(This story takes place when the hobbits of the fellowship are still
children hobbits in the Shire)
Milly Pudifoot walked along the Shire path on her way to the Boffir's to fetch some turnips. She was a small hobbit in height (even for a hobbit) and had ten years to her name. Hazel eyed, with sandy hair, she skipped along, humming a walking song while she went. Milly was having a wonderful day-
-until she decided to cut through farmer Maggot's field. It would take nearly twenty minutes to get to the Boffir's by the normal road, but she could cut that time down to ten minutes by walking along Maggot's path through the cornfield. She knew Farmer Maggot didn't like trespassers, but for the sake of ten minutes, Milly decided to take her chances.
That's when she ran into trouble. She wasn't looking up. Milly was staring straight at the ground, humming to herself, when a hobbit boy about her age ran into her. He seemed to be in an awful rush, for he was going so fast he knocked Milly right off her feet, leaving her lying on the ground with him slightly on top of her. "Milly?!" the boy cried, rather startled. Milly looked up at the blue eyes. "Frodo?" she replied. "Frodo Baggins?" Frodo got up, quickly gathering the mushrooms he had spilled all over the ground. Milly could see Merry Brandybuck running up the path. "Quick! Take these!" Frodo cried hurriedly, placing a pile of mushrooms in Milly's basket. Then he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her in the direction she had come from. "What's going on!?" Milly asked, trying her best to keep up with Frodo's pulling. "Were in the crops, stole mushrooms and now we have Maggot and his dogs after us!" Frodo explained, still running along. "You were stealing from Maggot's crops?" asked Milly. "Don't you?" retorted Frodo, still pulling the girl along. "Good point." Milly replied, for even she herself had been guilty of stealing a carrot or two from Farmer Maggot. "But why didn't you-Ah!"
Milly's last sentence was cut off, as Frodo tripped over a stone, falling to the ground, spilling his mushrooms and pulling Milly face first into a mud-puddle. This time he didn't stop to help her. He got right back on his feet and kept running. "Wait for me, Frodo!" Milly heard as Merry ran by. Following him was Samwise Gamgee, who was carrying an enormous cabbage. Milly started to get up again, but the last of the boys was still to come. Peregrin Took, looking back in eager anticipation of Farmer Maggot, smacked right into Milly, pushing her back down into the mud. He fell in too, scattering his carrots and covering both Milly and himself with a big splash of muddy goo.
"Well if it isn't a couple of theiven' young hobbits." the two heard a voice say. "And in a muddy mess too." Milly and Pippin exchanged frightened glances. Three large dogs stood by the farmer's side. "Now what do you children think you were doing taking my crops?" asked farmer Maggot, picking up Milly's mushroom filled basket and eyeing Pippin's carrots suspiciously. "It wasn't me!" cried Milly. "These are.........Pippin's things!"
"Are not!" retorted Pippin hitting Milly in the arm.
"Ouch! Are too!" snapping Milly hitting Pippin back.
"Are not!" cried Pippin, pushing Milly into the mud.
Milly pushed Pippin right back. He tried to get up, but Farmer Maggot already had a good grip on his left ear, and Milly's right one. He pulled the children to their feet. "And here's a Took!" Maggot remarked, staring at Pippin. " Peregrin Took if I'm not mistaken. You fool, you'll barely be able to sit down when I'm through with you." Pippin's face went white with fear. So did Milly's. What would the farmer do to her? "And this here's a little hobbit girl-a Pudifoot if I'm not mistaken. What's your name Pudifoot?"
Milly didn't answer. If the farmer didn't know her name, she didn't want him to. Maggot squeezed her ear harder. "Ahhh!" Milly cried out in pain. "Out with it girl. What's your name?" the farmer asked. Milly still didn't answer. "Milly. Her name is Milly Pudifoot." Pippin said, not realizing how important it was to Milly to be left anonymous. Milly shot him an evil glance.
"Ah yes, Lumillia Pudifoot." the farmer continued. " Well I can't very well go about beatin' hobbit girls. We'll leave that to Mrs. Maggot." With that the farmer started dragging the two hobbits back to his home, leading them by the ears.
"Mr. Maggot?" asked Pippin after a time. "Yes?" snuffed Maggot.
"You see, I was just thinkin' since it's almost elevenist and all, that you would let us go home, and we could finish this business after we eat." Maggot laughed.
"Fool of a Took." he spoke to himself.
Milly recalled Frodo handing her the mushrooms. "Pippin's not as foolish as that Frodo-" She gasped, covering her mouth.
