Jerry Todd and the Whispering Mummy

Leo Edwards

Description

Edward Edson Lee (1884-1944), who wrote under the pen name of Leo Edwards, was a popular children's author in the 1920s and 1930s. He wrote five series of books, including the Jerry Todd series which was wildly popular. The stories took place in the town which Lee experienced in his childhood and the characters were real boys that Lee befriended around the time he began writing the stories. In his autobiography,  Ronald Reagan wrote that he had a boyhood much like Jerry Todd. "When I was a kid, there was this series of juvenile adventure books featuring a character named Jerry Todd. They were something like the Hardy Boys but they had a lot of humor mixed in with the adventure". Rediscover the wonderful classic adventure stories of Jerry Todd in this classic first book in the series!

Sujets

• Fiction Ado
• Boys
• Men
• Juvenilee Fiction
• Fiction Jeunesse

Informations

• Publié par: Rare Treasure Editions
• Date de parution: 08 novembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781774643549
• Langue: English

Extrait

Jerry Todd and the Whispering Mummy
by Leo Edwards

First published in 1923
This edition published by Rare Treasures
Victoria, BC Canada with branch offices in the Czech Republic and Germany
[e-mail]
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except in the case of excerpts by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.



HE WAS POLISHING FOUR STAR-SHAPED BADGES.—( Page 14 )
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JERRY TODD SAYS:
When I had this story all wrote down on paperI gave it to Scoop Ellery and said: “You take ithome and read it and see if I’ve left out anything.”Scoop, who is my pal and shared in theadventure, read the story and said: “No, Jerry, Idon’t think you’ve left out a thing. I like theway you tell the story, too. That part where themummy whispers is spooky and shivery; andthere’s a lot of fun and oodles of mystery. Yes,”he added, wanting to hand me a little praise forthe work I had done, “it’s a pretty slick story andI bet you that boys who like to get hold of a goodbook will eat it up.”
vi
I hope Scoop is right. I hope you’ll like thisbook, which tells how we solved the mystery ofthe whispering mummy. I am going to write anumber of these fun-mystery books and this is thefirst one. If you like this story, as I hope you will,you’ll next want to read my second book, JERRYTODD AND THE ROSE-COLORED CAT.This is an awfully funny story. You’ll just aboutgiggle your head off. Like JERRY TODD ANDTHE WHISPERING MUMMY, it is a story ofScoop and me and Red and Peg. We get into anawful scrape when we start a cat rest farm.There is mystery, too—a regular old brain-twisterof a mystery. Yes, you’ll surely want to readJERRY TODD AND THE ROSE-COLOREDCAT. My third book has the title, JERRYTODD AND THE OAK ISLAND TREASURE.If you like stories of buried treasure andmystery and fun you’ll surely enjoy my third book.Like I say, there is to be a number of these books.I can’t give you all the titles here. When you seea new JERRY TODD book on sale I hope you’llget a copy and read it and enjoy it. Your friend, Jerry Todd .
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OUR CHATTER-BOX
Did you ever hear of a manliving for years in ahouse that had no roof? Helearned, though, after erectinghis barn and other buildings,that roofs were a good thing.So, years after his house hadbeen built, he gave it a roof.
I’m doing much the samething here. This book waswritten years ago. In itsoriginal form it had no “Chatter-Box.”Not until I hadwritten fifteen books (this isLeo Edwards speaking) did Istart messing around with“Chatter-Boxes.” The first“Chatter-Box” appeared in Poppy Ott and the TitteringTotem . Since the publicationof this book in 1929 I have included“Chatter-Boxes” in allof my books. For the youngreaders of these books quicklytook to the idea. So, at mypublisher’s dictation, I am nowpreparing “Chatter-Boxes” forall of my earlier books.
“Our Chatter-Box,” a departmentopen to all readers,is composed mainly of letters,poems and miscellaneous contributionsthat I receive fromboys and girls. Many thousandsof young “fans” writeto me yearly. If you havewritten to me, you may findyour letter in one of our many“Chatter-Boxes.” So readthem all. Writers of acceptedpoems receive a free autographedcopy of the book inwhich their poem appears.You will find some fine poemsin the “Chatter-Boxes” in thenew Trigger Berg books; alsoin Andy Blake and the Pot ofGold and Jerry Todd, Editor-in-Grief .Read the complete“Chatter-Boxes” in thesebooks to better understandwhat the “Chatter-Box” ideais all about.
LETTERS
As I say, I receive manythousands of letters yearlyfrom my loyal young readers.These letters are a greatinspiration to me. How Ienjoy them! And how I enjoypicking out the most interestingletters for publication.I’m sure I’d feel that somethingvery necessary to thesuccess of my work had passedout of my life if the boys andgirls who read my books quitwriting to me. So keep upthe good work, gang. Maybe your particular letter will bethe inspiration for a JerryTodd book that will bringmillions of laughs into the livesof America’s youth.
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“I have read all of the VeryHard (Jerry Todd) and PeppyEtt (Poppy Ott) series, partof Bigger Lindbergh (TriggerBerg) and some of the HandyCake (Andy Blake) series,”writes Harry Williams of RichmondHill, N. Y. “I like themall. I’ve said to my father:‘If I see Afterwards (Edwards)on a new book I know it’sgood.’”
Thanks for the compliment,Harry. Certainly I’ll alwaystry hard to put good stuff intomy books. Often I could savetime by making my booksshorter. But I always try togive boys as much as I can fortheir money.
“I am a baseball fan,” writesFreckled Goldfish (No. 4782)William Dvoracek of Chicago,Ill., “and would like very muchto have you write a Todd orOtt book about baseball. Youcould have a mystery in thebook. Start the story by tellinghow Jerry’s gang attendeda baseball game, thus gettinginterested. They organize anine of their own and laterchallenge the ‘Zulutown Rats,’a team of Bid Strickers, thegame to be played on OakIsland. . . . I am building arack for my Ott and Toddbooks, hoping some day tohave in that rack every bookyou have written.”
Other boys have asked meto put Jerry and his gang intoathletics. But my publisherwants me to continue thepresent type of story, figuringrightly that there are manyother authors who can writebetter athletic stories than I.
“Though fourteen yearsold,” writes Freckled GoldfishVictor de Gennaro of Brooklyn,N. Y., “I like all of yourbooks. I never read a JerryTodd book till one day a friendof mine named Stanley Bacciloaned me the WhisperingMummy . I liked it so muchI then read all of the Toddbooks. Later I read the PoppyOtts, then the Andy Blakes,and now I’m reading the newTrigger Bergs. Gee! I wishyou had 71,493,681,906 handsso you could keep writingbooks and I could keep righton reading them all day long.In the ‘Chatter-Box’ in thesecond Trigger Berg book youasked the readers to let youknow if they liked long ‘Chatter-Boxes.’My answer is, thelonger the better. I wish Icould live in a small town, likeJerry Todd, and go barefooted.I’m a Boy Scout and thus enjoyedreading about Red andRory trying to make a totempole. When I get rich I’mgoing to visit you. Give myregards to Beanie and tell himI said he has a wonderful dad.”
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“As Exalted Fantail of ourFreckled Goldfish lodge,”writes William F. Dwenneyof West Philadelphia, Pa.,“you may be able to get awaywith a lot, but when you saythat the Trigger Berg booksare for boys from seven to tenyou are slightly damp. Boy,I’ve read the first two TriggerBergs and I’ve never laughedso much in all my life. TailLight sure is funny with histrick hair cuts and the Fourthof July peanuts. And did Iever laugh when the boys’fathers got caught in the Grottoof Blood. I thought I’ddie, it was so funny.”
I wish I had space for moregeneral letters. But I havebeen told to confine theseadded “Chatter-Boxes” toabout eighteen hundred words.But we’re going to have somedandy big “Chatter-Boxes”in all of my new books. SoI’ll probably have room foryour letter (the one I hopeyou’ll write to me soon!) if itis interesting.
FRECKLED GOLDFISH
Out of my book, Poppy Ottand the Freckled Goldfish ,has grown our great FreckledGoldfish lodge, membership inwhich is open to all boys andgirls who are interested in mybooks. Thousands of readershave joined the club. We haveslick membership cards (designedby Bert Salg, the popularillustrator of my books)and fancy buttons. Also formembers who want to organizebranch clubs (hundredsare in successful operation,providing boys and girls withadded fun) we have rituals.
To join (and to be a loyalJerry Todd fan I think youought to join), please observethese simple rules:
(1) Write (or print) yourname plainly.
(2) Supply your completeprinted address.
(3) Give your age.
(4) Enclose two two-centpostage stamps (for card andbutton).
(5) Address your letter to

