Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-12
FLo's ADVENTURE
BY Tessie Tag-class A-Fourteen
Years

1t was a warm, drOwsy afternoon and
everything seemed lazy. The flowers
dropped in the hot sun and not breath
of wind stirred the trees.
The teacher of the fourth grade room
was speaking to her sleepy class. 81
want each one to write a composition
of a page in length, and will ask you
to read them in half an hour"
Slowly and reluctantly the pupils be-
gan to think of some subject to write
upon. They had their pens or pencils
in their mouths, for one can think so
much better if he has a pencil to chew.
Flo had almost decided to write about
the picnic, when suddenly little mouse
came out of the school room stove.
There was no food in sight, so she
kind-hearted Flo slipped a cracker out
of her pocket and softly dropped it on
the floor.
Grateful Mr.. Mouse came and
thanked Flo for It, won't you come
and see my family in the house?" he
asked.
"Yes, may I Gomez" exclaimed Flo
in pretty loud whisper. She almost
forgot that she was in school. Then
she happened to glance at her blank
paper.
'Oh, 1 am so sorry, because 1 have
not written my composition" She was
almost tempted to leave it, when Mr..
Mouse gave funny little squeak.
II just called my oldest boy" said
he. He takes composition of cheese
in school. which is the same as yours
1 suppose
Just then Timmy Mouse ran out of a
crack in the wall. The passageway
to the mouse school was between the
walls.
"Timmy, I want you to write a nice
little composition" said Papa Mouse.
"And now are you ready, Flo?"
Flo was giggling to see Timmy try
ing to write good with her big pencil.
Mr.. Mouse told Flo to pull his tail
three times. AS she did it she began
to shrink. Smaller and smaller she be-
came until she was hardly as big as
Mr.. Mouse.
The stove looked like an immense
black iron tower and as Flo didn't
know how to climb, Mr.. Mouse had
to go up first and let her pull herself
up by his tail. Mrs. Mouse met them
at the door and shook paws with them
You're just in time for dinner!" said
she.
There was only one large round
room in this house. In the corner sat
Mealy, the only girl, rocking Baby
Mousie in paper cradle.
When Flo had looked at the tiny.
furry baby she would have liked TO
take it home but the other mice didn't
like the idea at all.
Soon Winkie and Fattie, the boys,
showed Flo the beds of scratch paper,
and she agreed with them that they
were very good beds. Flo followed her
companions about until they wanted
her to climb up the chimney with
them. But she asked them to come
down and have game of tag. Poor
Fattie was caught right away, for he
was very fat indeed. Mrs. Mouse came
just in time to prevent Fatte from
crying. Dinner is ready" she an
nounced.
Flo was surprised to see how large
her cracker seemed. There was a
piece of cheese which looked as If it
had been on the floor. an old bacon
rind and paper full of bread crumbs.
Mrs. Mouse kindly invited Flo 10
help herself to a 'nibble," but as moth.
ing looked very inviting TO Flo she
satisfied herself with a tiny piece of
the cracker. After dinner Flo thanked
her kind friends and promised them
another visit before long. She climbed
out of the big black house and as she
reached her seat she regained her nor
NAL size. :
Florence Downing, will you read
your composition? 1 have called YOU
several timesl"
1t was the teachers voice that Flor
ence heard. The boy behind her was
giggling at her bewilderment and
whispering, "Sleepy-head, sleepy-head. :"
Flo looked around. Everybody
seemed to stare at her. She beheld
her composition paper before her
blank! What did 1t all mean?
THAT mouse
went 10y You-ou-ou -"
Flo became redder and redder.
II wouldn't have thought that OF
you, Florence" said the teacher, re-
proachfully. You may stay after
school until you have written your
composition"
Flo wrote her whole adventure and
the teacher pronounced il better than