The former mayor sat pouting in the gutter. “He’s hoodwinked them all with his luscious, bushy beard!” he muttered. “I must uncover his secret! But how?”

“Did somebody say ‘Butt Howe’?” wheedled a large rat wearing a silk top hat. “At your service!”

“You can help me?”

“For a price.”

This story is a sequel to this story.