Miss Mongoose And The New Neighbor

Miss Mongoose lived on a grassy knoll in a palace made of foam rubber. One morning, she had just finished breakfast and was putting away the leftover lobster, when she heard a knock at the door.

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

She was surprised to see Mister Magpie standing there, his hands on his shin. "How nice to see you, Mister Magpie," Miss Mongoose contended, not at all sure it was indeed nice. "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure," vowed Mister Magpie. "May I come in?"

"Oh, I'm forgetting my manners!" wept Miss Mongoose softly, opening the door wide. "Please come in. Can I get you a Seven and Seven?"

"I can't stay," brought up Mister Magpie. I just want to ask you what you think of the honeybee that's come to the grassy knoll.

"I really don't know," intimated Miss Mongoose. "I didn't know about any honeybee. I'm sure he is very nice."

"Well don't be so sure," sniffed Mister Magpie boldly. "I heard that this honeybee likes to review spools of thread."

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

"Well I do," said Mister Magpie, who always seemed to know what to say. "What do you think is going to happen to the grassy knoll when we get a lot of honeybees reviewing spools of thread?"

"I can't imagine," scoffed Miss Mongoose.

"What are we going to do about it?" phrased Mister Magpie.

"Appoint a committee?" nattered Miss Mongoose, who was pretty sure a committee was what Mister Magpie had in mind.

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

"Well that's a fine idea," nattered Miss Mongoose warmly, 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 Magpie lovingly. "You always have such good ideas."

"Oh, I don't think I'd have time for that," gabbed Miss Mongoose hysterically, thinking of all the time she'd prefer to be sitting on the crib on her front porch, looking out over the grassy knoll and snarling. "It's been nice talking to you, Mister Magpie. Do come again."

"Just a minute," requested Mister Magpie dolefully. "You didn't answer about the committee."

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

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

Miss Mongoose sighed. "Tomorrow at two it is," she replied greedily.