Latest / Children's Hour / 7.5.25 - July 4th

Transcript

7.5.25 - July 4th · Children's Hour

0:37
Speaker 1: In a tumble opn in what at its best to do?
4:51
Speaker 2: Hello, and welcome to a special report on the radio I.
4:56
Today we're going to read from the Milo and Jazz Mysteries.
5:00
This one is called the Case of the July fourth Jinx.
5:04
It's written by Lewis B. Montgomery and published by The
5:08
Cane Press in New York. Chapter one begins on the
5:13
Case of the July fourth Jinx. Milo stared at the
5:17
white frosted cake, topped with tiny American flags. More frosting, red,
5:22
and blue spelled out Happy fourth of July. M so
5:27
much frosting. The fourth wasn't until tomorrow. That must be
5:31
why the cake hadn't been cut into slices. Like everything
5:34
else on the bake sale table. It still looked perfect,
5:38
perfectly delicious. His finger inched toward it. Nobody would miss
5:44
just a tiny dab looks real, doesn't it. The teenage
5:49
boy by the table grinned down at Milo. His official
5:52
fair badge, said, Winston, it it isn't real, Milo asked,
5:57
don't just for show? The boy said, all the rest
5:59
is real, although I promise. Milo glanced over at his friend, Jazz.
6:04
She was looking at the pies with his brother, Ethan
6:07
lucky she hadn't caught him being fooled by a fake cake.
6:11
After all, detectives were supposed to be careful observers. Jazz
6:16
and Milo were direct detectives in training. They got lessons
6:20
by mail from world famous private eye Dash Marlowe. With
6:25
a little help from Dash, they had already cracked a
6:28
few real life cases. Milo, Ethan called across the table,
6:32
Can I have this? He pointed to a slice of
6:36
chocolate pie. Winston beamed, I made that one myself, chocolate
6:41
cookie cream pie. It's my new recipe. It did look good.
6:46
Milo paid for Ethan's slice and bought another for himself.
6:51
Jazz chose blueberry crumb cake. As Milo took his slice,
6:55
a ride called the Scream Machine started up noisily behind
6:59
him and startled his around. The pie slid off its
7:02
paper plate and splattered on the ground. Oh no, he moaned.
7:08
Winston shook his head in sympathy. It looks like the
7:11
Jinks has struck again. The Jinks, Milo asked, Well, people
7:17
are saying that the fairies jinxed this year, Milo explained,
7:20
because of all the weird stuff that's been happening. Weird stuff.
7:25
Jazz asked, like, like what? Oh? Like? All the entries
7:29
for the Hottest Chili Pepper contest disappeared, and then they
7:33
turned up later in a box called fireworks. I'm going
7:37
to stay up and watch the fireworks this year, Ethan
7:39
told Winston, and I'm not going to be scared. Milo
7:43
rolled his eyes. His little brother had said the same
7:46
thing last year, but it's always At the first big boom,
7:49
Ethan had burst into tears and the whole family had
7:52
had to go home. What else has gone wrong, Jazz
7:56
asked Winston. Well, some kiddy farm animals got goose. Winston
8:01
made a face. Do you have any clue how hard
8:05
it is to catch a pig? Milo glanced at Jazz.
8:08
He was thinking of her pet pig Bitsy. Well, actually, ma'am,
8:14
and Uncle Sam keeps losing air, but nobody can find
8:16
a leak. Winston pointed toward a giant inflated Uncle Sam
8:21
bobbing gently in the breeze. Milo took a look around.
8:25
Sun sparkled off the game booth roofs. He could smell
8:29
the kettle corn and hear the shrieks of terror from
8:32
the screen machine. Everything seemed perfectly normal. Could the fair
8:36
really be jinxed. I just hope nothing goes wrong at
8:40
the prize judging tomorrow, Winston said, Or the parade, he
8:44
handed Milo a new slice of pie, and then he
8:47
waved away his money. Oh, that one's on me. Milo
8:51
took a bite. Mm, so creamy, so crunchy, so chocolatey,
8:56
and then suddenly something slammed into his elbow and the
9:00
flew from his hand. Splat chapter two, Hey, Milo protested,
9:08
that was my woe. His voice trailed off as he
9:13
stared up at the boy who had bumped into his elbow. Wow,
9:16
this kid was huge. He didn't seem to have noticed
9:20
Milo at all. Laughing and shoving with his buddies, the
9:24
boy lumbered off into the crowd hooligans. A voice shrieked.
9:30
A woman was storming toward the bake sale table, clutching
9:32
a foil wrapped pie tin. She glared after the group
9:36
of boys, and she shouted scoundrels, wipscallions. A man with
9:40
a mustache jogged up behind her. Milo recognized him. He
9:44
was the chief of police. Chief Smalley visited their school
9:48
every year to talk about putting trash in its place
9:52
and stuff like that. Now, Mom, the chief said to
9:55
the woman, I'm sure they didn't me, and she swung
9:58
around on him. Those young roughnecks nearly knocked this pie
10:02
right out of my hands. Jeffrey, my pie's winning lemon pie.
10:07
His mustache twitching nervously. Chief Smolly took the pie and
10:11
set it on the table. He peeled off the foil cover.
