The Road to Apology

Perhaps you thought you'd heard all there was to tell about my little Iowa town when you read A Shot Heard 'Round. Well, so did I, but I do believe we missed a few good tales, so I'm telling them here.

Apology is a small Iowa town of five hundred or so, located in southern Corwith County. Its citizens are generally good people, and they won't hesitate to tell you that if you have a mind to ask. They're God-fearing souls, and come in a wide assortment of size and peculiarities. The town is a tad over a mile long, and people are especially proud of the business district. There's Merle's Grocery Store, Shilling's Barbershop, Rutland's General Store, Anita's Cafe, the Post Office, and Duffy's Tavern, all conveniently located right on Main Street in the middle of town. St. John's Church is up at the east end, just across the street from the water tower, and the big grain elevator sits just north of the downtown, looking down over Fremont Lumber and Supply.

Mayor Owen Fuller runs the town, and Sheriff Everett Hiram, a bit of a rogue, is perfectly content to let Owen live under that illusion. Old Duke McCalley, Everett's use-only-when-desperate deputy, keeps the sheriff's days interesting with his often-zany antics. Then there's town busybody fat Viola Vanderhoff, farmer Irk Hickenlooper, saintly Father John Coleman, avid fisherman Flem Frederickson, gentle giant Tiny Fremont, ace mechanic Plit Butler, skyward-sprawling Tall George Himmel, meek killer Olaf Clancy, deadly pistoleers Deke and Durham Petler, chubby cafe owner Anita Biningham, retired pest exterminator Phil Granger, veterinarian Taylor Cantrell, grocer Merle Oaken, and scowling Grumpy Donahue. And there's many more. So what say you start turning these pages and find out what they're up to today.