The Mischief Book #[nn]

"Ice-Peter" is a delightfully grim little tale from 1880, written by Wilhelm Busch and Abby Langdon Alger and illustrated in full by Busch himself, whose sharp, expressive lines bring the escalating prank to life. A boy’s mischievous game with a blow gun takes a sudden, absurd turn when his target retaliates with a pot, sending the weapon careening into the boy’s throat—leaving the outcome as delightfully uncertain as the story’s title. The cover, also by Busch, captures the moment with the same deadpan precision that defines the whole piece.