Oh, right, I didn't get the point of your enquiry.
What the others have said: literally the phrase is just a more colourful way of saying: "...are the harm or trouble." But I'd say
Mith is also right that it's
really a euphemism for "...are the
devil" (which you probably wouldn't be allowed to say in a kid's book of that time).
And it *is* an actual, documented expression.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by The Concise Oxford
mischief 5. a person or thing responsible for harm or annoyance ("that loose connection is the mischief").
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