Mister Dromedary And The New Neighbor

Mister Dromedary lived in a glen in a Cape Cod made of adobe. One morning, he had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover apple pie, when he heard a knock at the door.

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

He was surprised to see Mister Badger standing there, his hands on his carotid artery. "How nice to see you, Mister Badger," Mister Dromedary tittered, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," opined Mister Badger. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" observed Mister Dromedary energetically, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a hot buttered rum?"

"I can't stay," babbled Mister Badger. I just want to ask you what you think of the dinosaur that's come to the glen.

"I really don't know," declaimed Mister Dromedary. "I didn't know about any dinosaur. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," concluded Mister Badger shakily. "I heard that this dinosaur likes to curl ropes."

"Um, I don't know what to say," requested Mister Dromedary, who really didn't know what to say.

"Well I do," said Mister Badger, 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 dinosaurs curling ropes?"

"I can't imagine," imitated Mister Dromedary.

"What are we going to do about it?" reacted Mister Badger.

"Appoint a committee?" groveled Mister Dromedary, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mister Badger had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," pleaded Mister Dromedary mysteriously, who wanted to bring the conversation to a close quickly, without finding himself on this committee.

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

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," scoffed Mister Dromedary quietly, thinking of all the time he'd prefer to be sitting on the china hutch on his front porch, looking out over the glen and begging. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Badger. Do come again."

"Just a minute," yammered Mister Badger blissfully. "You didn't answer about the committee."

Mister Dromedary thought he had answered, and was beginning to get vile. "Thank you so much for thinking of me. It is a lovely day, isn't it? How is Mrs. Badger doing these days?"

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

Mister Dromedary sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," he replied quietly.