Amy and Tilda Jordan

April 6, 2020

Greetings, Mr. Pinkwater! After many readings and listenings to The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death/Baconburg Horror, we have ascertained that Osgood Sigerson is quite possibly Theobald Galt, Walter’s father, in disguise. The clues are these:

p. 107-8 (the first encounter with Sigerson near Beanbender’s Beer Garden) “…There was something familiar about the muffled voice coming from within the hood. I couldn’t place it…”

Sigerson and Theobald share an addiction to avocados and offer overlapping factoids regarding them.  p. 114 “Many of [the avocado stories] I recognized from my father’s store of information about the disgusting things.:” and “I knew all about the banana-and-avocado fritters in Dar es Salaam…”

A very specific anecdote!

On page 137, Sigerson encourages everyone sitting at the Hasty Tasty to try the raison toast, which he insists is delicious. Walter then narrated, “As a general rule, I don’t eat raisin toast. I don’t know anybody who does, except my father.”

Hmmmmmm!

Osgood Sigerson is described early on as wearing a fake nose and on page 78 as having “…his whole face covered with some kind of white makeup.” Toward the end of the book, on page 152, Theobald is said to keep his collar buttons in an old NOSE PUTTY can. 

Lastly, Walter says that he is “not going with [Theobald] to the annual American Avocado Fancier’s convention, unless it’s definite that Osgood Sigerson is going to be there. My father thinks that Sigerson won’t come. Apparently, they’ve never met. Sigerson seems to make it to the convention only every other year, and somehow those years my father doesn’t go.”

Is this because they are the SAME PERSON??

Was it your intent to beguile us readers with the possibility of a Theobald-Osgood symbiosis? Or is all of the social isolating messing with our heads?

All the best to you and your family. Stay safe. We love you!

Amy and Tilda

Well, you make a very convincing case. I have to agree that it is proven that Osgood is Theobald and vice-versa. The real question is, did I do this on purpose or is it a spectacular coincidence and it all took place in my subconscious. I wish you had brought up this topic before I became old and confused. As things are, I can't remember. Maybe it will come to me. Don't wait around this forum to find out...if I know, I will put a clue in a forthcoming book. (There are a few books forthcoming, and one, still being written, has room for another clue, among the usual bunch of clues.)