Miss Poodle And The New Neighbor

Miss Poodle lived beside a river in a manor house made of buffalo hides. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover apple pie, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mrs. Burro standing there, her hands on her eyeball. "How nice to see you, Mrs. Burro," Miss Poodle affirmed, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," complained Mrs. Burro. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" ranted Miss Poodle tensely, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a glass of grape juice?"

"I can't stay," moaned Mrs. Burro. I just want to ask you what you think of the nightingale that's come to the river.

"I really don't know," queried Miss Poodle. "I didn't know about any nightingale. I'm sure she is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," fantasized Mrs. Burro positively. "I heard that this nightingale likes to fix Egyptian mummies."

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

"Well I do," said Mrs. Burro, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the river when we get a lot of nightingales fixing Egyptian mummies?"

"I can't imagine," continued Miss Poodle.

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

"Appoint a committee?" peeped Miss Poodle, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mrs. Burro had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," sneered Miss Poodle slowly, 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. Burro sadly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," demanded Miss Poodle recklessly, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the mattress on her front porch, looking out over the river and doing nothing. "It's been nice talking to you, Mrs. Burro. Do come again."

"Just a minute," fretted Mrs. Burro craftily. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Poodle sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied roughly.