Squire Wants a Third Interest in the Store

Originally Aired: August 14, 1935

In Lum & Abner #173, "Squire Wants a Third Interest in the Store,"

Lum and Abner eagerly await the completion of their ambitious new business venture: a store on wheels being built by local blacksmith Caleb Weehunt. The massive mobile store, measuring fourteen feet wide and twenty-four feet long, has the whole town buzzing with excitement. When Lum stops by Abner's house, where Grandpappy Spears is visiting, he brings letters from listeners across the country submitting names for their traveling grocery store contest. Grandpappy expresses concerns about the vehicle's enormous size, warning it will take up the whole road and cause complaints, but Lum and Abner remain enthusiastic. They even discuss making another party line announcement to remind folks to send in their contest entries.

The partners' excitement is momentarily interrupted when Squire Skimp arrives with news. He mentions visiting the blacksmith shop to inspect their new store and acknowledges it's a good idea if properly handled. The conversation shifts to another venture—a silver mine—and Squire begins to reveal he's received a letter from a man named Worthington, setting up what promises to be an interesting proposition.