The Get Rich Quick Club Read Online Free PDF

Teddy.
    The $2.40 in investments was enough to buy the National Truth , with exactly enough left over for a pack of Bubblicious gum.
    On the way back, we split up the gum. Once we got to the gazebo, we found the page in the National Truth where they had the mailing address. Rob worked out a letter to include with our photo:
    Dear National Truth,
    We are five children who live in Maine. We created this fake UFOphoto and we thought you might be able to use it in your paper. Please get back to us as soon as possible.
    Sincerely,
The Get Rich Quick Club
    â€œAre you crazy?” I asked Rob after I had read his letter. “Do you honestly think they’re going to go for that?”
    â€œWell, it’s the truth,” he replied.
    â€œThe truth is boring,” I told him. “Nobody’s gonna pay us a million dollars for the truth.”
    Lying, I realized, just didn’t come naturally to Rob. Even though he was the genius in our group, it would be up to me to compose the letter. So I did:
    Dear National Truth ,
    I am a 55-year-old man with a wife, children, and no history of mental problems. The other day I was in the field behind my housewhen I saw a weirdly shaped object in the sky. I happened to have my camera with me and snapped the enclosed photo. I thought you might like to use it in the National Truth . The price for this photo is one million dollars. I would appreciate it if you would pay in cash. Please get back to me as soon as possible.
    Sincerely,
Herb Dunn
    â€œWho’s Herb Dunn?” Eddie asked.
    â€œHow should I know?” I replied. “I made him up.”
    Carefully, we slipped the letter and photo into an envelope. Quincy put the address of the National Truth on the outside and enough stamps to send two ounces. (She even weighed it on a little scale she found in her father’s study.) She wrote UFO PHOTOS, DO NOT BEND on the envelope, too. We sealed it up and walked it over to the mailbox at the end of the block. All five of us crossed our fingers for good luck aswe dropped it into the slot.
    â€œAll we can do now,” I said, “is wait.”
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    So we waited. And waited. And waited some more. It seemed like it took forever.
    While we were waiting to hear from the National Truth , I worked up a profit and loss statement and presented it to the rest of the company at our next meeting.
    â€œIt doesn’t look like we’re doing very well, does it?” Rob noted.
    â€œEvery company takes a while to turn a profit,” I said. “We just have to be patient.”

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    PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENT
 
EXPENSES
 
 
 
    Film (pay back Quincy)
 
$10.95
 
     National Truth
 
1.75
 
    Bubblicious gum
 
.65
 
    Postage (pay back Quincy’s dad)
 
.60
 
 
 
$13.95
 
INCOME
 
 
 
    None
 
0
 
NET LOSS
 
$13.95
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    â€œBut it’s already been two whole days!” Eddie moaned. Eight-year-olds are not exactly good at delaying gratification.
    â€œDo you know how long it took Walt Disney to build his company?” I asked the group.
    â€œNo…”
    â€œNeither do I,” I snapped. “But believe me, he didn’t do it in two days.”
    Â 
    Finally, everybody got tired of waiting to hear from the National Truth about our photo. They started bugging me to call them on the phone and see what was taking so long. I held the kids off for a week and then agreed to make the call.
    The phone number inside the National Truth got me into a confusing voice-mail system. I had to punch a bunch of numbers, but finally I got one of the editors on the phone.
    â€œEve Stropper,” she said gruffly. “What is it?”
    â€œI’m calling from Maine,” I told her. “I sent you a genuine UFO photo. Did you receive it?”
    â€œWhich UFO photo?” she said, unimpressed. “Weget hundreds of UFO