THIS WEEK'S STORY

Duke the Mouse In:
A MOUSE WITH MANNERS

    You probably know all about my pet mouse, Duke. In fact, listeners to this show have heard about him for years. He is a good friend to just about everybody I know and in many ways, I consider him just one of the family.
    Except my real family doesn't know Duke very well. Oh, they've heard me talk about him, but to be honest with you, not many on them have met him. It was Thanksgiving and since I had so much to be thankful for, I decided to be thankful for my pet mouse. I told my parents I would be bringing someone special to our holiday meal this year.
    Duke was plenty nervous about all this. He said he was afraid my parents would judge him and what if he spilled some gravy on the nice table cloth?
    Well, he had a good point. So I promised Duke I would make sure that he couldn't spill anything. And, I told him, the food would be fantastic. Trust me on this one.
    The big day came and Duke got all dressed up. He even took a bath, but that is another story for another day, believe me. We drove to my parents' house and I introduced Duke all around. Everyone was very polite and considerate. My mom even put away all the mouse traps, just in case Duke tried to grab a little snack before dinner.
    My parents didn't know how to the set the table for a mouse guest so I went downstairs and found some old doll house furniture of my sister's. It was just the perfect size for Duke. There was a table and a chair plus a place setting of dishes including a plate, cup and some little tiny doll-sized silverware. And then I remembered Duke's biggest fear: spillage on the linen tablecloth. When I mentioned that to my mom, she looked concerned for a moment and then came up with a brilliant idea. She gave Duke his own human-sized plate and set all the doll house furniture on the plate. That way when he spilled, all she had to do was wash the plate.
    Well, I'm proud to say that Duke did a wonderful job. He ate everything on his tiny plate and only spilled a little grape juice on the bigger plate. He was very polite when he asked for thirds of pumpkin pie and he didn't burp very loudly at the table.
    I was most pleased that Duke did not get into a food fight with my grandmother, even after she tossed a spoonful of mashed potatoes his way. Oh, don't get me wrong. He wanted to, but those good manners came shining through. Besides, I was watching him very closely.
    And that's the way it is with Duke.