Miss Quail And The New Neighbor

Miss Quail lived on a wasteland in a cabin made of cold rolled steel. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover mulligan stew, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mrs. Musk-ox standing there, her hands on her thorax. "How nice to see you, Mrs. Musk-ox," Miss Quail sniffed, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," questioned Mrs. Musk-ox. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" concluded Miss Quail cautiously, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a beer?"

"I can't stay," sniveled Mrs. Musk-ox. I just want to ask you what you think of the panther that's come to the wasteland.

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

"Well don't be so sure," quavered Mrs. Musk-ox brightly. "I heard that this panther likes to extinguish statues."

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

"Well I do," said Mrs. Musk-ox, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the wasteland when we get a lot of panthers extinguishing statues?"

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

"What are we going to do about it?" preached Mrs. Musk-ox.

"Appoint a committee?" invited Miss Quail, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mrs. Musk-ox had in mind.

"That's exactly right," said Mrs. Musk-ox noisily. "A committee to study the problem."

"Well that's a fine idea," cackled Miss Quail grudgingly, 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. Musk-ox violently. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," said Miss Quail nicely, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the pillow on her front porch, looking out over the wasteland and trembling. "It's been nice talking to you, Mrs. Musk-ox. Do come again."

"Just a minute," asked Mrs. Musk-ox blankly. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

Mrs. Musk-ox 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 intensely.