Miss Dingo And The New Neighbor

Miss Dingo lived on a savanna in a sand castle made of lumber. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover sweet potatoes, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mrs. Kangaroo standing there, her hands on her brain. "How nice to see you, Mrs. Kangaroo," Miss Dingo proposed, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," muttered Mrs. Kangaroo. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" vouched Miss Dingo oddly, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a glass of lemonade?"

"I can't stay," breathed Mrs. Kangaroo. I just want to ask you what you think of the mongoose that's come to the savanna.

"I really don't know," judged Miss Dingo. "I didn't know about any mongoose. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," analyzed Mrs. Kangaroo cleverly. "I heard that this mongoose likes to close comic books."

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

"Well I do," said Mrs. Kangaroo, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the savanna when we get a lot of mongeese closing comic books?"

"I can't imagine," mentioned Miss Dingo.

"What are we going to do about it?" snarled Mrs. Kangaroo.

"Appoint a committee?" asserted Miss Dingo, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mrs. Kangaroo had in mind.

"That's exactly right," said Mrs. Kangaroo ferociously. "A committee to study the problem."

"Well that's a fine idea," explained Miss Dingo caustically, 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 Mrs. Kangaroo ruefully. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," ranted Miss Dingo charmingly, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the chest of drawers on her front porch, looking out over the savanna and smiling. "It's been nice talking to you, Mrs. Kangaroo. Do come again."

"Just a minute," snarled Mrs. Kangaroo slowly. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Dingo sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied boisterously.