The sound of the door slamming against the wall, along hundreds of emas coins being knocked off the meja on to floor, startled him awake. “What?! What is it, darling?!” He shouted as he sat straight up.
“Only pageant day!” Webby exclaimed.
“Oh…um… so it.” Scrooge berkata trying smile, then he yawned, “I’ll be down in a moment. Tell Duckworth to have some coffee ready for me.” After that he lay back down.
“Well don’t go back to sleep. Remember we’ve gotta be there early to get ready!” Webby called as she ran out of the room.
In the meantime over at the Ducks’ Inn Hotel Laura and Vicky had arrived early to set up for the pageant. “Now Vicky.” Laura whispered, “Remember keep your eyes open for McDuck and his niece. And let me know as soon as anda see them.”
Minnie and daisy arrived shortly after them, and sat down in the lobby to wait for Scrooge and Webby. daisy was very excited, and would not stop talking about how wonderful the experience of entering a little girl in a pageant would be for her.
Minnie was also very excited and happy about it, but she could not forget that conversation with Mickey the night before. She understood that he likely didn’t have a lot of interest in a girls’ beauty pageant. But it bothered her that he would promise her that he was coming and then change his mind because of a video-game tournament.
Minnie quickly grew bored of listening to Daisy’s chatter, and wished she could leave. She sighed and glanced out the window. Much to her delight she saw the limousine pulling up in front of the hotel. “Daisy, they’re here.” Minnie berkata as stood up and started toward the door.
“Oh, goody!” daisy shouted as she jumped up.
When Scrooge Minnie daisy and Webby walked into the hotel they could not believe the array of glitzy decorations. “Oh pretty!” Webby exclaimed as she stared in amazement.
“Come on darling.” Scrooge said, taking her sejak the hand “We need to go get our contest number, then go to our room and get anda ready.”
“You’re right.” Webby replied, “Lets go.”
Vicky had been watching closely out the window for them. As soon she saw the limousine pull up in front of the hotel she darted off to tell her mother. “Mom! Mom!” She shouted, “They’re here I just saw Webby’s uncle’s limo outside!”
Laura, who was busy greeting contestants turned quickly and snapped, “Vicky! Keep it down!” Then she whispered, “Now go keep an eye on them.”
Soon after they were in their hotel room, they began to hear the announcer call the contestants for the interview portion. “Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the annual Lil’ Miss Duckburg Pageant. And, it’s time to meet contestant number one, Miss Victoria Quackson!”
While Scrooge, Minnie, and daisy unpacked the bags, Webby waited nervously for her name to be called. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. When Minnie answered it, much to her surprise, she saw Mickey standing outside. “Um…Hi-ya Minnie.” He said.
“Hello Mickey.” She said, “What are anda doing here? I thought anda berkata anda were going to your video-game tournament today.”
“Well, I thought about it after I got the phone with anda last night, and decided that keeping my promise was lebih important than winning the tournament.” he said.
“Thank anda Mickey, that means a lot to me.” Minnie replied. Then she leaned over and kissed him and said, “I’ve got to go do Webby’s hair now.”
“Okay I’ll be in the audience, with Donald, Goofy and everybody.” Mickey berkata then left.
Soon after Minnie was done fixing Webby’s hair they heard the announcer call, “It’s time to meet contestant number nine, Miss Honeybunch Muddlefoot!”
“Well Webby, you’re up after Honeybunch.” Minnie said, “I guess it’s time for anda to go backstage and wait your turn.”
“Aye darling you’re up next. Scrooge said, then bent down and hugged her, “Remember it does not matter whether anda win anda atau lose you’re always beautiful to me. Um…Minnie, daisy and I will be in the front row watching anda and everyone else will be in the audience. So remember if anda get even a wee bit nervous on stage we’ll be there.”
daisy laughed, “If anda don’t stop hugging her she’ll miss her turn.”
Minnie tapped him on the shoulder, “Um… Uncle Scrooge, I think you’re lebih nervous than Webby at this point.”
“Aye your right.” He said, “Run along darling.”
As soon as they had left the hotel room Vicky, who had been hiding outside the room spying on them, alerted her mother. When Laura enter the room her eyes quickly fell on the beautiful merah jambu formal with silver Bunga embroider on it, which was laid out across the bed. She walked up to it and took a pair of scissors out of her purse.
