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The mystery of the missing eyebrows: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition

The mystery of the missing eyebrows: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.

Published by Pop Culture Files••3 min read•Automatically generated · review not guaranteed
AI-generated editorial illustration — not a photograph of the subject
AI-generated editorial illustration — not a photograph of the subject

The mystery of the missing eyebrows is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Rudd, Stephen.

Catalogue synopsis

Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:

"The mystery of the missing eyebrows" by Stephen Rudd is a juvenile detective novel written in the early 20th century. The story follows Renfro Horn, an alert newspaper carrier whose curiosity about eerie lights at a dilapidated country house, a grim old hunter, and a prowler at a judge’s window soon tangles with the kidnaping of Judge Wier’s daughter. A strange, telling clue—frozen fragments of a man’s eyebrows stuck to a windowpane—propels Renfro’s amateur investigation. Aimed at young readers, it blends small‑town intrigue, Boy Scout camaraderie, and the hustle of route work into a brisk, clue‑driven adventure. The opening of the novel introduces Renfro’s world: he spots illegal game on Captain Pete Hall, notices mysterious lights in the old Hall mansion, and hears a rumor-laced past about Pete’s outlaw brother. To justify frequent trips past the house, Renfro buys a notoriously bad paper route and is christened “Hooch” by the route manager, meeting an odd Scotsman with an airedale named Lang Tammy and witnessing a squat stranger peeping into Judge Wier’s window. When Helen Wier is abducted without a sound, the police brush off Renfro’s report, but he secures a concrete clue—two frozen eyebrow patches peeled from the frosted pane—and secretly stashes them with the help of Mary, the loyal housemaid. Seeking more leads, he visits the Hall place at night, notes evasive answers from Captain Pete, and later joins Boy Scouts on an overnight at Twin Cedar Cabin near the Hall land, where large boot and dog tracks (and possibly smaller prints) suggest recent intruders and eerie lights flicker over reputed Indian graves. In the final moments of this opening, a mishap destroys the footprint evidence, leaving Renfro with only his eyebrow clue and growing suspicions to pursue.

Book and edition facts

  • Title: The mystery of the missing eyebrows
  • Author credits: Rudd, Stephen
  • Catalogue language: English

Catalogue subjects

  • Detective and mystery stories
  • Newspaper carriers -- Juvenile fiction

Gutenberg collections

  • Category: Children & Young Adult Reading
  • Category: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery
  • Category: Novels

Read this edition

View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.

Source notes

Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.

Sources

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