The Abbreviated Adventures of Mogey & Smush Volume 503

One hot afternoon, Smush headed down to the well for a pail of water. As he neared the bottom of the hill, he saw that Mogey was perched on the well housing with his feet dangling over, hanging a fishing line down into the water.

"Say, Mogey," Smush said as he drew up next to his pal, "what are you fishing for?"

"I'm not fishin," Mogey replied with a sigh. "I went and dropped a croissant down the well again."

"Sheesh," Smush groaned, shaking his head. "When are you going to learn not to lean your croissants over the well like that?"

"Probably never," said Mogey as he reeled up the dripping wet pastry. "I'm just a daredevil like that, I guess."

The Abbreviated Adventures of Mogey & Smush Volume 502

One cool spring morn, Mogey and Smush were walking along the old rock wall that separated Good Jeremiah Baker's land from Evil Persimmon von Snibb's property. They were playing a game they liked to call "rocks," which consisted of throwing rocks at other rocks in hopes of creating even more rocks.

After Smush had made a particularly nice rock toss, he noticed that Mogey was no longer beside him - he was standing stock still upon the rock wall, completely lost in thought.

"I've got it!" Mogey shouted suddenly, leaping into the air with joy. "I finally know what I'm going to do with my life. I'm going to become a cowpoke."

"A cowpoke?" Smush asked.

"Indeed," Mogey said. "I think I could be the best darn cowpoke that ever there was."

"I'm not entirely convinced that you know what a cowpoke does," Smush ventured. "I bet you think they go around poking cows all day, don't you?"

"I do," Mogey replied. "And there's nothing you can tell me that'll make me think otherwise."

The Abbreviated Adventures of Mogey & Smush Volume 501

"Geeaaarrrghhoooo!" Mogey yawned hugely, stretching his arms high and then reaching them down as far as he could (almost to upper thigh-level). "It feels good to get out of that attic."

"Too true, Mogey, too true," Smush said as the two pals strode through their house for the first time in months. "I could not have stood one more day in the presence of that Man-Rat."

"What Man-Rat?" Mogey asked, absentmindedly nibbling at a crumb he'd just discovered clinging to his shirt.

"Um, the Man-Rat who just imprisoned us in our own attic for nigh-on one hundred days?" Smush suggested incredulously.

"One hundred days?" Mogey exclaimed. "For goodness sakes, I thought I'd just had a longish nap - a week, two at most."

"How is it possible you don't recall this?" Smush demanded. "A Man-Rat broke into the house whilst we were cleaning the attic - well, I was cleaning and you were snoozing - and held us captive. We've had nary an adventure since!"

"Humpf," Mogey grunted. "I must've slept through it all."

"But you ate your gruel every day!" Smush said. "And usually some of mine as well."

"You know I'm a notorious nap-eater."

"Do you mean to tell me that you also slept through the epic two-hour arm-wrestling match I had with the Man-Rat to win us our freedom not ten minutes ago?" Smush asked disappointedly.

"I guess I did. I just may be the most impressive sleeper in this whole county," Mogey said happily. "Well anyhow, we're back now, aren't we?"

"Yes, I suppose we are," Smush sighed.