Li'l Genius #23

Ollie Orwell daydreams himself as Ollie the Kid, a fearless frontier marshal facing down the notorious villain Mean Murdley in Varmint City. What starts as a tense showdown turns into a comedy of errors as Mean Murdley keeps finding excuses for do-overs—slipped gun belts, sun in his eyes, faulty ropes—each time hoping for a better outcome. Ollie remains patient and keeps giving his outmatched opponent chances until things take an explosive turn.

When Henry Orwell suggests a man-to-man walk with his son Li'l Genius, the boy learns some hard lessons about respect—for cleanliness, traffic laws, animals, and property. As the outing unfolds, Ollie discovers that his pop could use a refresher course in the rules himself.

Ollie Orwell heads out fishing with a deal from his father, Henry: he'll earn 10¢ per pound of fish caught, and a special 50¢ bonus if he lands a whopper. After a slow start at the fishing hole, Ollie's luck takes an unexpected turn when he encounters something massive washed up on the beach—and he can't resist showing it off to his parents to settle the bet. Of course, there's a catch to his windfall that brings the whole scheme tumbling down.

When Mr. Prankle rushes out of his novelty shop and leaves Li'l Genius (Ollie Orwell) to mind the store, the clever boy sees his chance to impress—and maybe land a job. He ends up waiting on Mrs. Van Tenspot, an important customer, but his enthusiastic demonstrations of the shop's trick items and pranks don't go quite as planned. By the time Mr. Prankle returns, everything has changed in ways neither of them expected.