"Who?" the farmer inquired. "There was more than two of you, who were they?" Milly looked at Pippin. Pippin looked at Milly. A confidential "don't-you-tell" glance passed between them. "We'll not tell sir. Nope, never." said Pippin. Suddenly Maggot lifted the two hobbit children clear of the ground, by their ears alone. Both cried out in pain. "'Twas Frodo Baggins," Pippin squeaked, "Merry Brandybuck and...and..."
"Samwise Gamgee!" added Milly. The farmer put the hobbit children back on the ground. "That's better." he remarked, and continued to lead the children back to his house.
Half an hour or so later, Milly and Pippin found themselves side by side, caked in mud, with sore bottoms and with their faces staring at the Maggot's front lawn. "And the next time you come on my property," the Farmer said. "I'll set my dog's on you!" With that, Farmer Maggot slammed the door.
"Ouch!" remarked Pippin, rubbing his bottom and rising to his feet. Milly did likewise. "Well now you've done it Peregrin Took!" Milly yelled. "If it weren't for you I'd be at the Boffir's right now eating turnips!"
"Me?!" replied young Pippin. " What did I do?"
Milly glared. "Well..."
Suddenly the Maggot's door opened again. A large teeth-baring dog came running at them. Both young hobbits made a mad dash towards the end of the lane. "And stay off!" they heard Farmer Maggot yell. The door slammed and the dog retreated.
Milly caught her breath and continued. "You ran into me and knocked me down, and you gave Mr. Maggot my name."
"But..he, ah.....he would have found out anyway." Pippin replied.
"Would not!"
"Would to!"
Would not!"
"Would to!"
Milly tried to sit down, but realized her bottom was too sore. With a little yelp, she jumped back to her feet. "Why this is all Frodo's fault!" she declared to Pippin. "If he hadn't handed me those mushrooms I would have never been accused of stealing." Pippin didn't say anything. He couldn't accuse his friend, yet he didn't want Milly to know that it had been his idea to lead his friends stealing in Mr. Maggot's crop. He was too late. Milly could read his face like a book. "Why, it was your idea, wasn't it Peregrin?" she flared at him. "This is all your fault. I hate you! Everything they say about you is true! You are a fool and you don't have your head on straight!" With that the inflamed Milly Pudifoot whirled around and trotted back towards her home. Pippin stared at the ground, holding back tears. He wasn't really a fool. Was he?
Milly Pudifoot walked along the Shire path on her way to the Boffir's to fetch some turnips. She was a small hobbit in height (even for a hobbit) and had ten years to her name. Hazel eyed, with sandy hair, she skipped along, humming a walking song while she went. Milly was having a wonderful day-
-until she decided to cut through farmer Maggot's field. It would take nearly twenty minutes to get to the Boffir's by the normal road, but she could cut that time down to ten minutes by walking along Maggot's path through the cornfield. She knew Farmer Maggot didn't like trespassers, but for the sake of ten minutes, Milly decided to take her chances.
That's when she ran into trouble. She wasn't looking up. Milly was staring straight at the ground, humming to herself, when a hobbit boy about her age ran into her. He seemed to be in an awful rush, for he was going so fast he knocked Milly right off her feet, leaving her lying on the ground with him slightly on top of her. "Milly?!" the boy cried, rather startled. Milly looked up at the blue eyes. "Frodo?" she replied. "Frodo Baggins?" Frodo got up, quickly gathering the mushrooms he had spilled all over the ground. Milly could see Merry Brandybuck running up the path. "Quick! Take these!" Frodo cried hurriedly, placing a pile of mushrooms in Milly's basket. Then he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her in the direction she had come from. "What's going on!?" Milly asked, trying her best to keep up with Frodo's pulling. "Were in the crops, stole mushrooms and now we have Maggot and his dogs after us!" Frodo explained, still running along. "You were stealing from Maggot's crops?" asked Milly. "Don't you?" retorted Frodo, still pulling the girl along. "Good point." Milly replied, for even she herself had been guilty of stealing a carrot or two from Farmer Maggot. "But why didn't you-Ah!"
Milly's last sentence was cut off, as Frodo tripped over a stone, falling to the ground, spilling his mushrooms and pulling Milly face first into a mud-puddle. This time he didn't stop to help her. He got right back on his feet and kept running. "Wait for me, Frodo!" Milly heard as Merry ran by. Following him was Samwise Gamgee, who was carrying an enormous cabbage. Milly started to get up again, but the last of the boys was still to come. Peregrin Took, looking back in eager anticipation of Farmer Maggot, smacked right into Milly, pushing her back down into the mud. He fell in too, scattering his carrots and covering both Milly and himself with a big splash of muddy goo.
