Well, what are you going to do with a customer like this? Old Crabby Jacobs has a good-sized temper when it’s stirred up and we don’t care to get in a fight with anybody. On the other hand we hate like sixty to give up the swellest coasting we’d had in years.
“Ought to be some way to get around Crabby,” says Pete Bagley.
“Or else to get even with him,” explodes Rod Evans.
And so we get the idea of the New Year’s resolutions. And Dill Saunders, with his knack for lettering, prints what we’ve thought up on a big piece of cardboard to which we tie a string like we was going to hang a picture. Then we hike out to Crabby Jacobs’ and while the fellows hide down around the bend, me and Pete sneak up to Crabby’s door and hang the sign on the door knob and then bang on the door real loud. After that we does a different kind of coasting to get out of sight.
It isn’t ten seconds later when Crabby comes out on the porch in his shirt sleeves, acting suspicious and excited. He looks all around but he can’t see anything so he starts back into the house and then he sees plenty! He lets out a gasp which, on account of the cold air, turns into a puff of white and we can tell from that, he’s steaming hot. There’s a lot of little white puffs follows as he reads to himself what’s printed on the sign.
I, Crabby Jacobs, do hereby resolve—
To get over being cranky
To smile at least once a day
To remember that I used to be young once
To let the boys coast past my house because it’s the only real coasting place around and I’m the only one who’s MEAN enough to spoil their fun as all the other property owners don’t mind!