an unusual Mickey

[Ari Seppi]

Marco:
>At the beginning, Chief O'Hara rings up Mickey for help. This is very 
>common, as we all know. Very unusual is however Mickey's answer: OK, he 
>says, I'm going to help you. But I'm a private detective, I'm currently 
>working on a (paid) case, and if I have to use my time to help you then 
>you too must pay.
>
>So the first question is: is this the original dialogue? Are there other 
>stories where Mickey gets paid by the police for his help?

I don't have the original or even Finnish reprint at hand, but I wouldn't be
surprised if Mickey really asked for money. After all in these Mickey
Mystery -stories
[ http://coa.duckburg.dk/coa/c1/comp2.php?lg=0&default_o=1&ser=Mickey+Mystery ]
Mickey has a detective agency of his own, he dresses like a traditional
detective and the stories are more Philip Marlowe like than usual
Mickey stories.

What is really a pity is that Mickey being so unpopular in Finland,
this series was not completely published here.

>Then the plot carries on, and we reach the end. No more mention of the 
>payment. But in the last three panels there is a strange dialogue between 
>Mickey and O'Hara. O'Hara offers Mickey a steak, or a mixed grill, or a 
>toast; Mickey refuses and says he will go home to eat a raw carrot. There 
>is probably a reasonable pun on the misuse of fire (remember? The whole 
>story is about a firebug), that explains why Mickey won't eat a steak 
>(cooked on fire) or even a mixed grill (cooked on fire) but why not a toast?

I seem to remember that Finnish reprint had the same end discussion so
that was probably in the original as well. And as for the toast, well, toasts
are usually toasted which is fire/heat related.

-- 
Ari Seppi (ari.seppi at iki.fi)
http://www.iki.fi/mani/
Winnie the Pooh is my great guru.