"Well if it isn't a couple of theiven' young hobbits." the two heard a voice say. "And in a muddy mess too." Milly and Pippin exchanged frightened glances. Three large dogs stood by the farmer's side. "Now what do you children think you were doing taking my crops?" asked farmer Maggot, picking up Milly's mushroom filled basket and eyeing Pippin's carrots suspiciously. "It wasn't me!" cried Milly. "These are.........Pippin's things!"
"Are not!" retorted Pippin hitting Milly in the arm.
"Ouch! Are too!" snapping Milly hitting Pippin back.
"Are not!" cried Pippin, pushing Milly into the mud.
Milly pushed Pippin right back. He tried to get up, but Farmer Maggot already had a good grip on his left ear, and Milly's right one. He pulled the children to their feet. "And here's a Took!" Maggot remarked, staring at Pippin. " Peregrin Took if I'm not mistaken. You fool, you'll barely be able to sit down when I'm through with you." Pippin's face went white with fear. So did Milly's. What would the farmer do to her? "And this here's a little hobbit girl-a Pudifoot if I'm not mistaken. What's your name Pudifoot?"
Milly didn't answer. If the farmer didn't know her name, she didn't want him to. Maggot squeezed her ear harder. "Ahhh!" Milly cried out in pain. "Out with it girl. What's your name?" the farmer asked. Milly still didn't answer. "Milly. Her name is Milly Pudifoot." Pippin said, not realizing how important it was to Milly to be left anonymous. Milly shot him an evil glance.
"Ah yes, Lumillia Pudifoot." the farmer continued. " Well I can't very well go about beatin' hobbit girls. We'll leave that to Mrs. Maggot." With that the farmer started dragging the two hobbits back to his home, leading them by the ears.
"Mr. Maggot?" asked Pippin after a time. "Yes?" snuffed Maggot.
"You see, I was just thinkin' since it's almost elevenist and all, that you would let us go home, and we could finish this business after we eat." Maggot laughed.
"Fool of a Took." he spoke to himself.
Milly recalled Frodo handing her the mushrooms. "Pippin's not as foolish as that Frodo-" She gasped, covering her mouth.
"Who?" the farmer inquired. "There was more than two of you, who were they?" Milly looked at Pippin. Pippin looked at Milly. A confidential "don't-you-tell" glance passed between them. "We'll not tell sir. Nope, never." said Pippin. Suddenly Maggot lifted the two hobbit children clear of the ground, by their ears alone. Both cried out in pain. "'Twas Frodo Baggins," Pippin squeaked, "Merry Brandybuck and...and..."
"Samwise Gamgee!" added Milly. The farmer put the hobbit children back on the ground. "That's better." he remarked, and continued to lead the children back to his house.
Half an hour or so later, Milly and Pippin found themselves side by side, caked in mud, with sore bottoms and with their faces staring at the Maggot's front lawn. "And the next time you come on my property," the Farmer said. "I'll set my dog's on you!" With that, Farmer Maggot slammed the door.
"Ouch!" remarked Pippin, rubbing his bottom and rising to his feet. Milly did likewise. "Well now you've done it Peregrin Took!" Milly yelled. "If it weren't for you I'd be at the Boffir's right now eating turnips!"
"Me?!" replied young Pippin. " What did I do?"
Milly glared. "Well..."
Suddenly the Maggot's door opened again. A large teeth-baring dog came running at them. Both young hobbits made a mad dash towards the end of the lane. "And stay off!" they heard Farmer Maggot yell. The door slammed and the dog retreated.
Milly caught her breath and continued. "You ran into me and knocked me down, and you gave Mr. Maggot my name."
"But..he, ah.....he would have found out anyway." Pippin replied.
"Would not!"
"Would to!"
Would not!"
"Would to!"
Milly tried to sit down, but realized her bottom was too sore. With a little yelp, she jumped back to her feet. "Why this is all Frodo's fault!" she declared to Pippin. "If he hadn't handed me those mushrooms I would have never been accused of stealing." Pippin didn't say anything. He couldn't accuse his friend, yet he didn't want Milly to know that it had been his idea to lead his friends stealing in Mr. Maggot's crop. He was too late. Milly could read his face like a book. "Why, it was your idea, wasn't it Peregrin?" she flared at him. "This is all your fault. I hate you! Everything they say about you is true! You are a fool and you don't have your head on straight!" With that the inflamed Milly Pudifoot whirled around and trotted back towards her home. Pippin stared at the ground, holding back tears. He wasn't really a fool. Was he?