Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme Read Online Free Page B

see.
    â€œYeah, yeah, yeah,” a boy cried. “Cut the lip drip and get to it.” Other children joined in, demanding Wilford get to his new moneymaking deal.
    â€œThose are no ordinary pebbles you see,” Wilford sang. “That’s gold! Bruno discovered the richest gold mine in the state.”
    The children gasped.
    â€œMen who dig for gold keep their finds a secret,” a boy challenged. “How come you’re telling us?”
    â€œGlad you asked, friend,” Wilford said. “You don’t use a pick and shovel to mine gold today. Too slow. We must have modern machinery. I’ll be honest with you. All our cash is tied up in African oil wells. So I thought of selling shares to my little pals in Idaville. Help us buy the machinery, and Bruno and I will make you rich beyond imagining.”
    â€œDon’t leak a word about the mine,” Bruno counseled. “If you do, the grown-ups will move in and grab it all. None of us will get a dime.”
    â€œThose are no ordinary pebbles you see,” Wilford sang. “That’s gold! Bruno discovered the richest gold mine in the state.”
    â€œAnd your dreams won’t come true,” Wilford added. “You won’t be able to buy things for your mom and dad, like a new car or a washing machine.”
    â€œHow much is a share?” a girl hollered.
    â€œThe regular price is twenty dollars,” Wilford said. “For my little pals, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’ll slash the price to two dollars a share. In three years a share will be worth a fortune! The more shares you buy, the sooner you can buy that car or washing machine for your mom and dad.”
    The children chattered excitedly. How long would it take to afford a new car or a washing machine if they bought ten or twenty shares?
    Wilford had them set up for his best line: “Don’t blame me that you’re poor. Blame me for making you rich.”
    That did it. The children lined up to buy shares.
    â€œStop them, Encyclopedia,” Sally pleaded. “Don’t let Wilford walk off with their savings.”
    â€œI won’t,” Encyclopedia assured her. “There is no gold mine.”
    WHY DID ENCYCLOPEDIA SAY THAT?
    ( Click here for the solution to “The Case of Wilford’s Big Deal.” )

The Case of the Ten-Dollar Bike

    Nine-year-old Mitzi Bowser dragged herself into the Brown Detective Agency.
    â€œAm I a blockhead?” she groaned, and laid a quarter on the gas can. “Yesterday Agatha Grubs talked me into secretly buying a like-new bicycle from her for ten dollars. She said she needed money badly. I paid her five dollars to hold the bike for me, even though I haven’t seen it yet.”
    â€œYou should have been warned about Agatha,” Sally said. “The less you have to do with her the better off you’ll be.”
    Agatha Grubs was twelve, and walked with a heavy step. Little kids got out of her way.
    â€œI wonder what kind of a bike she’s selling,” Encyclopedia said.
    â€œLet me guess,” Sally put in. “Agatha said that the wheels hum ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’?”
    Mitzi smiled weakly. “Naw, but Agatha said I’ll love the bike the minute I see it. She promised to hold it for me until noon today. She won’t sell it to someone else before then.”
    Mitzi brooded briefly.
    â€œAgatha knows I need a bike,” she continued. “If I don’t pay her the rest of the money when I see it, she’ll keep the five dollars for her trouble. Did I get taken!”
    â€œWe’ve got an hour till the noon deadline,” Encyclopedia said. “A visit to the bike is in order.”
    Agatha’s house was three blocks away. She welcomed Mitzi. She fixed the detectives with a look that said, “May a cow fall on your head.”
    â€œWe’re here to see your ten-dollar bike,” Sally