1. Slim’s Outing by Geri Murray

2. There was not a sound in the house. Tim and Jan were not around. They had gone down to the park. Mom and Dad had gone to town. Aunt Sue was out on a towel, down by the pool, and Elf was out on the prowl. That is when Slim slipped out of his pen.

3. Slim found it was fun to be out. He poked his snout into the ground. Slim found some sweet roots in the ground. He plowed up the flowers and stomped on the small plants in Mom's garden patch. Then Slim pushed the back screen out and found his way into the house.

4. Back in the park, Tim and Jan had trapped a small brown mouse. "I want this brown mouse to be my pet," said Tim. "Let's run home and show Aunt Sue what we have found."

5. "Yuck!" said Jan. "The mouse can't live at our house. Mom will not let you keep it. We can save the mouse for Nate's pet snake, Jake. Jake can swallow a whole mouse in one gulp." "No!" said Tim. "This is my new pet. You can have Slim. Mom will let me keep him if you let Slim be your pet."

6. "No thanks!" said Jan. "Slim is not a pet. Slim is a pest. I think Dad wants to send Slim back to the farm." "That will be fine with me. I hate to bring him slop and clean his smelly pen every day," said Tim. "This mouse will be no bother."

7. Mom and Dad were just getting back from town when Jan and Tim jumped off their bikes. Jan took her bike around the house to the back yard. Tim held up the cage. "Look Mom. Jan and I found this fine new pet," said Tim. "That is not a pet. That is a mouse," Mom told him. "We cannot have a wild thing like a mouse in our house. Take it out to the garden and let it out, now."

8. "But Elf will catch him and eat him. I will keep him out in the shed, not in the house," Tim begged. Mom scowled. "Tim, wild things cannot be pets. You see how hard it is to keep Slim. Now you want a wild mouse?"

9. Just then, Jan came running back around the house. "Mom, Slim got out of the pen and has plowed down your flower bed." "See what I mean!" Mom shouted. "That's not all. I think he may be in the house. The back screen is pushed in," said Jan.

10. Mom and Dad charged into the house. Slim had somehow turned the whole house into a mess. Tim stood with his mouth open, seeing the mound of work he knew he would have to do. "It will take hours to clean up after this pig," he sighed.

11. Tim helped Dad get Slim back to his pen. "Dad," said Tim. "It is time to take Slim back to Ben and Jess's farm. I don't think I can take care of him any more.“

12. "This is a hard lesson for all of us, Tim," said Dad. "I am proud that you have vowed to do the right thing. Now we must get back in the house and use our manpower to get the house in order. We will send Mom and Jan to town to buy more flowers. Then we will sweep and scour until the house looks like our home."

13. "Thanks, Dad," said Tim. "The next pet will be so small, you won't know he's around. Dad, did you ever have a pet mouse?" "Tim, I think we will visit the dog pound, but we must let Mom get over Slim, first. Don't even ask for a pet right now, and get rid of that mouse!" said Dad.

14. "Okay, Dad. A horse is a fun pet," Tim joked as Dad chased him around the house.

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