Liza Jane Tippytoes tiptoed ever so quietly out of her mousehole in

the big dark theatre.  She made her way across the stage and just as

the lights spotlighted the beautiful lady ballerina, Liza Jane scurried into

position right beside her.  She was such a tiny little mouse and her little

star tipped wand was so dazzling in the bright lights, noone could even

see her.  Though she danced to and fro and did everything as well as the

lady ballerina, she might as well have stayed in her mousehole.

     She had tried so hard to be a star.  Sadly, she tiptoed back to her

dressing room in the mousehole that had come to be her home.

     The next morning when the cleaning people arrived at the theatre

and began to sweep the floors, Liza Jane tiptoed into the locker room

and wondered how she could get out safely into the world and find her

way back home.

     Suddenly, she remembered her cousin Olivia's brother-in-law Hobart

and how he had hidden in a lady's purse.  She had read the story of his

homecoming in the "Squeakly Gazzette."  Hobart had become famous

and wherever he went, mice scurried around him begging to hear of

his adventures.  How she wished she could have her picture printed

in the Squeakly Gazette in her dazzling costume like Hobart had.

     Liza Jane peeked around the corner and much to her surprise, she

saw the beautiful lady ballerina getting ready for practice.  Her costumes

and makeup were neatly lined up.  Liza Jane wondered what it would be

like to wear makeup.  Even though noone had ever heard of a mouse

wearing makeup, it would be fun to try it.

     As soon as the lady ballerina left the room, Liza Jane tiptoed to the

dressing table, and very carefully climbed to the top.  "Oh, there are so

many pretty bottles and containers, I don't know where to start," she

exclaimed.  She dipped her paw ever so gently into some blue eye

makeup and dabbed it onto her eyelids.  She tried some rouge on her

cheeks, but it stuck to her fur in lumps.  The more she rubbed, the more

it spread across her face.  She tried the purple eye liner, but the

brush was too large and she wound up with a purple forehead.

Lastly, she tried the pink lipstick by kissing it.  How else could she put

it on?  She hopped right into the powder swishing her tail back and

forth so that the wonderful smell would be all over her.  When she

finally finished and looked up into the large mirror, Liza Jane did not

see Liza Jane Tippytoes.  She saw a strange looking lumpy rainbow

mouse.  "Who is that?" she cried.

     "Oh, no, it's me; I have turned into a lumpy rainbow."

     Before she even had a chance to figure out what to do, the beautiful

lady ballerina exclaimed, "I must be sure to take it with me on my trip." 

Before you could even say cheese, she had turned and started packing

a small bag.  She put the powder with the rainbow puff which was

really Liza Jane right on top, snapped on the lid, turned out the

lights and left the theatre.  "Oh, my goodness, oh my goodness," cried

Liza Jane inside the bag.  "Where am I going and what will become

of me?"  Then she sneezed and sneezed.  "Kerchoo.  Kerchoo."  The

powder kept going up her nose.  Pretty soon she realized she was

being rocked back and forth.  Then she heard a zzzippp sound and

knew the beautiful ballerina had opened her ba.  ZZZIPPP!  "Kerchoo!"

"Kerchoo!"  She tried to get up out of the powder, but oh, no, the

beautiful ballerina was reaching for her!  She swooped her up and

powdered her nose.  "Kerchoo!"  "Kerchoo!" said Liza Jane.  The

beautiful ballerina looked at the rainbow powder puff and suddenly,

she saw to little eyes covered with purple and blue and then a tiny

little mouse tail.  She screamed and screamed.  Down, down, down

went Liza Jane.  "Kerchoo!"  "Kerchoo!"  She landed on her tippy toes.

     Much to her amazement, she realized that she was on a train.  She

hid under the seat until she heard the conductor announce "BINKSVILLE

next stop!"  Liza Jane was so happy.  Sneezy and purple and lumpy

and blue and red, she was still happy to be in her hometown.

     Soon she could see her whole family:  Cousin Begonia, little Matilda

Tumblefoot, Timorous Beastie and Hobart the Hobo.  She would run

all the way to the office of the Squeakly Gazette and tell her story.  She

would wear her dazzling costume and stand on her tippytoes.  She

would be a star just as she had always dreamed of. 

     They always say rainbows come out after a storm, and indeed, this

whole experience had been stormy, and indeed, this little mouse was

one happy little rainbow!