Freckles #9

When Freckles is elected mayor for Shadyside's annual Boys' Week, he and his friends—Police Chief Lard Smith and Reporter Nutty Cook—quickly discover that running a city, even temporarily, means facing real corruption. As Cook's honest reporting exposes questionable dealings and the boys uncover suspicious land deals, they learn that power politics isn't just a game, and good intentions alone won't clean up city hall.

Freckles lands a part-time job at the bank to work off a broken window, but his newfound spending money attracts the attention of both a charming coworker named Judy and a smooth-talking rival called Frosty—who sets his sights on Freckles' girl, June. When a prank goes sideways and Freckles gets held up for a suitcase of bricks, he has to juggle bank duties, romantic competition, and the clock ticking toward an evening dance.

Lard Smith dreams up a "Love Insurance" scheme—for a two-bit monthly premium, he'll pay out five bucks to any kid who loses his sweetheart to a rival. The plan backfires fast when romance claims start flooding in, and Lard finds himself scrambling to cover payoffs he can't afford, especially when policy-holder Jinky James threatens to collect after his girl Dottie gets swept up by the smooth-talking Larry Barker. With only 24 hours to settle the mess, Lard's got his work cut out for him in this hilarious tale of teenage heartbreak and questionable business practices.

When Lard Smith's insurance scheme on local romances backfires spectacularly, he finds himself owed money by nearly every lovesick guy in town—including the ones pursuing Hilda Grubble, the girl he's trying to win back. Desperate to collect and reclaim Hilda's affection, Lard hatches a deal that forces all the other suitors to choose between paying their debts or staying away from her. It's a funny, twisted path to romance that proves sometimes the best way to get your girl is through fine print and a little blackmail.

When a boy named Lard takes a summer job at a munitions plant and spots the beautiful new worker Jean—who's made it crystal clear she's all business—he decides persistent romantic gestures are the way to win her over. Between stolen moments at the beach, love poems left on her desk, and a schedule that keeps them working opposite shifts, Lard's determined courtship takes some unexpected turns that neither of them quite anticipated.