13-I DID NOT DO IT ON PURPOSE!

I DID NOT DO IT ON PURPOSE! Before I could decide what to do next... 1 I slipped on a potato peel. 2 I somersaulted into the air. 3 I accidentally kicked Mick in the snout. 4 I grabbed the chandelier. 5 I swung onto the balcony. 6 I slid down the banister. 7 I accidentally head-butted Mick. 8 I fell back on a loose board. 9 I knocked a watermelon into the air. 10 I watched the watermelon land on Mick's head. 11 "I did not do it on purpose!" I apologized to Mick.

The crowd in the saloon stared at me with respect. "What a mouse! What a fighter! WHAT A DAREDEVIL!" "But I did not do it on purpose! I am not a fighter! I'm not strong!" I protested. Miss Firm Fur the teacher felt my muscles, "Young mouse, I would not have bet a penny on you. I thought Mick would make Swiss cheese out of you," she commented. "But you are strong." Miss Dolly batted her eyelashes. "Oooh, Miss Geronimo," she squeaked in a soft voice. "You are much stronger than Mr. Muscle Mouse. Much, much stronger!"

I could tell Mick felt awful. He looked as if he were going to cry. The undertaker shook his head. "Too bad they didn't fight it out," he sighed. "No coffins needed here, I guess." At that moment the earth trembled. A cloud of dust rolled into town. A group of gun-toting mice galloped behind it. Someone in the, crowd whispered, "The evil gunmice are coming!" I looked around me. Everyone looked terrified. The doctor, the blacksmith, the teacher, the banker. Yes, even Mick Muscle Mouse looked afraid.