Ralph S. Mouse - Beverly Cleary [11]
But what if I can’t do it? Ralph worried. What if I run around bumping my nose against dead ends? Then how would Ryan feel after all his bragging? A terrible thought occurred to Ralph. If he failed and everyone laughed, Ryan might not give back the motorcycle after all.
Ralph decided there was only one thing to do—get up on that table at night and practice. He would memorize the maze so he could dash through the passages without bumping his nose even once.
Ralph had no sooner made this decision than part of the maze must have fallen down, for Ryan said, “See, I told you it wouldn’t work that way.”
Brad lost patience. “All right,” he said, “since you’re so smart, you can make your own dumb maze for your own dumb mouse. I’ll write a poem instead.”
“You don’t like to write poems,” Ryan reminded him.
“I’d rather write a poem than work on your dumb maze for your dumb mouse,” answered Brad. “His name should be Ralph D. Mouse. D for Dumb.”
“OK,” said Ryan. “Suit yourself, but I don’t see why you have to be so touchy all the time.”
Good, thought Ralph. Ryan will make it easy.
When the last bell rang, Ryan asked permission to work on the maze at home because he still hadn’t figured out how to make the partitions stand up.
“Of course, you may,” Miss K told him, thereby destroying Ralph’s plan to practice. “I hoped you and Brad might become friends if you worked together.” She raised her voice above the scramble for jackets and caps. “Class, I have a surprise,” she announced. “Someone who writes stories for the Cucaracha Voice heard about our mouse exhibit and wants to write it up for the paper. She is going to come Friday afternoon and bring a photographer.” Cucaracha, although it had grown since gold-rush days, was still a small town. News traveled fast.
There was a buzz of excitement. Room 5 was going to have its picture in the newspaper!
When Ryan plucked Ralph from his pocket, Ralph asked in his tiniest voice, “Do I get a chance to practice running through that thing before Friday?”
“That would be cheating,” said Ryan through stiff lips. “The same as looking at test questions before a test.”
“Just one little peek?” coaxed Ralph.
“Nope.” Ryan poked Ralph into Melissa’s boot and ran off to catch his bus.
Ralph crawled down around the bend to the toe of the boot, where he sat brooding in the dusty, musty dark. For the first time since he had left the inn, he began to wonder if anyone missed him in his old home.
5
The Great Mouse Exhibit
Ralph spent the rest of the week dreading Friday. The days, in spite of all that went on in Room 5, dragged, but the nights passed more quickly. As soon as the man with the transistor radio and broom left Room 5, Ralph squeezed under the door and ran into the next classroom. The pictures made of seeds were now hanging above the blackboard, but enough split peas and lentils had fallen to the floor to make a good meal for Ralph. In the kindergarten room, he discovered a doll’s house, which he enjoyed exploring. Still, even though it had a mouse-sized bed, it lacked the comfort of the ready-chewed mouse nest in the library.
One night, however, Ralph had a narrow escape. Beside the book bag on the library shelf, he discovered an interesting contraption, something like a metal snail. Of course, Ralph had to investigate and found his back stuck to something he had not known about—Scotch tape. The rest of the night was spent trying to free himself. When he had almost pulled his back free, his paws were stuck. When his front paws were unstuck, the strange sticky tape trapped his back paws and tail. Exhausted, Ralph managed to free himself as the first bus rolled up to the school.
Wednesday morning Ryan informed Ralph he could not sleep in his pocket any longer, because Ryan’s mother said his shirts smelled funny. Once again Ralph’s feelings were hurt. Ryan also said his mother had discovered the tiny peephole Ralph had nipped in his shirt.
“She would,” said Ralph.
Ryan defended his mother. “Maybe she’s fussy, but she’s a good housekeeper.