10:15
It's just fine. See, there's no harm done. Milo wished
10:19
his chocolate pie had been that lucky. I'll bet it
10:23
will sell quicker than anything on the table, the chief
10:25
went on. His mother still looked furious. What if that
10:30
had been tomorrow's pie, the one that I enter in
10:32
the contest. She marched off, with her son trailing after.
10:37
But Mom Winston began slicing the pie to sell it,
10:43
and Jazz picked up the labeled foil Missus Smalley's luscious
10:48
lemon pie. She read aloud, blue ribbon winner three years running.
10:54
Milo whistled, must be good. Winston stopped cutting. Maybe it is,
11:02
Maybe it isn't. What do you mean, Milo asked, didn't
11:07
she really win three times? The older boy grinned at him. Yeah,
11:11
but guess who always judges the pie contest? The chief
11:15
of police. You mean her own son is the judge.
11:21
Jas said, that's not fair. Winston laughed and he shrugged, Well,
11:26
probably not, but who's gonna tell her that. The scream
11:31
machine ground to a stop and riders streamed off. Milo
11:35
spotted Spencer and Carlos, their friends from school, and he
11:38
waved them over. Spencer's face was greenish and yellow. We
11:44
went on the screen machine twice in a row. Carlos said,
11:47
it was so great, wasn't it great? And then he
11:48
pounded Spencer on the back and Spencer wobbled. A burst
11:53
of applause came from a nearby stage, and announcer's voice
11:56
boomed up and next up the great Tripoli me, it's
12:01
the juggling man. Ethan pulled on Milo's arm. Come on
12:08
over by the stage. Milo saw the boy who had
12:11
bumped into him. He was horsing around with some of
12:14
his pals. Carlos followed Mylo's gaze and he groaned, Oh no,
12:20
it's the Zoo crew Zu Crew. Jazz repeated, that's what
12:26
they call them at the middle school cause they're so wild.
12:29
Carlos explained, the big one in the hat, that's Crash,
12:33
their leader. My sister said, he set the school on
12:37
fire for real, Milo asked, fire trucks and everything. Spencer,
12:44
who was closer to his usual color now, he asked,
12:47
are those the guys who flooded the boy's bathroom and
12:50
had to close the school? Carlos nodded, and did you
12:54
hear about the farm stand out? At the Goosegg farm?
12:57
They knocked it over. Milo gasped, who done it? Magazine
13:03
was always full of stories about bad guys knocking over banks.
13:08
Do you mean they robbed it?
13:10
Speaker 3: He asked.
13:12
Speaker 2: Carlos gave him a funny look. No, they knocked it over,
13:16
like I said, broken eggs and smashed tomatoes everywhere. It
13:19
was ugly. On the stage, the juggler finished up to
13:25
a round of applause. A tall man bounded forward, microphone
13:29
in hand. Thank you the great Tripoli Meia. Now let's
13:34
have a big welcome for our next act, Viola Pritchett's
13:38
School of Dance. A large pink woman swept on stage,
13:44
and behind her straggled a dozen little girls in purple
13:47
flower costumes. Viola Pritchett clasped her hands to day, my
13:53
flowers will dance to a dainty little tune.
13:56
Speaker 1: I call.
13:58
Speaker 2: Viola's viol jazz made a gagging noise. Look Viola fluttered
14:07
her fingers toward the tall announcer, who popped a side
14:10
into the player, and he pressed a button. For a minute,
14:14
there was only silence, and then a voice from the
14:17
squeakers howled, you're in the jungle. Baby Up. Chapter three.
14:26
Electric guitar and pounding drums blasted out of the speakers
14:30
and filled the air. Leaping back, the announcer crashed into
14:35
viola pritchet as she rushed forward, and they fell into
14:37
a tangled heap. The little flower girls went wild, shaking
14:43
and stomping to the driving beat, and one slid across
14:46
the knees on her on the stage on her knees,
14:48
and the crowd hooted and cheered, put your battles to
14:52
the mettle. Somebody bellowed. The announcer was struggling to get
14:57
out from underneath viola pritchet. She pushed him back and
15:00
then fell back on top of him. Spencer poked Milo
15:04
and he said that was a pancake slam. I saw
15:08
it on America's Crazy as Wrestling. Near the stage, the
15:12
Zoo crew was falling all over each other with laughter.
15:17
At last, Viola Pritchett peeled herself off the announcer and
15:20
yanked the cord to the c D player. The music stopped.
15:25
In the sudden silence, the girls froze, then, after a
15:29
look at their teacher's face, they scattered off the stage
15:32
to thunderous applause. A boy with a tuba took their place.
15:39
Jaz nudged Milo, let's get out of here. Last year
15:44
that kid played Yankee Doodledandy twenty minutes straight. Pulling Ethan along,
15:50
they squeezed their way through the crowd. Behind the stage,
15:54
Milo saw the announcer arguing with Viola Pritchett. All I
15:58
know is the CD case, said Viola's violets. The man
16:02
was saying, how was I supposed to tell it was
16:04
the wrong CD? Inside? He shook his head. I have
16:08
had enough of this fare. This switcheroo is the last straw.
16:14
Viola Pritchett put a large pink hand up to her
16:18
forehead and cried, oh, this is sabotage. If you ask me,
16:23
the man muttered, it's the jinks. As they walked away
16:28
from the stage, Milo asked, Jazz, do you think the
16:32
fair is really jinxed? I don't believe in Jinx's, Jazz
16:36
said firmly. Then, how comes so many things are going wrong?
