Down in Nile township one, Albert Pyles, gang township boss, is wondering how it came about that he was not made deputy sheriff under John Eckhart. He thought he had the place cinched. He had not been a candidate in the first place, but Boss Philo Clark, Postmaster Charlie Hard, Attorney R. C. Myers and other lesser lights had told him he had been picked for the job, and so he had come to believe it. But alas! When Boss Clark drew out a deputy sheriff for John Eckhart his name read “Pete” Smith instead of Albert Pyles.
This is the fourth or fifth time that Albert has gotten in readiness to move wither to town to act as deputy sheriff or to the county infirmary to act as superintendent. Each time he had had to unpack his goods and take Clark soothing syrup labeled “next time.” He had gotten used to the taste by this time and eagerly comes up for more.
Any why didn’t Albert get to be deputy sheriff? Why, John Eckhart, and he ought to know, says Clark told him to name “Pete” Smith and there was nothing else to it but Peter.1
