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From an unknown date in February 1948. Join in a story that has been brewing over the previous weeks.
Ben Withers, town constable, tells Lum about an ongoing game of cards in town. Besides the gambling, it seems Ben is also witness to cheating at the game. Grandpappy has been locked up, and carrying on, creating a disturbance among the peace loving regular inmates.
We learn a little about how grandpap had been temporarily made deputy, and abused all sorts of obscur laws, and trying to unrightly arrest law abiding citezens. Lum changes the topic to a past due grocery bill that grand pap owes him. Cedric enters to iron out his confusion over what taxes are. We learn of an auction of property to cover delinquent taxes. If those aren’t priced too badly Cedric might evebn buy a box of those things.
Down at the jail house, we witness grandpap in full swing, as he complains, and rattles the bars of his cell. Will his noise disrupt the auction? The auctioneer does his best in between grandpaps uprisings. What are all these lots? Who owns them? Does grandpap know that he’s bidding against himself?
Lum’s comment at the end of the episode is a curious one: Tuffy (Abner’s name in real life) evidently has been absent from the program, apparently for some time, judging by the tone of Lum’s voice.
Reckon ol’ Tuff had been ailin’, or mebbe away visitin’ Fred down in Texas?