Hap Hazard Comics #13

Hap Hazard tries to win a date with Judy by secretly using a scheme to get free tickets to a play starring Margie Merrill, only to accidentally convince her he’s romantically involved with the actress. When Judy sees him walking with Margie, she storms off in jealousy, leaving Hap desperate to clear up the misunderstanding before the night ends.

Ethelbert Moran waits anxiously for a large package, only to be told the delivery truck can't bring it to his door due to its weight. He gives increasingly detailed directions to his house—listing landmarks like a white house with green shutters, a yellow house, and a green house with a pig—but each one is politely corrected as not being him. The story ends with a sudden "PLOP!" as the package arrives, leaving his exact location a mystery.

Hap Hazard arrives home to find everyone he expected to be at a party—Judy, Zipper, Chub, and the others—has mysteriously vanished, leaving him confused and heartbroken after being stood up on a long-planned date. He eventually discovers he’s been tricked into helping run a bowling club for Mister Pockadophas, only to return and learn the entire evening was a surprise birthday party his parents and friends had secretly organized.

Zip and Slug spend a day of misadventures on a farm, starting with a flirtatious moment over flowers that quickly turns chaotic when a bull charges—only for the real trouble to come from their antics with a dog named Flophead, who causes a series of crashes and near-misses. As the day unfolds, Flophead’s antics lead to a dramatic rescue from a river, prompting a stern but playful scolding from Zip, who threatens him with castor oil and house arrest.

Hap Hazard is baffled by the constant stream of neighborhood kids borrowing household items from his mother, but when the same boy returns yet again—this time asking to borrow the fish his mother is frying—he finally snaps. With a firm warning about having "other fish to fry," Hap sends the boy away, only to be stunned when he returns moments later with an even more absurd request.

In "Tit for Tat," Judy becomes convinced that her horoscope is guiding her to follow a man with a beard, leading her and Hap on a wild chase through town. When they finally track him down, the twist comes when the man reveals he dropped tickets to an auction—setting off a chain of coincidences that surprises even Judy, who starts questioning her faith in astrology.

A young man named Larry the Liar claims a goat was given to him by a lady, prompting his friends to demand the full story. He recounts how the goat, a pest that ate Mr. Mulvaney’s red flannels, was supposed to be tied to the railroad tracks to be run over—only for a sudden rainstorm to cause the goat to sneeze uncontrollably, accidentally saving itself.

Hap Hazard takes a job delivering mannequins for a dress shop, only to use them to stage a fake romance with his friend Slug in a misguided attempt to make his girlfriend Judy jealous. When the ruse unravels and Judy confronts him, the truth leads to a surprising reconciliation — but not before Hap learns a hard lesson about honesty and the perils of pretending.