When Webby heard her name called she stepped up on the stage. She felt very uneasy at first. Then she looked down into the audience and saw all her friends. Seeing all of the support they represented was a big reassurance to her, and made her feel much less tense.
Down in the audience Scrooge was also feeling very tense. Minnie quickly noticed, she leaned over and whispered, “Don’t worry, she’ll do fine.”
“It’s not that, what worries me. I worry about what tricks Laura has decided pull on my wee Webbigail”, he whispered back.
“Ladies and gentlemen let’s get to know Miss Webbigail Vanderquack!” the announcer said, ”Like always she’ll be asked three randomly selected personal questions. Are anda ready Miss Webbigail?”
“Um…yes?” Webby berkata nervously.
“Okay the first soalan is, if anda could visit any place in the world where would anda go?” berkata the announcer.
“Uh… Well I’ve been to a lotta different places, with my Uncle Scrooge, on treasure hunts and business trips” Webby replied, “but, as far as a kegemaran place I’d like to go on a trip… I guess any place where I’m with my friends.”
“The saat soalan is, if anda could meet any celebrity anda wanted who would it be?” the announcer asked.
“Um… I never thought about that. I guess I’ve met some people who’d be considered celebrities, on trips with Uncle Scrooge. But I don’t really have a kegemaran one that I want to meet.” Webby answered.
“And our third, and final, soalan is; if anda won a million dollars what would anda buy with it?” the announcer said.
“Well, actually I wouldn’t buy anything.” Webby said, “I’d give to people who needed it.”
Meanwhile Laura had returned to the auditorium and heard Webby’s answers. “Drat!” She berkata to herself, “She didn’t give the type jawapan I’d hoped. They must be coaching her on what to say, so she doesn’t sound like a spoiled rich brat.”
As soon as the interview was over they hurried back to the hotel room, so that Webby could change into her formal. When they got back to the room Webby ran over to the katil where her dress had been left. But when she got over to the bed, she was shocked and appalled to see her beautiful formal cut into pieces. “Oh No!” Webby screamed then burst into tears.
After hearing Webby’s yell, Scrooge, Minnie, and daisy all rush over to see what had upset her. “Curse me kilts! What’s wrong darling?!” Scrooge shouted as he ran to her side.
“S-s-somebody ruined my pretty dress!” Webby berkata between sobs as she pointed over at bed.
They all looked down and saw the once lovely formal laying in pieces. “Great now what is she gong to wear?” daisy shouted, “I mean she’s got to have a formal dress, there’s no way around it! Oh, there go my dream down the drain.”
“Daisy, hush!” Minnie snapped “This is no time be complaining, about not being able to fulfill your life long dream of entering a little girl in beauty pageant!”
“Hmph! Well, I guess none cares about my dreams and feelings!” daisy snapped.
Scrooge, who was now sitting on the katil with Webby in his lap, and was trying desperately to comfort her shouted, “Daisy, knock it off, unless ye want me to come over there and knock ya on the head with me cane!”
daisy quickly saw that she was getting no sympathy, “I’m sorry. But who the heck would do this anyway?”
Minnie sighed, “Unfortunately, it isn’t not too hard to figure out who’s behind it.”
“Aye it’s obviously Laura Quackson, who went and ruined my wee Webbigail’s dress. And she will pay, oh yes, that dress cost me a pretty penny; but lebih importantly she made my wee lass cry.” Scrooge said.
“But Uncle Scrooge, how would we even prove Ms. Quackson is behind this?” Minnie asked
“Show everyone the security camera footage of course!” He snapped, “I’m going to go view the camera footage, if Laura Quackson is indeed behind this we’ll have it shown right after the pageant.”
“Um… Alright.” Minnie replied, “But don’t anda need permission from the owner atau manager to view it and tunjuk it?”
“I am the owner.” Scrooge replied.
“Oh, of course, silly me.” Minnie said. “Um… What can I do to help?”
“You need to stay and get Webbigail ready for the seterusnya part of the pageant.” Scrooge answered, “Also call the lads and tell them to keep a close eye on Laura and to let us know if they see her pulling any lebih tricks.”
Webby, who had finally stopped crying, looked up at him and sniffed, “But what about my dress, Uncle Scrooge? I can’t go out in those scraps.”
“Don’t worry dear we’ll get anda a new dress.” Scrooge said, then he called, “Daisy check the other dresses, see if she got those also.”
daisy rushed back to closet and saw that Webby’s theme dress and talent outfit were in pieces also, “Looks like she got ‘em all!” she called.