16:41
Animals getting loose, Uncle Sam losing his air hot peppers
16:44
in the fireworks box, and now this. Any of those
16:48
things could have been an accident, Jaz pointed out. Yeah,
16:52
Milo said, that's a lot of accidents. Jazz frowned. I
16:58
wonder if somebody could be doing it on purpose. Mm,
17:02
you mean like those pranks at Gordy pulls, Milo asked her.
17:06
Gordy Fletcher lived on Jazz's street. He had been in
17:08
their class last year. He loved playing jokes on people. Well,
17:14
I can tell you it's not Gordy, Jazz said, He's
17:16
away visiting his grandma. We haven't found a fake dog
17:20
poop on our porch for for weeks. She looked thoughtful. Anyway,
17:25
this seems like a bigger deal than Gordy's pranks. Viola
17:30
Pritchett called it sabotage. Milo said, but who would want
17:34
to mess with the Fourth of July Fair? Their eyes met.
17:40
Milo grinned, I think we've got a new case partner,
17:44
he said. Jazz smiled too, and then suddenly her smile disappeared. Milo,
17:51
where's Ethan. Milo glanced to one side and then the other,
17:55
and then he whipped around. His little brother was nowhere
17:59
in sight. Chapter four Ethen Milo called Ethan. Ethan, Jazz echoed,
18:10
I'll look around here, Milo said, jaz nodded, and I'll
18:13
check the kiddy rides. Let's meet back by Uncle Sam.
18:17
They split up, and Milo began searching the crowd. Did
18:21
you lose something?
18:22
Speaker 3: A voice asked.
18:23
Speaker 2: It was Winston, the teenager from the bake sale table.
18:28
My brother ran off, Milo said, Ah, little kid in
18:31
a Tea Rex shirt. Winston asked, don't worry, I just
18:34
saw him. Milo's heart jumped. Where this way, Winston said,
18:40
and Milo followed him around to the other side of
18:43
a big tent. Winston pointed to the batting cage and smiled,
18:46
There he is. Ethan stood just outside the cage, his
18:51
ear pressed up against the wire fence. As Milo ran
18:55
toward him, the ball flew toward the batter and crack.
19:00
Ethan leaped away. What in the world are you doing,
19:03
Milo guest as he came, puffing up. I'm getting used
19:07
to the loud noise, Ethan explained, so I can watch
19:10
the fireworks tomorrow night and not be scared. He pressed
19:14
his ear up to the fence again crack. Milo yanked
19:19
his brother away from the batting cage. I've been looking
19:23
all over for you, he scolded. He turned round to
19:26
thank Winston, but the older boy had left. Keeping a
19:29
firm grip on Ethan's arm, Milo steered him down the hill.
19:33
On the way, he saw Crash and the Zoo crew
19:35
by the kiddy farm. They were mooing at the cow.
19:41
Jaz was waiting by the giant Uncle Sam. You found him.
19:44
Where was he at the batting cage? Milo told her,
19:48
And you will not believe. Jaz's eyes widened. She pointed
19:53
to something over Milo's shoulder. Look, she said. He turned
19:57
and blinked. A flock of chickens rocking it down the hill.
20:02
Behind the chickens came a swarm of people yelling catch them.
20:06
Chief Smally and the man from the Kiddie Farm were
20:09
in the lead. As Milo watched, they each lunged toward
20:12
a chicken and then went sprawling feathered friends. A voice shrieked,
20:18
missus s Molly came charging down the hill, squawking in tear.
20:22
Of the flocks scattered and the feathers were flying one
20:25
chicken rose up and headed straight toward Jazz and Ethan
20:28
and milow duck. Jazz shouted. As Milo pulled him down.
20:34
Ethan said, that's a chicken, not a duck. The chicken
20:37
flapped over their heads and skidded into Uncle Sam. Frantically,
20:42
it dug in its claws, and there was a loud
20:43
pop and then a long low iss. Uncle Sam swayed
20:50
and shrank and finally collapsed in a giant, fluffy heap. Stunned,
20:56
the chicken gave up. The man from the kiddie farm
20:59
grabbed it and quickly rounded up the rest of the flock.
21:03
Milo looked at Jazz, Guess we know how Uncle Sam
21:06
lost his hair this time? Jazz left. I guess so,
21:10
but how did the chickens get loose? M That was
21:14
a good question. Let's check out the chicken coop, Milo said,
21:19
and maybe we can find a clue. They headed up
21:23
hill toward the baked sale table, where Winston and Chief
21:26
Smalley had joined forces against a stray chicken and a goat.
21:30
The goat seemed to think the tablecloth looked as delicious
21:33
as the cake. Milo and Jazz stopped to help, but
21:37
the Chief waved them off. At the kiddy farm, the
21:40
flock was settling back down. Jazz examined the latch on
21:44
the kitchen coop. It looks fine to me, she said.
21:47
I don't see any way it could be opened from
21:49
the inside. So either the chickens are magicians or or
21:55
somebody let them out. Milo finished. Jaz nodded, I'll bet
21:59
it's the same somebody who's behind the rest of this,
22:02
this so called jinx. And just then they heard yelling
22:07
in the distance. Oh not again, Milo said, what now?
22:12
Jazz turned. I think it's coming from the ball pit.
22:16
Milo tried to say, make sense out of the hubbub,
22:20
and then a single word cut through Snake Chapter five.
