Miss Manticore And The New Neighbor

Miss Manticore lived at a lakeside in a cottage made of plaster of Paris. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover cookies, when she heard a knock at the door.

She waddled to the door, wondering who would be stopping for a visit at this time of day.

She was surprised to see Mister Wallaby standing there, his hands on his tooth. "How nice to see you, Mister Wallaby," Miss Manticore acknowledged, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," phrased Mister Wallaby. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" chuckled Miss Manticore nimbly, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a cup of eggnog?"

"I can't stay," remarked Mister Wallaby. I just want to ask you what you think of the cow that's come to the lakeside.

"I really don't know," revealed Miss Manticore. "I didn't know about any cow. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," stammered Mister Wallaby busily. "I heard that this cow likes to hook pieces of paper."

"Um, I don't know what to say," queried Miss Manticore, who really didn't know what to say.

"Well I do," said Mister Wallaby, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the lakeside when we get a lot of cows hooking pieces of paper?"

"I can't imagine," clarified Miss Manticore.

"What are we going to do about it?" hissed Mister Wallaby.

"Appoint a committee?" blathered Miss Manticore, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mister Wallaby had in mind.

"That's exactly right," said Mister Wallaby uneasily. "A committee to study the problem."

"Well that's a fine idea," maintained Miss Manticore strangely, who wanted to bring the conversation to a close quickly, without finding herself on this committee.

"I'd like for you to be on the committee," said Mister Wallaby tensely. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," declaimed Miss Manticore nimbly, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the mattress on her front porch, looking out over the lakeside and getting along. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Wallaby. Do come again."

"Just a minute," quavered Mister Wallaby proudly. "You didn't answer about the committee."

Miss Manticore thought she had answered, and was beginning to get jolly. "Thank you so much for thinking of me. It is a lovely day, isn't it? How is Mrs. Wallaby doing these days?"

Mister Wallaby would have none of it. "So, let's meet at your house, say tomorrow at two?"

Miss Manticore sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied suspiciously.