Nyoka the Jungle Girl #45

Trader Tom makes a costly sale when an angry customer confronts him over two bloodhounds that failed to protect a house from burglars—who made off not only with valuables but with the dogs themselves. This quick-witted jungle tale serves up a dose of comeuppance for the smooth-talking peddler.

Nyoka the Jungle Girl stumbles into a powder-keg conflict when three isolated jungle tribes—the peaceful Sitkoes and Kukus, terrorized by the ruthless Teras—face an impossible choice: the Teras chief Bopka demands the hand of Edo, daughter of the Sitkoes leader, or he'll wipe out both smaller tribes. When Nyoka discovers Edo and Bero (son of the Kukus chief) are in love, she hatches a bold plan to unite the two tribes against their oppressor—but Bopka catches wind of the scheme, and her daring move to stop him leaves her in grave danger as Part One of this three-part serial comes to a shocking close.

When Egbert the Explorer is invited to share tales of his famous travels at a special gathering, he's exhausted by the prospect of recounting his adventures—but when pressed to describe the Grand Canyon, his increasingly absurd logic leads him to an unexpected exit. A quick, clever bit of humor that turns the tables on what you'd expect from a celebrated adventurer.

When a well-meaning fellow on a crowded bus boasts about his tactful approach to courtesy, his casual remark about a passenger's appearance teaches him an unexpected lesson about judging by looks. This lighthearted tale from 1950 shows that some truths are better left unspoken—and kindness shouldn't come with a hidden condition.

Ballyhoo Barney is tasked with finding a new star act for Mr. Bungling's circus, and after a chance encounter at a crowded restaurant, he recruits a bearded lady—only to discover that Mr. Bungling has already found a group of Chinese midgets with extraordinarily long hair who perform spectacular stunts. When Ballyhoo tries to sabotage the midgets' act to keep his bearded lady in the spotlight, his scheme backfires in increasingly absurd ways, leading to a chaotic finale that nobody quite expected. It's a wild romp through circus life that proves sometimes the best act is the one nobody planned for.