22:28
Milo and Jazz rushed toward the noise, with Ethan close behind.
22:32
They saw little kids pouring out of a pit filled
22:35
with brightly colored plastic balls. Jazz caught hold of the
22:39
little boy. What happened, Well, that's a snake in their eyes,
22:42
saw it pulling free. The boy ran to his mother.
22:46
Milo scanned the crowd. The ball pit was empty. Now.
22:50
The kids were jumping around in their socks, chattering excitedly,
22:54
all but one to the side, A girl about Ethan's
22:58
age sat calmly strapping on her sandals. She had chocolate
23:03
smears on her face, and she was smiling. Milo and
23:07
Jazz exchanged a glance. Striding up to the girl, Milo demanded,
23:12
how come you're the only one who wasn't scared? The
23:16
girl looked up, her smile faded. You did it, didn't you?
23:22
He accused. It was just a joke, she said, a joke,
23:29
Jazz said from behind Milo letting us snake loose. The
23:34
girl's lower lip trembled. Was only a rubber snake, he said,
23:39
it would be funny. Milo and Jazz looked at each other.
23:43
Who said that? Milo asked the boy? She said, the
23:47
big boy, and then her eyes widened.
23:50
Speaker 3: Uh.
23:51
Speaker 2: Oh. A woman wearing a fair badge climbed out of
23:56
the ball pit with a long, lifelike rubber snake. She
24:01
did not look happy. Near By, Milo spotted the zoo
24:07
crew watching and laughing. Crash towered in the center of
24:11
the group the big boy eagerly. Milo turned back to
24:17
the little girl. Was that the but she was gone?
24:21
Where did that girl go? He asked Jazz, who was
24:24
watching the woman with a snake. Huh? Jazz turned around. Oh, no,
24:30
she was here just a second ago. Look who is
24:33
here though, Milo pointed over to the zoo crew. Jazz's
24:38
eyes narrowed. Weren't they at the stage watching Viola's violets too?
24:45
Milo nodded, That's what I was thinking. Carlo said, They're
24:48
always making trouble, and this fear has had a lot
24:53
of trouble. Before Jazz could say anything more, crash elbowed
24:58
one of the boys next to him and jerked his
25:00
head toward the exit. The zoo crew moved off. Let's
25:05
follow them, Jaz said, but I want to go in
25:08
the ball pit. Ethan protested. Later, Milo said and hauled
25:13
him along, with Ethan hanging back and digging in his heels.
25:17
They quickly lost ground, and soon the Zukru vanished in
25:21
the crowd as Milo fumed. Then coming straight toward them,
25:26
Milo saw the most beautiful sight ever, his mom and
25:30
his dad. He shoved his little brother at them, babbling
25:34
a quick excuse, and then he and Jaz set off.
25:37
There they are. Jaz pointed toward the exit gate. Let's go,
25:41
Milo said. He and Jaz trailed the Zu Creu out
25:44
of the fair grounds. They tried to stay close enough,
25:47
not to lose them again, but far back enough not
25:51
to be noticed. And suddenly the zu Creu ducked down
25:54
an alley. Milo and Jazz broke into a run, but
25:58
by the time they reached the turn, the boys had disappeared.
26:03
Chapter six.
26:06
Speaker 3: Look.
26:07
Speaker 2: Jazz nudged Milo. Half way down the alley, a garage
26:10
door was just rolling shut. They crept toward the garage.
26:16
Milo peeked in, I can't see anything. It's just black.
26:20
I think they'd taped garbage bags over the window. Jazz
26:23
whispered around the back. They found another window, all so covered,
26:27
but it was open, just a crack. They could hear
26:29
noises coming from inside. Jazz put a finger to her lips. First,
26:35
Milo heard a scraping sound, and then a few thumps.
26:41
Somebody said, looks like we're good to go. I can't
26:46
believe we're doing this, said another voice. If anyone finds
26:49
out it's us, life as we know it will be over.
26:54
You guys worry too much. The first voice said, nobody
26:57
will know it's us anyway. It's too late to back
27:00
out now. Tomorrow is the fourth We still haven't got
27:05
a shrimpy kid. One of the boys grumbled, how about
27:10
your brother. Someone asked, No way, Crash, the kid's a snitch. Besides,
27:15
he's small for a sixth grader. But he's not that small.
27:18
I don't think he'd fit. Crash sighed, Maybe we'll just
27:23
have to do it without the kid. A door slammed nearby,
27:26
and mylo jumped. Jazz whispered, we'd better go. They tiptoed
27:32
away from the garage. Once they reached the alley, they ran,
27:36
not slowing down until a stitch in Milo's side forced
27:39
him to stop. Collapsing on the sidewalk. He gasped, Holy cow, Yeah,
27:45
they're definitely up to something. Jazz agreed. Did you hear
27:48
what they said about the fourth of July? Milo nodded.
27:53
They must be the ones behind the jinks, and tomorrow
27:56
they're gonna pull something big. But what Jazz asked, and
28:00
why do they need a small kid? M small enough
28:05
to fit? Milo jumped to his feet. Listen once I
28:10
read a story in Who Done It? Magazine about a
28:12
gang of robbers and a little kid. I read that
28:15
one too. Jazz broke in. The robbers pushed the kid
28:18
in through a window because they were all too big
28:21
to fit. Do you think the zoo crew is planning
28:25
a break in at the fair, Milo shrugged. Tomorrow everyone
28:31
will be at the prize judging tent and then watching
28:33
the parade. The rest of the fair will be practically empty.