“Well, I need someone to go to the mall as quickly as possible and buy some replacements for all the dresses.” Scrooge replied.
“Oh, I’ll go!” daisy exclaimed.
“Well, daisy I don’t know… anda have a habit of getting very distracted at the mall.” Scrooge replied.
“I promise I won’t get distracted.” daisy said, “I’ll go right in and come right out.”
“Oh alright.” Scrooge said, as he took a huge roll of dollar bills out of his wallet, then handed daisy eight thousands, “And daisy this money is for buying the dress and nothing else!” he berkata firmly.
“Okey-dokey.” daisy berkata as she grabbed the money from him, and then ran off.
As Scrooge started to leave the room Webby grabbed him sejak the hand, “No, Uncle Scrooge don’t go you’ll miss the rest of my pageant!”
He bent over and hugged her, “Don’t worry dear, I’ll be back in time to see ya on stage.”
As soon as Minnie was off the phone with Mickey she quickly began to fix Webby’s hair and apply her make-up. All the while hoping that daisy would make it back in time with the formal and that Scrooge would find some evidence that would prove Laura guilty.
daisy came running into the hotel room carrying the new dresses just in the knick of time. She and Minnie got Webby dressed as quickly as possible. When they were finished Webby frowned and said, “I can’t go out now, Uncle Scrooge won’t get to see me.”
“Oh Webby honey, I understand that anda want Uncle Scrooge to see you; but if anda don’t go now you’ll miss your turn.” Minnie said.
Then they all overheard the announcer say, “All right let’s hear it for contestant number nine, Miss Honeybunch Muddlefoot!”
“Well honey, it looks like we need to go now.” Minnie said.
Webby hung her head nodded and mumbled, “Okay.”
As Minnie daisy and Webby made their way down the hall, they passed Jane and Honeybunch. Minnie and daisy both noticed that, instead of the ill fitting, revealing formal Honeybunch had been wearing at the store, she was in a beautiful blue dress with an empire waist and silver lace overlay.
Once they were seated Minnie whispered to Daisy, “Oh dear, I hope that Mrs. Muddlefoot didn’t buy that expense dress for Honeybunch just so she would win.”
daisy shrugged, and whispered back, “Like I’ve always said, anda gotta spend money to look pretty.”
Just after Webby was introduced Scrooge rushed into the auditorium and sat down seterusnya to Minnie and Daisy. daisy leaned over and whispered, “So what did anda find out? Is she behind it?”
“Shh… Daisy.” Scrooge whispered, “I’ll explain everything in a moment, but right now I need to keep my promise to my wee Webbigail and watch her walk across that stage.”
Up on the stage Webby was feeling very sad that Scrooge would not be able to see her on stage in her beautiful formal. When she first step out she had to force a smile onto her face, until she looked down in to the audience.
As soon as Laura saw Webby come out in her new formal she knew that her plan had failed, “Drat! They managed to get her another dress! It looks like I’ll have to step up my game.” She berkata to herself.
When the beauty portion was over they rushed back to the hotel room to get Webby ready for the theme portion. “So, did Laura do it atau what?” daisy asked as she buttoned Webby’s safari boots.
“Aye she did.” Scrooge replied, “She’s right there on the camera, clear as crystal, chopping up those wee formals. I also found out that along with the seven thousand nine hundred ninety six dollars and forty seven cents that she owes me for the dresses, she also owes another thirty five cents.”
“Um… Why does she owe anda an extra thirty five cents?” Minnie asked.
“Because I caught her grabbing handfuls of the free mints in the lobby. Scrooge snapped, “It clearly says on the sign take one, those things cost me a whole cent a piece.”
“Oh, I see.” Minnie said, trying to keep from laughing.
Scrooge Minnie and daisy seated themselves in the auditorium just in time to see Honeybunch exit the stage. Again Minnie notice that the safari outfit she was wearing was very flattering to her figure, and not at all like the scanty outfits that were recommended at the luncheon. “Oh my, she bought an expensive theme outfit too.” She said
“Well like I said, I guess she’s learned that you’ve gotta spend money to look good.” daisy replied.
Scrooge only smiled and continued to watch Webby. Minnie and daisy were both a little surprised that he didn’t make any remarks about Jane’s poor spending habits.
