 This is the fourth story in Impact Comics from E.C., right? Impact number 3 from 1955. And it looks like it's the story of the main cover. Okay, and this story is written by Al Feldstein. The pencils and inks is by Graham Ingalls, and the colors is by Mary Severn. Okay, so let's read this last story in Impact Comics number three. And it's the lemonade stand one. Look at that. Look at that. Beautiful. Sam Crowder Group. Candy, cigars, cigarettes, and there's a girl that's set up. Haha. The owner of the store is not liking it, right? That's the old man in front of the on the cover. Cool. Let's read the intro to it. Let's read the intro to it. Cute? Cute? That was what Harris, the tobacco salesman, called the dirty-faced kid cute the fool. A lot he knew, and Sam knew what Harris was thinking. In Harris's eye, a lot of other, a lot of others, Sam Crowder was a mean, penny-pinching old crap, as if Sam cared. What they all thought. In the slums, you pinch pennies or you starve. So Sam was a mean old crap. He earned the living, didn't he? Nobody took advantage of Sam Crowder. So Sam Crowder, there's his name on the storefront, right? And this is the girl selling lemonades for five cents for a big glass and three cents for a small glass. Look at the glass size is there too, right? Cool, cool, cool. There's the old man. Where are those two guys? This guy's enjoying himself. Well, competition, eh? Crowder? How come you see? How come you stand for it? Going soft in your old age, he says? The cigar man? The day I go soft, I'll be bankrupt. Competition? Bah! Her and her good fairy. Good fairy? What good fairy? Look at the old man. Never mind. You salesman, you were supposed to be here yesterday. I'm almost out of cigars. It's about time you showed up. The old man says. And you loafers, how many times do I have to tell you not to hang around my store? Ah, quit racing your motor, motor pop. It's a free country. Why don't you, why don't you smile once in a while? You might even get to like it. The two guys say. Beautiful artwork. Beautiful artwork. I'll take a glass of lemonade. Any? Make it a big one. The old man says. The competition seems to do all right, Crowder. I can understand why you're sore, but after all, a little girl. So what if she's a little girl? You're just like the rest. You never think that I've got to live too, the old man says. Say, you really are sore. If she's cutting in your soil fountain business that much, how come you haven't gotten rid of her? The salesman says. How come? Don't you think I've tried? I pay taxes. But do you get the protection? Not me. A dirty-faced kid comes along and everybody goes soft and as mush, the old man says. But the police. The police. You think that's the answer? Huh? Well, let me tell you about the police. They're on her side. They have been right from the start, the old man says. The police. Huh. Harris was so smart. Maybe you could figure it out. So Sam told him the whole story. Right from that morning, two weeks back, when she, when he'd come to open a store, and there she, she'd been. What the? The old man says. I can just picture him. What the? You. Who told you you could sell lemonade here? The old man says. Does somebody have to tell her or crowd her? Relax. You don't have to scare the kid half to death. Or do you enjoy being mean? The cop says. Look at her. She's like scared. See, right off. Sam's been, been in the wrong. Sam had a reputation for being mean. Without it, the whole neighborhood might take advantage of him. But that made no, never mind. Please. I, I didn't know I was doing anything wrong. She says. Oh, she's got tears coming out. That's a tear-jerker. Look at that. Look at that. Look at that. The little kid cries. She gets to do whatever she wants. I won't bother anybody. I just want to earn some money. It's for mom. She, she's not feeling so good. And we, we haven't had much money since daddy died. Oh. Well, Crowder, do you want me to run her off? You're within your rights. If you do, just say the word. Or do you think it would be a good idea to act human just once? As if Sam hadn't known what Murphy, Murphy really meant. A cop could make plenty trouble for you if he wanted to. But that wasn't why Sam turned away. Did I ask you? The old man says. Please, Mr. I can, I can see that you're mad. I didn't mean to make you mad. That little girl says. Ah, look at all the people lined up to bi-laminate. The way they grinned at Sam, it wasn't that they cared about the dirty kid. Sam knew them. They just didn't like him. That was why Sam had walked away. You should have seen them when Sam had gone inside. I'll take a big glass, little girl. Make that two big glasses, kid. Ha-ha. Everybody by him. The cop smiled. The kid, her