Stupid newbie question: eraserhead-style mouse

["Owens, Christopher" <christopher.owens@analog.com>]

Kind people,

This is my first question to the list, and it is the first time I have tried
to install linux since the kernel was version 1.2.

I have installed potato on an old laptop using http.  The laptop is an AST
Ascentia 950n, and claims to have a P120, 16MB of RAM, and I have upgraded
the hard drive to a 5.7GB unit.  I have net thanks to a PCMCIA network card.

I think when I installed, I may have had the built-in mouse disabled.  When
I try to start X now, I get an error that it can't open /dev/mouse, and,
indeed, there does not seem to be any /dev/mouse.  X has never successfully
run on this system.

Microsoft Mouse Driver version 8.20 works on a DOS boot floppy I have handy,
and the mouse is usable.

How can I get a /dev/mouse?

Thanks for any help.

Chris Owens