It's Sunday.

Seven The Cricket Cage

That same night, after the Bellinis had gone home, Chester was telling Harry and Tucker about his trip to Chinatown. The cat and the mouse were sitting on the shelf outside, and Chester Cricket was crouched under the bell in the cage. Every minute or so, Tucker would get up and walk around to the other side of the pagoda. He was overcome with admiration for it. "And Mr. Fong gave Mario a fortune cookie too," Chester was saying. "I'm very fond of Chinese food myself," said Harry Cat. "I often browse through the garbage cans down in Chinatown." Tucker Mouse stopped gaping at the cricket cage long enough to say, "Once I thought of living down there. But those Chinese make funny dishes. They make soup out of bird's nests and stew out of shark fins. They could make a soup out of a mouse. I decided to stay away." A low rumble of a chuckle came from Harry Cat's throat. "Listen to the mouse," he said and gave Tucker a pat on the back that sent him rolling over and over. "Easy, Harry, easy," said Tucker, picking himself up. "You don't know your own strength. "He stood up on his hind legs and looked in through the red-painted bars of the cage. "What a palace," he murmured. "Beautiful! You could feel like a king living in a place like this." "Yes," said Chester, "but I'm not so keen on staying in a cage. I'm more used to tree stumps and holes in the ground. It makes me sort of nervous to be locked in here." "Do you want to come out?" asked Harry. He sprung one of his nails out of the pad of his right forepaw and lifted the latch of the gate to the cage. Chester pushed the gate and it swung open. He jumped out. "It's a relief to be free," he said, jumping around the shelf. "There's nothing like freedom." "Say, Chester," said Tucker, "could I go in for a minute? I was never in a pagoda before." "Go right ahead," said Chester. Tucker scrambled through the gate into the cage and pranced all around inside it. He lay down, first on one side, then on other, and then on his back. "If only I had a silk robe now," he said, standing up on his hind legs again and resting one paw on a bar. "I feel like the Emperor of China. How do I look, Harry?" "You look like a mouse in a trap," said Harry Cat. "Every mouse should end up in a trap so nice," said Tucker. "Do you want to sleep in the cage?" asked Chester. "Oh-could I!" exclaimed the mouse. His idea of luxury was to spend a night in such surroundings. "Sure," said Chester." I prefer the matchbox anyway." "There's only one thing," said Tucker, stamping with his left hind leg. "This floor. It's a little hard to sleep on." "I'll go over and get a bunch of paper from the drain pipe," volunteered Harry Cat. "No. It'll make a mess," said Tucker. "We don't want to get Chester in trouble with the Bellinis." He hesitated. "Um maybe we could find something here." "How about a piece of Kleenex," suggested Chester. "That's nice and soft." "Kleenex would be good," said tucker, "but I was wondering-" He paused again. "Come on, Tucker," said Harry Cat. "You've got something on your mind. Let's have it." "Well," Tucker began, "I sort of thought that it there were any dollar bills in the cash register." Harry burst out laughing. "You might know!" he said to Chester. "Who but this mouse would want to sleep on dollar bius?" Chester jumped into the cash register drawer, which was open as usual." There's a few dollars in here," he called up. "Plenty to make a mattress," said Tucker Mouse. "Pass some in, please." Chester passed the first dollar bill up to Harry Cat, who took it over to the cage and pushed it through the gate. Tucker took hold of one end of the bill and shook it out like a blanket. It was old and rumply. "Careful you don't rip it," said Harry. "I wouldn't rip it," said Tucker. "This is one mouse who knows the value of a dollar." Harry brought over the second dollar. It was newer and stiffer than the first. "Let me see," said Tucker. He lifted a corner of each bill, one in either paw. "This new one can go on the bottom-I like a crispy, clean sheet-and I'll pull the old one over for a cover. Now, a pillow is what I need. Please look in the cash register again."Harry and Chester searched the compartments of the open drawer. There was a little loose change, but not much else. "How about a fifty-cent piece?" said Harry. "Too flat," answered Tucker Mouse. The rear half of the drawer was still inside the cash register. Chester crawled back. It was dark and he couldn't see where he was going. He felt around until his head bumped against something. Whatever it was, it seemed to be big and round. Chester pushed and shoved and finally got it back out into the dim light of the newsstand. It was one of Mama Bellini's earrings, shaped like a sea shell, with sparkling little stones all over it. "Would an earring do?" he shouted to Tucker. "Well, I don't know,"Tucker said. 'lt looks as if it is covered with diamonds," said Harry Cat. "Perfect!" called Tucker."Send it along."Harry lifted the earring into the cage. Tucker examined it carefully, like a jeweler. "I think these are fake diamonds,"he said at last."Yes, but it's sail very pretty," said Chester, who had jumped up beside them. "I guess it'll do," said Tucker. He lay down on his side on the new dollar bill, rested his head on the earring, and pulled the old dollar up over him. Chester and Harry heard him draw a deep breath of contentment. "I'm sleeping on money inside a palace," he said. "It's a dream come true." Harry Cat purred his chuckle. "Good night, Chester," he said. I'm going back to the drain pipe, where l can stretch out." He jumped to the floor. "Good night, Harry," Chester called. Soft and silent as a shadow, Harry slipped out the opening in the side of the newsstand and glided over to the drain pipe. Chester hopped into his matchbox. He had gotten to like the feeling of the Kleenex. It was almost like the spongy wood of his old tree stump-and felt much more like home than the cricket cage. Now they each had their own place to sleep. "Good night, Tucker," Chester said." "Night, Chester," Tucker answered. Chester Cricket burrowed down deeper into the Kleenex. He was beginning to enjoy life in New York. Just before he fell asleep, he heard Tucker Mouse sighing happily in the cage.