jelly beans in the window of his toy shop.”
“My guess was closest,” said Gary. “But I’m not proud of winning.”
“Is Mr. Whitten your uncle or something?”
“No,” said Gary. “My guess was honest—seven thousand and twenty-three jelly beans. The real number was eleven thousand and six. My guess was closest, so I won. But I looked bad.”
“It hurt your standing to miss by so much,” said Encyclopedia sympathetically.
“Right,” said Gary, whose hobby was entering contests.
So far this year Gary had finished eighty-first in a national TV hair-tonic contest, winning two free shaves at a barbershop in Denver, Colorado. He had also won a year’s subscription to The Hardware Store News and many smaller prizes.
“First prize in the jelly-bean contest was seven candles shaped like Snow White’s dwarfs,” said Gary. “Last night I picked up the candles at Mr. Whitten’s shop. I’d hardly got out the door before Bugs Meany and his Tigers took them away.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing,” said Gary. “I told you, I’m too little. But I followed the Tigers to the highway. They used a candle to light firecrackers. When a firecracker went off, it sounded like a tire blew. Cars were stopping all over the place.”
“What about the empty beer can?”
“There was a strong breeze,” answered Gary. “Bugs Meany put the beer can over the candle so it wouldn’t go out. He lighted the firecrackers through the hole in the side.”
“Hmmm,” said Encyclopedia. “We better pay Bugs a visit.”
The Tigers’ clubhouse was an unused tool shed behind Mr. Sweeny’s Auto Body Shop. Bugs Meany was alone. He had a deck of play-ing cards and was marking the backs of the aces and kings.
Bugs Meany had a deck of playing cards and was marking the backs of the aces and kings.
“Get off the earth,” he snarled upon seeing the boy detective, “or I’ll twist your nose so far around you’ll part your hair every time you sneeze.”
Encyclopedia was used to Bugs’s welcomes. He stepped inside. Immediately his gaze fell upon an object standing on an orange crate.
It was a candle shaped like a dwarf!
Although the head had melted away, Encyclopedia could tell that the front of the dwarf faced the door. All the drippings had slid down the chest and legs, forming a beard clear to the little wax boots.
“That’s one of the candles you stole from Gary last night,” said Encyclopedia. “He won seven of them in Mr. Whitten’s jelly-bean-counting contest.”
“You’ve got bubbles in your think tank,” jeered Bugs. “If I had nothing better to do than enter contests, I’d go jump in the lake.”
“You used one of my candles to light firecrackers by the highway last night,” said Gary.
“Man, oh, man!” sang Bugs. “I’m accused of everything! I bought that candle two days ago and put it there on the orange crate. I haven’t touched it since!”
“How come it’s burned down,” demanded Gary.
“I said I didn’t touch it,” replied Bugs. “I didn’t say I didn’t light it. I lit it last night to show the other Tigers I was in the clubhouse.”
“They couldn’t see the light. The clubhouse has no windows,” pointed out Encyclopedia.
“What I put up with!” groaned Bugs, rolling his eyes. “I left the door open, you blubber-brain!”
“There was a strong breeze last night,” said Encyclopedia. “It probably would have blown out the candle.”
For a moment Bugs looked as if he’d taken a karate chop to the throat.
“W-well, the breeze wasn’t strong enough ,” he insisted. “You can see the candle burned pretty well.”
“Too well,” corrected Encyclopedia.
WHAT DID ENCYCLOPEDIA MEAN?
(Turn to page 88 for the solution to The Case of the Dwarf’s Beard.)
The Case of Bugs Meany’s Revenge
The world of Bugs Meany was divided in two.
One half was filled with mischief. The other was filled with the desire to get
“My guess was closest,” said Gary. “But I’m not proud of winning.”
“Is Mr. Whitten your uncle or something?”
“No,” said Gary. “My guess was honest—seven thousand and twenty-three jelly beans. The real number was eleven thousand and six. My guess was closest, so I won. But I looked bad.”
“It hurt your standing to miss by so much,” said Encyclopedia sympathetically.
“Right,” said Gary, whose hobby was entering contests.
So far this year Gary had finished eighty-first in a national TV hair-tonic contest, winning two free shaves at a barbershop in Denver, Colorado. He had also won a year’s subscription to The Hardware Store News and many smaller prizes.
“First prize in the jelly-bean contest was seven candles shaped like Snow White’s dwarfs,” said Gary. “Last night I picked up the candles at Mr. Whitten’s shop. I’d hardly got out the door before Bugs Meany and his Tigers took them away.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing,” said Gary. “I told you, I’m too little. But I followed the Tigers to the highway. They used a candle to light firecrackers. When a firecracker went off, it sounded like a tire blew. Cars were stopping all over the place.”
“What about the empty beer can?”
“There was a strong breeze,” answered Gary. “Bugs Meany put the beer can over the candle so it wouldn’t go out. He lighted the firecrackers through the hole in the side.”
“Hmmm,” said Encyclopedia. “We better pay Bugs a visit.”
The Tigers’ clubhouse was an unused tool shed behind Mr. Sweeny’s Auto Body Shop. Bugs Meany was alone. He had a deck of play-ing cards and was marking the backs of the aces and kings.
Bugs Meany had a deck of playing cards and was marking the backs of the aces and kings.
“Get off the earth,” he snarled upon seeing the boy detective, “or I’ll twist your nose so far around you’ll part your hair every time you sneeze.”
Encyclopedia was used to Bugs’s welcomes. He stepped inside. Immediately his gaze fell upon an object standing on an orange crate.
It was a candle shaped like a dwarf!
Although the head had melted away, Encyclopedia could tell that the front of the dwarf faced the door. All the drippings had slid down the chest and legs, forming a beard clear to the little wax boots.
“That’s one of the candles you stole from Gary last night,” said Encyclopedia. “He won seven of them in Mr. Whitten’s jelly-bean-counting contest.”
“You’ve got bubbles in your think tank,” jeered Bugs. “If I had nothing better to do than enter contests, I’d go jump in the lake.”
“You used one of my candles to light firecrackers by the highway last night,” said Gary.
“Man, oh, man!” sang Bugs. “I’m accused of everything! I bought that candle two days ago and put it there on the orange crate. I haven’t touched it since!”
“How come it’s burned down,” demanded Gary.
“I said I didn’t touch it,” replied Bugs. “I didn’t say I didn’t light it. I lit it last night to show the other Tigers I was in the clubhouse.”
“They couldn’t see the light. The clubhouse has no windows,” pointed out Encyclopedia.
“What I put up with!” groaned Bugs, rolling his eyes. “I left the door open, you blubber-brain!”
“There was a strong breeze last night,” said Encyclopedia. “It probably would have blown out the candle.”
For a moment Bugs looked as if he’d taken a karate chop to the throat.
“W-well, the breeze wasn’t strong enough ,” he insisted. “You can see the candle burned pretty well.”
“Too well,” corrected Encyclopedia.
WHAT DID ENCYCLOPEDIA MEAN?
(Turn to page 88 for the solution to The Case of the Dwarf’s Beard.)
The Case of Bugs Meany’s Revenge
The world of Bugs Meany was divided in two.
One half was filled with mischief. The other was filled with the desire to get
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