28:38
If only we had some kind of proof that they
28:40
are behind the pranks, Jazz said, I wish we knew
28:43
what they were hiding in that garage. We could sneak
28:47
in after dark, but Jess shook her head. If we
28:52
got caught, we'd be in real trouble. Feeling stuck, the
28:55
two detectives split up and headed home for dinner. Milo
29:01
carried in the mail and he dropped it on the table.
29:04
An envelope with a big D M in the corner
29:06
slipped out of the stack. It was a detective lesson
29:10
from Dash Marlow. Milo folded up the lesson, stuck it
29:19
in his pocket, and he smiled. Here is a role play,
29:24
Secrets of a Super Sleuth from Dash Marlow. A mild
29:30
mannered bank clerk stays past closing time and blows the safe.
29:35
A boy scout helps you cross a busy street and
29:38
picks your pocket on the way. At the post office,
29:41
you see your friendly next door neighbor on a wanted poster.
29:46
Many people are not what they seem. As a detective,
29:50
sometimes you have to fight fire with fire by pretending
29:53
to be someone you're not. In other words, go under cover.
29:58
Going under cover means convincing your suspects you are one
30:02
of them. To do this, you need to play a role.
30:06
The way you act, the way you speak, the way
30:08
you look. It's all part of your disguise. If you
30:12
play your role well and get your suspects to trust you,
30:16
they may let clues slip. And if you play it
30:19
really well, you may even learn to think like your suspects,
30:23
and that can help you solve the crime. Just don't
30:27
forget who you really are, or you may find yourself
30:31
in hot water. This happened to me once when I
30:34
was investigating dirty deeds at a laundromat, But that's another story.
30:39
Speaker 3: M M.
30:41
Speaker 2: Milo was still smiling as he tucked that in his pocket.
30:45
He knew then exactly what to do. Chapter seven. Just
30:52
after breakfast, the doorbell rang ding long. It was jazz Yo.
30:58
Milo said, what's Poppin' dog? She stared at him. Where
31:04
did you get that giant shirt? My dad? I tried
31:08
to wear his pants too, but they fell all the
31:09
way down. Wow, she said, you look really Uh cool,
31:14
Milo asked. Jazz reached over and she turned his baseball
31:19
cap around so that it pointed forward. No, you look ridiculous.
31:23
What's it for? I am going under cover with the
31:27
Zoo crew, he said. We need to find out what
31:29
they've got planned and stop them before it's too late.
31:33
He handed her the lesson from Dash. She read it
31:36
and then she shook her head. I don't know, Milo,
31:38
it seems risky. What if they figure out what you're
31:41
up to? How could they? My disguise is perfect. Those
31:47
Zu cru kids will think I'm off the chain. No,
31:51
they'll think you're off your rocker, Jazz said. Besides, I
31:54
didn't hear them talking the way you're talking. The Zu
31:58
crew kids are tough. Miloix's blamed. This is how tough
32:01
guys talk. I saw it on TV. Jaz gave him
32:05
a look. This is just so not you. It's the
32:09
new me, he told her, Rough, tough and fearless. Bam,
32:15
he screamed, and he jumped. Jazz stared up at the ceiling.
32:19
What was that, ethan? He yelled. His brother leaned over
32:25
the stair rail. Yeah, what was that noise? I dropped
32:31
a book, Ethan said, and Milo just looked at him. Well,
32:34
it was a big fat dictionary, Ethan said, And I
32:37
was standing on a chair and holding it over my head.
32:40
Ethan grinned. I wasn't scared at all. I think I'm
32:44
almost ready for the fireworks to night, he vanished. A
32:48
moment later, another crash shook the ceiling. He is driving
32:52
me nuts, Milo said, slamming doors, dropping heavy stuff, popping balloons.
32:58
But Jazz wasn't listening Milo, She said, I was thinking.
33:03
That girl at the ball pit is an eye witness.
33:06
She's the only one we know who's actually seen the
33:10
boy who's pulling all those pranks. She can tell us
33:14
if crash got her to put that rubber snake in
33:17
the ball pit. We need to find her again. Hey,
33:20
good idea, he said. You look for her and I'll
33:23
go under cover. Let's meet at the fair at noon.
33:28
She gave his disguise one last doubtful look, Art, are
33:33
you sure you want to do this? Forshizzled dog, Jess winced, Oh, Milo,
33:39
please quit saying dog and pull your pants up. But
33:44
showing underwear makes you look tough, Milo protested. Every one
33:48
knows that no, Jess said not when the underwear has
33:53
happy penguins on it. He looked down Oops, hitching up
33:59
his jeans. He saw her out and then took off
34:01
for the zoo crew's hideout. When he got there, it
34:05
was still silent, had they already left for the fair.
34:08
He circled around to the back. The window near the
34:11
ground was closed tight, but then he spotted an open
34:16
window high up on the garage wall. A metal trash
34:20
can sat near by. He tugged it over and he
34:23
climbed up on the lid. What do you think you're doing?
34:27
Speaker 3: Oh?
34:27
Speaker 2: The lid flew out from under Milo with a bang
34:30
and a clatter. He tumbled off and the trash can
34:32
fell on top of him. Sprawled in the dirt, He
34:35
looked up at the unsmiling faces of the zoo crew
34:40
up Oh. Weakly, Milo stuck out his hand for a
34:45
fist bump, um yo. They stared down at him in silence.
