Somebody's Business (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781432895440)

Jocelyn Pladson buys the livery stable in Skiddy to aid the widow of the previous owner. Citified newcomers with shady pasts and newly invented motorcars, Maretta Rudd and J. L. Cochran intend to replace the livery with a motorcar business. Fools, who ignore too soon the need for horses and mules in transportation and farm work. Maretta preaches the livery is smelly, antiquated. J.L. aims for a seat on town council to bolster their plan. While Jocelyn persuades others to not vote for him, he arranges a 4th of July celebration to win votes. A mad dog running through the frightened crowd ends the festivities early. A horse race J.L. bet a fortune on is canceled. Rom, the teenage boy Jocelyn took in and raised, offers a race between his mule and J.L.'s Oldsmobile. The winner? J.L., furious, hires hoodlums to demolish Jocelyn's livery, expecting blame to land on them alone. No dice. Prison for J.L. looms, and Maretta leaves town. Jocelyn plans to keep the Skiddy property, the land, for a promising future.