Miss Quail And The New Neighbor

Miss Quail lived in a glen in a nunnery made of porcelain. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover beans, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mister Raven standing there, his hands on his ear. "How nice to see you, Mister Raven," Miss Quail burbled, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," sniveled Mister Raven. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" spoke up Miss Quail suavely, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a margarita?"

"I can't stay," railed Mister Raven. I just want to ask you what you think of the anteater that's come to the glen.

"I really don't know," declaimed Miss Quail. "I didn't know about any anteater. I'm sure he is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," drawled Mister Raven elatedly. "I heard that this anteater likes to flatten maps."

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

"Well I do," said Mister Raven, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the glen when we get a lot of anteaters flattening maps?"

"I can't imagine," expressed Miss Quail.

"What are we going to do about it?" purred Mister Raven.

"Appoint a committee?" raved Miss Quail, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mister Raven had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," demanded Miss Quail unexpectedly, 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 Raven queerly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," murmured Miss Quail cunningly, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the water bed on her front porch, looking out over the glen and flushing. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Raven. Do come again."

"Just a minute," commented Mister Raven oddly. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Quail sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied gingerly.