[Gutenberg 44079] • Sudden Jim

Wood-product manufacturer "Clothespin Jimmy" Ashe thinks that fifty years of hard work have been quite enough and is determined to retire in style. He takes all but a few thousand dollars from the holdings of his small Michigan factory and turns over operations to a reluctant new president: his namesake son. Young Jim Ashe has worked on the line during summer vacations and in a newspaper office but has no idea how to run a clothespin factory. But a spur-of-the-moment decision within minutes of taking charge earns him the nickname "Sudden Jim" and immediate respect from his workers. Little by little, the young man learns the intricacies and dangers of local politics, manufacturing cooperatives, and unrequited love.