The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Evil Eye by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Chapter 2
Oh, How the Mighty Have Fallen
    â€œUh-oh,” said Scout Brother when he saw Ralph Ripoff setting up his little swindle table right there in the center of town near the police station. Brother and his fellow scouts had come to do some merit-badge research at the library, which was next to the police station.
    â€œHe’s been warned to stay out of town with those crooked games and tricks of his,” said Scout Fred.
    â€œLooks like he’s selling something,” said Scout Sister.
    â€œLet’s go see what it is,” said Scout Lizzy.
    A small crowd had gathered around Ralph. The Bear Scouts joined the crowd. “Four-leaf clovers for sale!” cried Ralph. “Four-leaf clovers for sale! Get your four-leaf clovers here! One for a dime! Three for a quarter! Step right up and buy yourself a million dollars’ worth of luck for one thin dime!”
    Brother stepped right up and said, “Here’s a dime, Ralph. I’ll take one of those four-leaf clovers.”
    â€œWhat are you doing?” whispered Sister. “You know what a cheat Ralph is!”
    â€œI know exactly what I’m doing,” said Brother, holding out his dime.
    â€œWell, if it isn’t my favorite cubs, the Bear Scouts,” said Ralph. “Here you are! One genuine four-leaf clover, guaranteed to bring you luck. Why don’t you get some for your friends? They’re three for a quarter,you know. Then you’ll have enough for the whole troop.”
    â€œNo thanks,” said Brother. “One will be enough for my purposes.”
    â€œWhat purposes?” asked Sister.
    Brother led the troop off to the side and looked closely at the four-leaf clover. “Just as I thought!” he said. “Leave it to Ralph to know how to make a three-leaf clover into a four-leaf clover!”
    â€œA three-leaf clover into a four-leaf clover?” said Fred. “That’s impossible.”
    â€œNot for Ralph,” said Brother. “Here, look.” The rest of the troop looked.
    â€œWell, I’ll be!” said Sister.
    â€œHow about that!” said Fred.
    Here’s how Ralph made three-leaf clovers into four-leaf clovers:

    1. An ordinary three-leaf clover.

    2. Split one of the three leaves down the center.

    3. Round off the corners of the split leaf.

    4. A guaranteed Ralph-style four-leaf clover.
    â€œRalph better get moving,” said Lizzy. “Somebody’s going for Chief Bruno.”
    â€œLet me have your notebook, Fred,” said Brother. Fred handed it to him. Brother opened it to a blank page and wrote a short note. He pushed through the crowd, tore off the note, and handed it to Ralph.
    This is what the note said:

    â€œGood grief!” said Ralph. “I must leave you good folks. A personal catastrophe has called me away. My houseboat has broken loose and is roaring down the river.”
    It was a lie, of course. Lies flowed from Ralph’s lips like water from a tap. Ralph did live in a houseboat, but it was stuck in the mud so deep that it would have taken a tugboat to pull it loose.
    Ralph folded up his swindle table, stuffed his fake four-leaf clovers into a plastic bag, and made a fast getaway. The scouts followed.
    â€œI want to thank you chaps,” said Ralph as the Bear Scouts caught up and fell into step with him.
    â€œReally?” said Brother.
    â€œAbsolutely!” said Ralph. “Your timely warning may have saved me considerable inconvenience—perhaps even a night in the hoosegow.”
    â€œWhat about embarrassment?” said Brother.
    â€œEmbarrassment?” said Ralph.
    â€œYes,” said Brother, “the embarrassment of trying to sell those poor, pitiful, fake four-leaf clovers.”
    â€œBrother’s right. You couldn’t fool a fire hydrant with those four-leaf clovers,” said Sister as they passed a fire hydrant.
    â€œOr a gumball machine,” said Fred as they passed a gumball