exclaimed Encyclopedia. “I might have known!”
Bugs Meany was the leader of a gang of wild older boys. They called themselves the Tigers. They should have called themselves the weath ermen. They never stole anything till the coast was clear.
“I’m not sure it was Bugs, mind you,” said Gil. “Mr. James, who lives next door, noticed Bugs outside my window a little after ten o‘clock last night. He didn’t pay any attention because Bugs often cuts through our yard to get to his house.”
“Let’s go and question Bugs,” said Encyclopedia.
“Must we?” said Gil. “Bugs is awful tough.”
“I’ve handled him before,” replied Encyclopedia. “Get Bugs talking, and he’ll cook himself in his own lies.”
The Tigers’ clubhouse was an unused tool shed behind Mr. Sweeny’s Auto Body Shop. When Encyclopedia and Gil arrived, they saw a long line of children leading to the front doorway.
Several Tigers were keeping the line straight. Bugs himself stood by the front door.
“No need to push and shove,” he called. “Everybody will get a chance to see the greatest little wonder of the twentieth century!”
The front door of the clubhouse had been taken down. In its place was hung an old army blanket. In the center of the blanket was a small round glass, like a ship’s porthole.
“One thin dime, kids,” shouted Bugs. “That’s all it costs. See the tiny moon man brought back by the crew of the Apollo spaceship!”
Encyclopedia and Gil slipped quietly into line.
One by one the children stepped to the glass in the blanket. They paid Bugs a dime and took a look.
“One dime,” called Bugs. “See the moon man. He’s so tiny that if he fell into a bowl of alphabet soup, he couldn’t throw out an SOS!”
A girl called from the middle of the line.
“How is it that you have a man from the moon and nobody else has one?” she said. “The President didn’t say anything about the astronauts finding life on the moon.”
“The President didn’t dare say anything,” shot back Bugs. “Why? Because one moon man escaped! The President knew that a moon creature on the loose would scare the daylights out of everybody in the country!”
The children stepped to the glass and took a look.
Bugs paused to take a dime.
Then he said, “I found the escaped moon man Tuesday night. He was hiding under an old postage stamp on my porch. He’s only an inch and a half tall and his skin looks like green cheese.”
“Yeah, and he’s got so many solid gold teeth that he sleeps with his head in a safe,” muttered Gil.
“Sssh!” warned Encyclopedia.
It was too late. Bugs had seen them. He came over and snarled at Encyclopedia. “Get lost and stay there!”
“What’s the matter, Bugs?” called a boy. “Are you afraid of letting Encyclopedia see your moon man?”
“I’m not afraid of nothing,” shouted Bugs. “Okay, Mr. Brains,” he said to Encyclopedia. “Step to the head of the line. You’ll see the greatest little wonder of the space age.”
Encyclopedia and Gil each gave Bugs a dime. Then they looked. They saw a figure no bigger than a paper clip.
“What a fake!” whispered Gil. “The glass isn’t a window. It’s my telescope turned around so that you look through the large end. What you see appears tiny.”
“Right,” said Encyclopedia. “The moon man is one of Bugs Meany’s Tigers covered with leaves and sea shells.”
“You’ve had your turn,” growled Bugs. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Now make like a pair of headlights and hit the road.”
“We will when you give back Gil’s telescope,” said Encyclopedia. “You stole it last night.”
“But first you stretched the cord of my clock on the floor of my room so I’d trip over it chasing you,” said Gil.
“I’ll stretch your nose if you don’t scram,” threatened Bugs.
“A neighbor, 1\1r. James, saw you outside my window last night,” said Gil.
“I was taking a shortcut home,” said Bugs. “Say,
Bugs Meany was the leader of a gang of wild older boys. They called themselves the Tigers. They should have called themselves the weath ermen. They never stole anything till the coast was clear.
“I’m not sure it was Bugs, mind you,” said Gil. “Mr. James, who lives next door, noticed Bugs outside my window a little after ten o‘clock last night. He didn’t pay any attention because Bugs often cuts through our yard to get to his house.”
“Let’s go and question Bugs,” said Encyclopedia.
“Must we?” said Gil. “Bugs is awful tough.”
“I’ve handled him before,” replied Encyclopedia. “Get Bugs talking, and he’ll cook himself in his own lies.”
The Tigers’ clubhouse was an unused tool shed behind Mr. Sweeny’s Auto Body Shop. When Encyclopedia and Gil arrived, they saw a long line of children leading to the front doorway.
Several Tigers were keeping the line straight. Bugs himself stood by the front door.
“No need to push and shove,” he called. “Everybody will get a chance to see the greatest little wonder of the twentieth century!”
The front door of the clubhouse had been taken down. In its place was hung an old army blanket. In the center of the blanket was a small round glass, like a ship’s porthole.
“One thin dime, kids,” shouted Bugs. “That’s all it costs. See the tiny moon man brought back by the crew of the Apollo spaceship!”
Encyclopedia and Gil slipped quietly into line.
One by one the children stepped to the glass in the blanket. They paid Bugs a dime and took a look.
“One dime,” called Bugs. “See the moon man. He’s so tiny that if he fell into a bowl of alphabet soup, he couldn’t throw out an SOS!”
A girl called from the middle of the line.
“How is it that you have a man from the moon and nobody else has one?” she said. “The President didn’t say anything about the astronauts finding life on the moon.”
“The President didn’t dare say anything,” shot back Bugs. “Why? Because one moon man escaped! The President knew that a moon creature on the loose would scare the daylights out of everybody in the country!”
The children stepped to the glass and took a look.
Bugs paused to take a dime.
Then he said, “I found the escaped moon man Tuesday night. He was hiding under an old postage stamp on my porch. He’s only an inch and a half tall and his skin looks like green cheese.”
“Yeah, and he’s got so many solid gold teeth that he sleeps with his head in a safe,” muttered Gil.
“Sssh!” warned Encyclopedia.
It was too late. Bugs had seen them. He came over and snarled at Encyclopedia. “Get lost and stay there!”
“What’s the matter, Bugs?” called a boy. “Are you afraid of letting Encyclopedia see your moon man?”
“I’m not afraid of nothing,” shouted Bugs. “Okay, Mr. Brains,” he said to Encyclopedia. “Step to the head of the line. You’ll see the greatest little wonder of the space age.”
Encyclopedia and Gil each gave Bugs a dime. Then they looked. They saw a figure no bigger than a paper clip.
“What a fake!” whispered Gil. “The glass isn’t a window. It’s my telescope turned around so that you look through the large end. What you see appears tiny.”
“Right,” said Encyclopedia. “The moon man is one of Bugs Meany’s Tigers covered with leaves and sea shells.”
“You’ve had your turn,” growled Bugs. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Now make like a pair of headlights and hit the road.”
“We will when you give back Gil’s telescope,” said Encyclopedia. “You stole it last night.”
“But first you stretched the cord of my clock on the floor of my room so I’d trip over it chasing you,” said Gil.
“I’ll stretch your nose if you don’t scram,” threatened Bugs.
“A neighbor, 1\1r. James, saw you outside my window last night,” said Gil.
“I was taking a shortcut home,” said Bugs. “Say,
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