Chiefs Read Free

American history, but Foxy could still, with some justification, say he had built it with his own hands.
    So people respected Foxy. But they also thought he was crazy.
    Foxy was certainly an eccentric, but there was considerable tolerance for eccentricity among the people of small towns like Delano, Georgia. Discipline? Foxy was congenitally incapable pf requesting anything. Holmes had a brief vision of people driving their automobiles on the sidewalks and shooting each other just to spite Foxy.
    “You know, Foxy, I’m not authorized to hire anybody. I’ve only been conducting a search on behalf of the council. I’d suggest you make application in writing to the council, and I’ll see that it gets the council’s full attention.” Holmes would certainly do that.
    This clearly seemed an orderly and efficient procedure to Foxy. “You’ll have my application today, Holmes,” he barked, and with a curt farewell Foxy Funderburke marched out of the office and the bank.
    Holmes took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. And people wondered why he was almost entirely gray at forty-five.
    One of the tellers stuck his head in and said, “A man wants to open an account.” At the thought of a familiar request Holmes revived. He greeted the new customer warmly. He could, in fact, have kissed him.

    Chapter 2.
    THE REGULAR weekly meeting of the City Council of Delano was duly convened at 4:00 P. M . on December 31, 1919. Present were Hugh Holmes, banker; J. P. Johnson, Coca-Cola bottler; Frank Mudter, Doctor of Medicine; Ben Birdsong, druggist; Willis Greer, city manager and honorary member; Lamar Maddox, undertaker (or funeral director, as he preferred to be called); and Idus Bray, peach farmer, landlord, money lender, and co-proprietor of the Delano Telephone Company.
    The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved, the treasurer’s report (Ben Birdsong’s), showing an estimated end-of-year surplus of $6,300, was read and approved, and a motion for an extension of the sewerage system to Lower Fourth Street was made, seconded, and approved by all but Idus Bray, who changed his vote when it was pointed out to him that new sewerage extensions meant new houses, which would require new telephones. Hugh Holmes, as acting chairman, asked for further business. There was none. Holmes cleared his throat and assumed a look which the others had come to learn meant there was serious business afoot which would likely be settled to Holmes’s satisfaction before the meeting was done.
    “The council has two applications for the position of chief of police.” There was a loud sigh from Idus Bray. Several chairs creaked as their occupants assumed new positions to indicate their willingness to settle down and resolve a matter which has been hanging over the council for nearly a year.
    Idus Bray said wearily, “You going to start that again, Hugh? This county has a sheriff. A good sheriff.”
    J. P. Johnson cut in. “Skeeter Willis lives in Greenville. That’s twenty-two miles up the road, and you know as well as I do that Skeeter won’t get out of bed for anything less than a shooting.”
    Holmes cut the discussion short. “Gentlemen, this council passed a resolution eight months ago that a chief of police would be procured for Delano. Unless somebody wants to introduce a motion repealing that resolution, this discussion is out of order. The matter now before the council is who the man will be. As I said before, the council has two applications.”
    “Experienced men?” asked Ben Birdsong.
    Holmes’s reply had an air of finality about it. “During the past eight months I have talked either in person or on the telephone with twenty-one chiefs all over the state and in Alabama, asking for recommendations. A total of fourteen men were mentioned. Six of them were interested enough to come and talk with me about it. None of the six wanted the job. I have come to the conclusion that it is not possible to attract an