No. 421 was sitting by the fireplace reading his new seed catalog
when there was a soft tapping on the door. Oliver was coming around
the corner with a big piece of raisin cake. He heard the tapping and
turned to go to the door.

Bluebird was fluttering her wings and peeping excitedly.

"No. 421 I has a ticket from the Receiving Angel," Bluebird said.
"He said to hurry over with this one as he passed a few days ago."

Bluebird swooped down and stole a big raisin out of Oliver's cake,
then, dipping her wings, she flew off.

"Says here," No. 421 said. "We need to locate Billy the Kid. Seems he
is here, and he is Dewds only relative. Go over to Bakin' Bertha's, I
think you may find him there."

"You don't mean the cowboy," Oliver said? "The one that wanted to ride
the cat? Is he still allowed in Bakin' Bertha's storeroom?"

"Not any more," No. 421 said. "He goes over to Bakin' Bertha's once in
a while for lunch, so I'm thinkin' she might know where he stays."

Oliver hurried down to Bankin' Berthas, while No. 421 raced up to the
bridge. A sweet white ferret with dark eyes and an Eagles hammock was
just starting across the planks.

"Hello there," No. 421 called. "Are you Dewd?"

The little ferret looked up. "Yes, I'se Dewd, where am I? Where is my
family?"

"You are at the Rainbow Bridge Son, and I think you have a relative
here," No. 421 said. "Oliver, my currier has gone to see. What do you
have there?"

"This is my Eagles Hammock," Dewd said. "Can I keep it?"

"Of course you can -- did I just hear someone talking? Oh here's Oliver
and Billy the Kid. You know Billy don't you?"

"Billy" cried Dewd. "How you doin'? Boy, have I missed you! Kinda hard
to get into trouble alone."

The two ferrets dooked and slapped each other on the shoulders, then
dooked some more.

"Hey, No. 421," Billy said. "Dewd is coming home with me, right? We
have a lot of catching up to do."

"Well then, that is all settled." No. 421 said. "You two run along and
I'll send a message home with Shooting Star that Dewd is here safe and
sound."

The two ferrets started down the path to Billy the Kid's mound. Billy
told Dewd all the things he was planning and about the fun they would
have.

"Let's fix you a bed in the room with me on the south side of the mound
facing the café," Billy said. "Bakin' Bertha has two cute waitress
working for her, and we can see them every morning as they run from
their mound to the café from that window. Then, I had this idea that
did not work, and I think you, being new, can pull it off."

Billy began to explain how Bakin' Bertha had a few mice in her
storeroom. She borrowed a cat named Ida, from the Cat Division of the
bridge, to stay over night now and again till the mice left.

"I thought she would make a good horse, and I could ride her around,"
Billy The Kid said. "Well, she told Bakin' Bertha and SHE TOLD The
Boss, so I can't go to the store room anymore. Dooks and double dooks,
this will be great -- they don't know you, so maybe you and me can pull
this off and be riding all over the place on our own "ferret size"
horse. We'll have to work on that."

Shooting Star came swooping down to get a kiss from Dewd to carry back
to earth, and then she streaked across the skies.

The two ferrets went into Billy's mound and began fixing a bed for
Dewd. No. 421 and Oliver went home.

Oliver went to the kitchen for another piece of raisin cake, and No.
421 wrote in his logbook, mission accomplished. Dewd is here living
with Billy the Kid. Those two will liven things up down by the cafe I
am sure, but I'll send word to Bakin' Bertha to keep an eye out for
them. If Ida does not scare the mice, those two will. The fun is just
beginning.

[Posted in FML 6600]