothing, Teacher," he stuttered. She waved her cane in the air. "Very good, Mick," she squeaked. "Because I'm keeping my eye on you. And you'd better behave! Just because you're not in school anymore doesn't mean you can disobey the rules!" Mick shuffled his paws. "Oh, of course, Miss Firm Fur," he mumbled. As soon as she left, Mick looked for me. But as my cousin said, I'm one smart mouse. I had already hightailed it out of there.