name was Annie, did quite a business. They bought from her just to spite Sam and Murphy, the cop. You'd have thought he was part owner of that stand. Later, he checked on that stand like it was a bank. And next morning, when that good fairy business came up, he acted as if he'd really believed it. Mr. Murphy, Mr. Murphy, look. What's this? What's this? What's going on here? What's all the excitement? What are you two trying to do? Rune my business completely? Simmer down, Crowder. Nobody's trying to hurt you. The cop says. Mr. Crowder, look. My lemonade jar. It's full. So it's full. So what? The old man says. So it wasn't full last night. Annie brought some more lemonade with her. But she doesn't need it. The way she figured, a good fairy came last night and filled the jar for her. A what? The old man says. All right. All right. So it hadn't been the right thing to say. Could you believe a blame Sam for being surprised? Murphy didn't have to get so mad. I said a good fairy, Crowder. Annie's sure. Annie's sure of it. The cop says, dragging the old man away. And she's going to stay sure. You're not going to spoil things for her, Crowder. Understand? One word from you. And what? Don't you threaten me? I know my rights. Don't you manhandle me, the old man says. Okay, just remember, Crowder. Maybe you're proud of being the meanest character in the neighborhood. But you're not going to spoil things for that kid. Mean? Am I? How else do you get along in this world? The old man says. I suppose you like me to get all soft and gooey, wouldn't you? When you're soft, people walk all over you. The old man says. How would you know? Just keep away from that kid, Crowder. His beautiful artwork. Look at that. Just beautiful. Just an aside. Got a feeling McFarton took a lot of artistic liberty with his faces. Right? Or learned a lot from the masters of how to draw faces. That's what you gotta do. That's what you gotta do. Keep away? Sure, Sam kept away. But nobody else did. Word get around. Every morning, there was a full picture of lemonade. That's all Sam's customers talked about. Look at that. So that's the little girl. I wonder who really who really does fill her picture for her. And it's all pissed. So you've heard about her too. Fine thing, isn't it? You think the law would give a man some protection? The little brat? A lot. A lot. The law cares if I lose money. The old man says. This is a fun, fun operation. It's gotta be. Let's check it out. Let's check it out. Her and her fairy tales. She probably fills the picture herself. She's smart. Too smart. What'll it be? The old man says. He's taken orders. It was going to be two ice cream sodas. But we've changed our minds, the couple say. Two lemonades, little girl. The more Sam complained, the more Sam complained, the more his customers bought from the kid. They certainly were easy to fool. That sure was good lemonade, Annie. Of course it was. Anything the good fairies make just has to be good, she says. Awesome. Awesome. So that was the story Sam told Harris, the topical salesman, the whole thing. And the way Harris looked at Sam, you'd have thought Sam had killed someone. So that's what it's all about, the salesman says. That's what it's all about. And you don't have to look at me like that, the old man says. In this life, you make sure that people know they can't take advantage of you. If you're smart, and I'm smart. Yeah, sure, Mr. Crowder. Sure, the salesman says. Harris despised Sam too. It was obvious. Well, let him. One thing was certain. He'd never tried to get the better of Sam. He knew Sam's reputation. And Sam knew that Harris was just trying to get back at him when he left and stopped outside. I'll have a lemonade, Annie. And after I finish it, I'll have another, the salesman says. A lot of Sam, a lot Sam cared what Harris thought. By closing time, Sam had forgotten all about it. Outside, Annie was closing down her stand too, covering it with paper. Sam nickered that Murphy. He even walked Annie home nights. The sentimental idiot. Sam locked the store and watched Murphy and Annie disappear around the corner. Then he moved stealthily, warily, to Annie's little stand and lifted the paper. Beautiful artwork. Look at that. Beautiful. And filled her picture with lemonade. And walked on home, smiling inside. Who'd figure Sam was the one? Everyone knew Sam wasn't the kid. Kind. To go soft over dirty face kid. Yes, Sam was Annie's good fairy. It was the only way he could help her. After all, he had a reputation to maintain. Haha. The end. Awesome. Awesome. I actually thought this was a flim-fun operation that the old man and the girl were working together. Awesome. Awesome. That was fun. That was fun. What a great series. What a great series.