14-I AM THE STRONGEST!

I AM THE STRONGEST! The gunmice stopped in the center of town. They were pulling a wagon. Inside the wagon sat an ENORMOUSE barrel. I wondered what was inside it. But there was no time to think about it. I was too busy thinking about the leader of the gunmice. He was the scariest rodent I had ever seen! He was dressed all in black from his leather pants to his coal-black hat. His black cowrat boots were EXTRA POINTY. They looked

like they could spear a rodent with one hard paw-kick. His face seemed to be stuck in a permanent scowl. I shivered. Who was this evil gummouse, and what was he doing in Cactus City? Just then I noticed something shiny pinned to his shirt pocket. Rat-munching rattlesnakes! It was a sheriff's star! How could this EVIL-LOOKING gunmouse be a sheriff? A crowd gathered around him. "Citizens of Cactus City!" the evil-looking gunmouse shouted. "From now on, you will cheer when I enter town. I want singing. I want dancing. And I want a plate of nachos

with heaping gobs of cheddar!" Rodents rushed to obey his orders. One led a chorus of "Long Live the Sheriff!" Another started teaching a new line dance. A third produced a plate of steaming nachos. The sheriff shoved some chips into his mouth. "Too hot, you fool!" he hissed. Everyone stopped cheering. They stopped singing. They stopped dancing. They were too scared to squeak.