Chapter 18 Summary

Since the casualties resulting from the children's peashooter campaign are quite heavy, the trucks are forced to retreat. This creates a traffic situation reminiscent of the time before the trucks. People start doing errands again. Women begin to drive again. People flirt, and some even marry. The pushcarts also do more business in the first day than they have in years.

The Three are terribly concerned about this joy the people are feeling at the absence of the trucks. The Three do not want people to grow accustomed to streets without trucks, so they call the mayor and demand he do something about this Pea Shooter Campaign. The mayor agrees to the City Council suggestion of putting a tax on tacks for people under twenty-one. Moe argues that some of the local stores and fashion magazines have been selling a hat that is...