Leo Edwards,
Cambridge,
Wisconsin.
LOCAL CHAPTERS
To help boys and girls organizelocal chapters ofour Freckled Goldfish lodge, wehave produced a printed ritual,which any member who wantsto start a Freckled Goldfishclub in his own neighborhoodcan’t afford to be without.This booklet tells how to organizethe club, how to conductthe meetings, how totransact all club business, and,probably most important ofall, how to initiate candidates.
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The complete initiation isgiven, word for word. Naturally,these booklets are moreor less secret. So, if you sendfor one, please do not showit to anyone who isn’t aFreckled Goldfish. Threechief officers will be requiredto put on the initiation, whichcan be given in any member’shome, so, unless each officer isprovided with a booklet, muchmemorizing will have to bedone. The best plan is to havethree booklets to a chapter.These may be secured (at cost)at six cents each (three two-centstamps) or three for sixteencents (eight two-centstamps). Address all orders toLeo Edwards, Cambridge,Wisconsin.
CLUB NEWS
“To raise money for ourclub,” reports Leader JackHerb of Pittsburgh, Pa., “wegave a moving picture show,which was attended by thirty-twoboys and girls. A sisterof one of our members madecandy, which we sold, and inall we cleared $1.75. Nowthat we have this money inthe club treasury, what arewe to do with it? Our clubis getting along fine. My dadcalls us the Sink or SwimGoldfish.”
Don’t be impatient, Jack,to spend the money in yourtreasury. Some clubs buybooks, thus starting a privatelibrary. Other clubs buyathletic goods, which are theproperty of the club. RecentlyI had a report from aMilwaukee club in which themembers, using club mone