pictures,” said Eldora.
“Sissy loves the suspense, she does,” said Elmira. “Let’s put the poor child out of her misery. They’re still drying. Come on back.”
“The first one is really very nice,” Eldora said, chattering on. “So much detail. So close up. Not at all blurry . . .”
But Tugs did not hear her. She stopped in front of the first photograph and saw her own face staring back. There were her big teeth, protruding, her thin lips barely stretched into a quizzical smile. There was hair popping out in every direction, a fat strand blown across her face. But most of all what Tugs saw were her own eyes staring back at her. Her eyes looked clear and bright. Friendly. They made her face the face of someone she’d want to be friends with.
“Hi,” she said to the picture, and then they all laughed.
“She’s kind of cute, that one,” said Eldora, taking the photo from Tugs’s hand.
But what about Harvey? She was sure her picture could prove he was really Dapper Jack Door.
She hurried down the line. Aggie was blurred as she spun away. The Rowdies were fuzzy in movement, too.
“Now, there’s the gent,” said Eldora, squeezing past Tugs to the last photo.
Tugs studied the photograph. Harvey Moore was holding his hat, and his face was clear for viewing.
“Let me see that again,” said Elmira. “Isn’t that Mr. Dashing?”
“Indeed it is. What was his name again?”
“He says it’s Harvey Moore,” said Tugs. “But I think he’s really a crook. Dapper Jack.”
“Really?” gasped Eldora.
“How exciting!” said Elmira.
“But how do you know?” asked Eldora.
“I found this article in the newspaper,” said Tugs. She pulled the folded paper out of her pocket.
“Let’s go back out where it’s bright,” said Eldora.
They laid the paper on the kitchen table near the window and studied it together.
“He does resemble our gentleman,” said Elmira.
“What about Daddy’s money?” said Eldora.
“I think he is taking people’s money and he’s going to leave town.”
“What about the
Goodhue Progress
?”
“I don’t think there is going to be a newspaper,” said Tugs.
“If there’s not going to be a newspaper, I don’t want to give him our money!”
“No. You can’t give him your money,” said Tugs.
“I’m going to ring the police,” said Eldora.
“Wait,” said Tugs. “I want to be sure.”
“What are we going to do when he comes to the house?” said Elmira.
“What are we going to do?” repeated Eldora.
“Don’t answer the door for Mr. Moore,” said Tugs. “I’ll figure out something.”
Mrs. Dostal was arguing with Granny over the fence when Tugs got home. Tugs took advantage of their distraction and knocked at the Dostals’ door. Mr. Dostal answered wearing just his undershirt and pants and looking like he’d just woken up.
“Yep?” he said.
“Is Mr. Moore at home?”
“Nope,” said Mr. Dostal.
Tugs sighed.
“OK,” she said, and Mr. Dostal started to close the door.
“Do you know when he’s going to be back?” she asked hopefully.
“Nope.” Mr. Dostal started to close the door once more.
“Wait!” said Tugs. Mr. Dostal opened the door again and raised his eyebrows.
“Did he teach you to sail yet? Mrs. Dostal said he was going to teach you to sail.”
“We don’t have a lake,” said Mr. Dostal. This time he left the door open but started to walk away.
“Did he fix your Ford?”
Mr. Dostal stopped, turned around, and came back to the door. He was looking a little more awake.
“No, he hasn’t, now that you mention it. No, he has not. In fact, he hasn’t fixed the sink, either, like he said, or picked up the tab for groceries, or repaid the small loan I gave him to send back home to his ailing mother. Well, I’ll be jiggered.”
“I was just wondering,” said Tugs, and she walked down the steps and across the lawn to her own house, waving to Mrs. Dostal and Granny as she went in the door.
Her
“Sissy loves the suspense, she does,” said Elmira. “Let’s put the poor child out of her misery. They’re still drying. Come on back.”
“The first one is really very nice,” Eldora said, chattering on. “So much detail. So close up. Not at all blurry . . .”
But Tugs did not hear her. She stopped in front of the first photograph and saw her own face staring back. There were her big teeth, protruding, her thin lips barely stretched into a quizzical smile. There was hair popping out in every direction, a fat strand blown across her face. But most of all what Tugs saw were her own eyes staring back at her. Her eyes looked clear and bright. Friendly. They made her face the face of someone she’d want to be friends with.
“Hi,” she said to the picture, and then they all laughed.
“She’s kind of cute, that one,” said Eldora, taking the photo from Tugs’s hand.
But what about Harvey? She was sure her picture could prove he was really Dapper Jack Door.
She hurried down the line. Aggie was blurred as she spun away. The Rowdies were fuzzy in movement, too.
“Now, there’s the gent,” said Eldora, squeezing past Tugs to the last photo.
Tugs studied the photograph. Harvey Moore was holding his hat, and his face was clear for viewing.
“Let me see that again,” said Elmira. “Isn’t that Mr. Dashing?”
“Indeed it is. What was his name again?”
“He says it’s Harvey Moore,” said Tugs. “But I think he’s really a crook. Dapper Jack.”
“Really?” gasped Eldora.
“How exciting!” said Elmira.
“But how do you know?” asked Eldora.
“I found this article in the newspaper,” said Tugs. She pulled the folded paper out of her pocket.
“Let’s go back out where it’s bright,” said Eldora.
They laid the paper on the kitchen table near the window and studied it together.
“He does resemble our gentleman,” said Elmira.
“What about Daddy’s money?” said Eldora.
“I think he is taking people’s money and he’s going to leave town.”
“What about the
Goodhue Progress
?”
“I don’t think there is going to be a newspaper,” said Tugs.
“If there’s not going to be a newspaper, I don’t want to give him our money!”
“No. You can’t give him your money,” said Tugs.
“I’m going to ring the police,” said Eldora.
“Wait,” said Tugs. “I want to be sure.”
“What are we going to do when he comes to the house?” said Elmira.
“What are we going to do?” repeated Eldora.
“Don’t answer the door for Mr. Moore,” said Tugs. “I’ll figure out something.”
Mrs. Dostal was arguing with Granny over the fence when Tugs got home. Tugs took advantage of their distraction and knocked at the Dostals’ door. Mr. Dostal answered wearing just his undershirt and pants and looking like he’d just woken up.
“Yep?” he said.
“Is Mr. Moore at home?”
“Nope,” said Mr. Dostal.
Tugs sighed.
“OK,” she said, and Mr. Dostal started to close the door.
“Do you know when he’s going to be back?” she asked hopefully.
“Nope.” Mr. Dostal started to close the door once more.
“Wait!” said Tugs. Mr. Dostal opened the door again and raised his eyebrows.
“Did he teach you to sail yet? Mrs. Dostal said he was going to teach you to sail.”
“We don’t have a lake,” said Mr. Dostal. This time he left the door open but started to walk away.
“Did he fix your Ford?”
Mr. Dostal stopped, turned around, and came back to the door. He was looking a little more awake.
“No, he hasn’t, now that you mention it. No, he has not. In fact, he hasn’t fixed the sink, either, like he said, or picked up the tab for groceries, or repaid the small loan I gave him to send back home to his ailing mother. Well, I’ll be jiggered.”
“I was just wondering,” said Tugs, and she walked down the steps and across the lawn to her own house, waving to Mrs. Dostal and Granny as she went in the door.
Her
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