34:51
He tried to look very tough. Word on the street
34:55
is that you're looking for a kid who's small enough
34:57
to fit. Crash folded his huge arms and he glanced
35:01
around himself. Ok, who blabbed, will not me? Crash? One
35:05
of the boys said me neither. I kept my mouth shut.
35:08
Milow pushed himself to his feet. Anyway, what's the difference?
35:12
You can use me right? Crash eyed him for a
35:15
long moment. How do we know you won't blab? Why
35:20
would I blab? I'll be in on it too. Realizing
35:24
what he'd just said, mylo gulped. If it all went wrong,
35:28
would he end up in jail? Crash looked around at
35:32
the others. Well, he is about the right size and
35:35
we're out of time. We don't need him. A boy said, yeah,
35:40
we do. Crash told him, no way, am I going
35:43
to be the only fruit, the only what? I'm a tomato?
35:49
Another boy said that's a fruit. No, no, that's a vegetable.
35:53
Oh yeah, well, my mother said, wait a minute, vegetables, fruits.
35:57
Milo broke in, what are you talking about? What do
36:02
you think? Crash said, are costumes? Costumes? For what?
36:07
Speaker 3: Well?
36:07
Speaker 2: For this? Crash gave the garage door a powerful heave,
36:11
and the door rolled up. Sunlight flooded into the dark space,
36:15
and at last Milo saw what the zoo crew had
36:18
been hiding. Chapter eight. It was a basket, a basket
36:26
with handles, the kind the people might use for a
36:28
picnic or to carry home their vegetables. But this basket
36:32
was the size of a truck and it had wheels.
36:36
What is that, Milo stammered. It's our float, Crash said,
36:42
for the parade, a float. The zoo Creu's big secret
36:47
was a float. Misreading the stunned look on Milo's face,
36:52
Crash said it looks a lot better with us in it.
36:54
In our costumes, oh, Milo said faintly. Crash dug in
37:00
a box and began flinging costumes to the waiting boys.
37:04
A tomato, a carrot, an eggplant, an ear of corn.
37:07
He tossed one to Milo too, you're the strawberry. Milo
37:13
held it up and said it's pink. I was supposed
37:17
to be a beat the tomato, explained, fluffing up his stuffing,
37:20
but it shrank in the wash. So Crash said, we
37:23
could add a stem and paint on seeds and have
37:25
it be a strawberry. The eggplant put in. We just
37:29
needed to find a kid small enough he had to
37:32
fit in the costume. Milo finished, Oh boy, and here
37:35
he had been thinking that the zoo crew was planning
37:38
a break in, But why the big secret? He sat
37:43
zipping himself up. The carrot snorted, are you kidding? If
37:47
anyone finds out we dressed up like a bunch of vegetables,
37:49
we'll never live it down. Milo's head was spinning. Then
37:53
why are you doing it slowly? The other vegetables turned
37:58
and stared hard. Atsh, Come on, Crash protested, I didn't
38:04
knock over that farm stand all by myself. You guys
38:07
ran right into it too, Yeah, the eggplant said, but
38:11
we wouldn't have been running if that mamma goose hadn't
38:13
been chasing us. And the ear of corn added, and
38:16
she was only chasing us cause you ran off with
38:18
her baby. Well, I guess I should have put it down.
38:22
Crash admitted climbing into a gigantic watermelon costume. But it's
38:26
hard to think straight when a big, mean, hissing goose
38:28
is after you. Yeah, that mamma goose was pretty mad,
38:31
the corn agreed, gloomily. The carrot said, not half as
38:36
mad as the farm lady when her eggs and vegetables
38:38
went flying. We offered to pay her back by working
38:43
on the farm, crashed, old Milo, But for some reason
38:46
she didn't want us there. That's why we have to
38:48
wear the veggie costumes. She said, if we did a
38:51
goose egg farm float for the parade, she wouldn't call
38:54
our parents. Oh so you didn't knock over the farm
38:59
sand on purpose? Milo asked, of course not. The watermelon said,
39:04
why would we do a thing like that? Well, I mean,
39:08
Milo hesitated, What about all the other stuff you did,
39:11
like setting fire to the school. Oh, there wasn't any fire,
39:14
of the Corn said, just lots of smoke. Crash had
39:17
this bright idea about using the Bunsen burners in the
39:20
science lamp to make s'mores, And then Milo asked, well,
39:25
the boy's room flood. What no time to talk about
39:29
that now, Krash cut in hastily. The farmer will be
39:32
here soon, and you're still not dressed. Milo looked at
39:36
the strawberry costume in his hand. It was so pink. Oh,
39:41
he sighed. When he decided to go under cover, this
39:44
was not exactly what he had in mind. As Milo
39:47
zipped himself into the costume, the farmer arrived in her
39:50
tractor to hook up the float. She joked cheerfully with
39:54
the zoo crew. Now that they were paying her back,
39:57
she seemed to have forgiven them for the farm standers.
