Best Face Forward

Jared DeWhite tries to convince Sarah Prachett that adults invented the Civil War, both world wars, and other historical events to keep children from becoming too intelligent. Sarah calls his conspiracy theories ridiculous, and their argument grows so heated that Connie separates them at Whit’s End.

Whit announces that Mark Herring, an author bicycling across the country for a book called Handlebars Across America, plans to visit the next day. Connie immediately imagines the national attention Whit’s End might receive. She decides that everyone must give Herring a perfectly friendly, educational, and orderly impression of the shop.

Elsewhere, Cody Carper and Jared discover that Cody has accidentally left his dog, Rambo, loose in the backyard with the gate open. They find the dog in Bernard Walton’s yard beside a newly planted pear tree that has been chewed apart. Cody knows he was responsible for watching Rambo and fears the consequences if Bernard or his parents learn what happened.

When Cody approaches Bernard, he discovers that Bernard blames deer for the ruined tree. Jared urges Cody to accept this unexpected escape, but Cody’s guilt remains. Jared therefore helps him create an official-looking letter claiming that Bernard has won a thirty-dollar lawn-decoration prize. Cody plans to include a nursery gift certificate that will secretly replace the tree without anyone discovering the truth.

At Whit’s End, Connie gives the children an enormous list of rules and assigns them to carefully arranged activity areas. She even rehearses a scene in which Sarah, Jared, and Cody appear to be cheerful friends enjoying the shop’s free attractions. An electrician works nearby while the kids repeat their artificial conversation and Connie tries to make every detail convincing.

Whit objects that their elaborate performance will not show the real Whit’s End. Connie argues that they simply want to be on their best behavior for an important visitor. Whit asks why they are trying so hard to impress a man who will spend only one day with them when God is always present and sees every choice they make.

His question changes Cody’s understanding of the damaged tree. The gift certificate may pay for a replacement, but secret payment cannot make the lie right. Cody realizes that God already knows what happened, even if Bernard and his parents never discover it. He decides to confess despite Jared’s warning that he may be grounded and forced to repay the remaining cost.

Cody tells Bernard that Rambo destroyed the tree and accepts responsibility for leaving the gate open. Bernard thanks him for the apology, then hands back the thirty dollars with a playful letter announcing that Cody has won a prize for owning Odyssey’s most mischievous dog. Bernard had recognized Cody’s scheme because the envelope called him Barney. He values Cody’s honest apology far more than the hidden money.

Mark Herring appears not to have arrived by closing time. Then the electrician reveals that he has been Herring all along. Whit had warned him about Connie’s planned production, so Herring came in disguise to observe Whit’s End as it truly operates. He is genuinely an electrician when he is not writing books, making the disguise especially convincing.

Herring has also heard Jared’s rumor that he secretly travels in a comfortable camper instead of cycling. Jared launches into his larger theory about adults deceiving children and cites a book filled with supposed conspiracies. Herring reveals that he wrote that book too, then playfully leads Jared outside to discuss imaginary microphones hidden in restaurant decorations. Connie worries about what the author will make of Whit’s End, while Whit jokes that their own microphones are hidden in the lamps.