Giant Yo-Yo Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page B

hard time finding another carpenter after your old friend Gary Richmond quit.”
    A cloud passed in front of Jeff’s eyes. “Gary Richmond is no friend of mine. And I don’t want to talk about him.” He turned to the children. “Did you kids know I’m trying to build the world’s largest yo-yo?”
    “Yes. Grandfather told us,” Jessie said in a loud voice so she could be heard over the saw.
    “Is this it?” Benny asked as he gazed at the huge, round, wooden object behind Jeff. It was more than twice as wide across as Benny was tall. But it didn’t look much like a yo-yo. It looked more like a huge bicycle wheel with spokes.
    “Yes, this is it,” Jeff said proudly. “Half of it, anyway. I have to build each half separately, then connect them with an axle.”
    “How big is it going to be when it’s finished?” Jessie asked.
    “Well, each of these halves will have a diameter of twelve feet,” Jeff said.
    “Twelve feet?” Benny cried, his eyes wide as golf balls. “That’s as tall as the deep end of the swimming pool!”
    “That’s right.” Jeff smiled. “And when the yo-yo is put together, it’ll probably be about five feet wide and will weigh more than a thousand pounds.”
    “That’s incredible,” Henry said. “And it’ll really go up and down, too?”
    “Do you mean ‘will it yo?’” Jeff asked. “That’s what we say when a yo-yo goes up and down. And to answer your question, Henry, yes, when it’s done this yo-yo should yo. It won’t break the previous record if it doesn’t.”
    “How can something so big … yo ?” Jessie asked, trying out the new word. “Won’t it be too heavy?”
    “I’ll have to use an extra strong cable for the string. And I’m planning to launch it from a two-hundred-foot crane. It should be fine—if I build it right. I’ve been working on this design for a couple of years. I’ve talked with engineers, geometry teachers, and physics teachers over at the community college. There’s a lot of math involved in a project like this.”
    “I’m sure there is,” Grandfather said.
    “Would you like to see my drawings?” Jeff asked.
    “Sure,” the children said.
    Jeff led everyone over to a pair of desks in the corner. One had a computer and printer on it. The other was a regular desk with drawers. Jeff opened the top drawer and pulled out some papers. But before he could explain what the papers were, the front door burst open and a very angry-looking older woman barged in.
    “Mr. Naylor,” the woman said through gritted teeth. “I know you run a business here, but it’s after hours. Surely, you don’t really need to be sawing now! Greenfield does have a city noise ordinance, you know.”
    Jeff motioned for Emily to stop sawing again. With a heavy sigh, Emily shut off the saw.
    “I’m sorry about the noise, Mrs. Thorton,” Jeff said. “We didn’t mean to disturb you. But this project isn’t anything I’ve been hired to do, so I didn’t feel right working on it during business hours.”
    Mrs. Thorton’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly are you doing?” she asked.
    “He’s building the world’s largest yo-yo!” Benny said.
    “Really?” Mrs. Thorton said.
    “Yes.” Jeff spread out his papers on top of the desk and started to explain how the yo-yo would work.
    But Mrs. Thorton interrupted him. “I don’t like the sound of this, Jeff. It sounds dangerous.”
    “I assure you, Mrs. Thorton, I am taking every possible safety precaution.”
    “But you’re talking about launching a thousand-pound yo-yo from two hundred feet in the air! How can that possibly be safe?”
    “Well—” Jeff began.
    “No!” Mrs. Thorton shook her head. “I’m asking you as a good neighbor, Jeff. Please don’t do this.”
    Jeff took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Thorton. I can try and do something about the noise, but I can’t give up this project. Karl’s Lumber is donating wood. A-l Wrecking is donating use of the crane. People are excited