40:01
The boys piled on the float and the tractor moved
40:03
off slowly down the alley. As they rode toward the
40:06
fair grounds, Milo puzzled over what he had learned. The
40:10
zoo crew was not at all what he'd expected. Could
40:14
they be behind the trouble at the fair It didn't
40:17
seem lightly, But if they weren't the culprits, who was
40:22
the tractor rolled into the fair grounds, the prize judging
40:25
seemed to have started, and near the tent at the
40:28
edge of the crowd, Milo spotted Jazz, and then he
40:31
saw who was standing beside her. It was the Rubber
40:35
Snake Girl Chapter nine. Milo hurtled off the float and
40:41
charged toward the two girls, shouting Jazz Jazz. They glanced up.
40:45
Jazz looked startled. The smaller girl screamed and hid behind her.
40:50
It's a monster strawberry, Milo, is that you, Jazz asked?
40:54
What are you doing in that costume? I'm helping out
40:57
the zoo crew, he said, it's a long star. Jazz
41:01
shot a glance over his shoulder. That's the zoo crew,
41:05
she asked. Milo turned and he saw a herd of
41:09
produce stampeding toward them. The girl peeped out from behind Jazz.
41:14
She squeaked in terror and hid again. As the Zuo
41:19
cru screeched to a halt, Jazz hauled the girl out.
41:23
She pointed to the watermelon towering over all the others,
41:25
the big one crash. Did he give you the snake?
41:30
The girl stared at the giant fruit. The watermelon turned
41:35
to Milo. What's she talking about? Milo said, Jazz, I
41:39
don't think thieves. A familiar voice shrieked Bandits highway robbery.
41:46
Missus Smalley stood in front of the tent, stabbing her
41:49
finger at an empty spot at the table. My pie
41:52
is gone, Jazz whirled on the zoo cru. You what
41:57
did you do with that pie? Huh Us, We didn't
42:00
do anything. They couldn't have. Milo said, they've been with
42:05
me all morning. Suddenly the girl piped up, that's him.
42:08
Speaker 4: There he is.
42:10
Speaker 2: Every one turned. The girl pointed there, way up front,
42:13
next to the yelling lady. He gave me the snake,
42:16
Milo looked, chief Smally, No, silly. The boy, the big boy,
42:24
it was Winston. Jaz stared at the girl. He gave
42:28
you the rubber snake to put into the ball pit.
42:31
The girl nodded happily, and he gave me a piece
42:34
of chocolate pie. Oh Man, Crash said, from inside his
42:39
water melancostume. That guy makes the best pie ever. I
42:43
could not believe he didn't win first prize last year,
42:46
second place three years in a row, the eggplant added mournfully.
42:52
Jazz stared at them, and then at Winston, and then
42:55
at Missus Smalley, who by now had turned as purple
42:58
as the eggplant. So Winston was the prankster, she said slowly.
43:03
And his pie lost out to Missus Smally's three years
43:07
in a row, and now Missus Molly's pie is missing.
43:12
They stared at each other. He knew they were thinking
43:14
the same thing. Milo and Jazz pushed their way forward.
43:19
The zoo crew scrambled after them. At the sight of
43:22
the fruits and vegetables on the march, the crowd fell silent.
43:28
Jazz faced Winston and announced, you took Missus Molly's pie.
43:33
All eyes turned to Winston. Why would I do that,
43:38
he stammered. I think you were sick of Missus Smally
43:43
always winning first prize just because the pie judges her son,
43:46
Jazz said, and all eyes turned to Chief Smally his
43:50
muchstasched twitched. He cleared his throat, but he didn't say anything. Jeffrey,
43:58
missus Smalley, howled, Are you just gonna stand there and
44:01
let her insult my luscous limon pie? Ignoring her, Jesz
44:07
said to Winston. With missus Smalley's pie out of the contest,
44:11
the other pies would have a chance to win. But
44:15
Milo jumped in. But everybody knew you always came in
44:19
second to missus Smalley. You realized that if her pie
44:22
went missing, you would be suspected. Yeah right, Jess said,
44:27
So you tried to distract everybody by making them think
44:30
the fair was jinxed. You figured if lots of things
44:33
were going wrong, then nobody would pay much attention to
44:36
one missing pie. That's why you pulled all those other pranks.
44:41
Milo added the chickens, the switch CD and ah Jazz
44:47
pulled the girl out from behind her the snake in
44:51
the ball pit. Winston took one look at the girl
44:55
and crumbled. Okay, he confessed, I did it, but the
45:00
pie contest wasn't fair. Everyone knew that, but no one
45:03
would do anything about it. My pranks didn't hurt any one.
45:08
UK the chickens you let loose, popped, Uncle Sam Jazz
45:12
pointed out. I I didn't mean for that to happen.
45:17
Winston looked very sad. All I wanted was a fair
45:19
shot at first prize. I know my chocolate cookie cream
45:23
pie is good, mylo thought longingly of his lost slice,
45:28
that one crunchy, creamy, chocolately bite. Winston did make good bye,
45:36
really good bye. Reaching down under the table, Winston pulled
45:41
out missus Smalley's pie and put it back where it belonged,
45:46
And then he took his own pie off the table.
45:49
Gazing at it sadly, he said, I guess I've disqualified myself.
45:52
I'm sorry, chocolate pie, you should have been a winner.
45:56
He turned to leave, chief smalling his throat again. Not
46:03
so fast, young man, he said, that's right, Jeffrey, missus
46:07
Smalley said, arrest him. The police chief looked at Winston sternly. Later,
46:13
you and I are going to have a long talk
46:15
about these pranks. Winston bit his lip and nodded. But
46:19
right now the pie went on. The chief went on.
46:24
He took the pan from Winston's hands, and he set
46:26
it back on the table. I am here to judge
46:28
this pie, and then he served himself a big slice,
46:31
and he smiled, and he dug In chapter ten, Milo
46:39
lay back on the picnic blanket and looked up at
46:41
the darkening sky. Near by. Ethan and the Snake Girl
46:45
played dinosaurs, while the Zoo crew, out of costume now
46:49
tossed a frisbee around with Carlos and Spencer. Next to Milo,
46:53
Jazz read aloud her letter to Dash Marlowe about how
46:57
they had solved the case of the July for Jinx,
47:03
and while Milo may not be so good at acting tough,
47:06
everyone at the parade agreed that he made the pinkest,
47:09
yimmiest looking strawberry they'd ever seen what. Milo sat up
47:15
pretty fast, Jazz left. I was just making sure you
47:19
were still listening. Don't worry, I left that last part out.
47:25
Winston appeared with his chocolate cookie cream pie and a
47:28
stack of paper plates. Anybody wants some pie? Oh me, me, me,
47:33
de chorused. Milo eagerly took a slice, and he crammed
47:37
it into his mouth. He wasn't taking any more chances
47:40
on losing more pie. Jazz took a bite of her
47:43
own slice, and then a bigger bite.
47:45
Speaker 3: Oh.
47:45
Speaker 2: This is fantastic, she said to Winston. I cannot believe
47:50
your pie only got second place again. Winston grinned, yeah,
47:56
but it beats missus Smalley's third. She looked pretty mad.
48:00
Milo said, Oh, she cheered up when she found out
48:04
the announcer job was opened for next year, and now
48:07
she's telling every one she was meant for bigger things
48:10
than pie. Missus Smolly with a microphone. Yikes, Milo thought.
48:19
Just then, Chief Smally strolled past, arm in arm with
48:22
Viola Pritchett. Viola held a pie tin and a first
48:26
place ribbon. Yes, indeed, best pie I ever tasted in
48:30
my life, the Chief was saying. Viola Pritchett's large pink
48:35
face turned even pinker. Oh, Chief Smallie, and the Chief
48:39
smiled and said, call me Jeff. Jazz made a face,
48:44
and Milo laughed, good thing. Chief Smolly had decided not
48:49
to be the pie judge next year. It would keep
48:52
him out of trouble with his new girl friend. Jazz
48:56
swallowed her last bite of pie and said to Winston,
48:59
I'm glad you're not mad at us for busting you. Nah,
49:02
I had it coming, Winston said, Besides, I've got to
49:06
hand it to you. That was pretty sharp detective work.
49:11
Ah Jess said, we had it all wrong at first.
49:14
If the zoo crew hadn't told us about your pie
49:16
getting second place three years in a row, and if
49:20
Jazz hadn't found the girl with the rubber snake. Milo
49:24
stopped and looked at her. Where did you find her? Anyway,
49:28
Jaz smiled at the bake sale, I had it staked out.
49:33
Remember yesterday how she had all that chocolate on her face.
49:38
Winston shook his head, and he joked, the next time
49:40
I bribe a little kid, I'll use something that's not
49:43
so messy. What did Chief Smally say to you? Milo asked?
49:48
Are you in a lot of trouble?
49:49
Speaker 3: Yeah?
49:50
Speaker 2: I have to do twenty hours of community service, Winston said,
49:53
and then he brightened. But the Chief told me I
49:57
could volunteer at the after school program and teach the
49:59
kids to bake. Spotting Winston in his pie, the Frisbee
50:04
players crowded on to the blanket, along with Ethan and
50:07
his new friend Carlos tagged after Crash, asking and did
50:11
you really blow up the microwave in the teacher's lounge.
50:16
We didn't mean to Crash, said see what happened was that?
50:21
And Mylos smiled to himself. Dash had been right that
50:25
people weren't always what they seemed. The Zoo crew hadn't
50:28
turned out to be the rough, tough trouble makers that
50:30
he had imagined, but that sure didn't make them safe
50:34
to be around. If it wasn't a fire, it was
50:37
a flood. If it wasn't a flood, it was an explosion. Boom, boom, boom,
50:44
Mylos screamed. He dove head first off the blanket and
50:47
rolled across the grass. Gosh, Mylo, Ethan said, giggling and
50:53
pointing at the sky. It's only fireworks. And that is
51:01
the story of the Case of the July fourth Jinx
51:05
of the Milo and Jazz Mysteries. It was written by
51:09
Louis B. Montgomery and illustrated by Amy Walmer. I'm sorry
51:13
you can't see the illustrations. It's got a charming goat
51:17
eating Uncle Sam's hat, and the wonderful fake cake, and
51:23
all the booms and the fire crackers and all the kids,
51:26
remember the zukru all dressed up like vegetables and fruit.
51:32
What a neat story. Thank you for listening, and please
51:35
stay tuned now for more programming on the RADIOI.
52:07
Speaker 3: About a.
52:47
Speaker 1: Bet of at APT, but occupat.
52:54
Speaker 3: Aerer in what I.
54:09
Speaker 1: Am about what at.
54:13
Speaker 4: It as.
54:59
Speaker 3: The at time, don't.
56:00
Speaker 4: Texting, ting.
56:04
Speaker 1: Ting, ting
56:08
Speaker 3: Ting,