Bobbie Jo's wannabe boyfriend, aspiring journalist Jeff Powers, is looking for a big story in his final week working as a reporter for the Hooterville World Guardian. While Jeff is away from the newspaper's headquarters at Drucker's Store looking for that big story, he misses what may be the biggest story to hit Hooterville in quite some time: Sam and Joe are held up by an armed masked bandit at the store. It is just the first robbery, with the bank in Pixley the next to be hit. As Joe bad mouths Pixley's Sheriff Crandall for not doing enough to stop the bandit, Sheriff Crandall decides to deputize him. Despite being truly frightened as a deputy, Uncle Joe is certain that he could identify the bandit if he saw him again. For example, the bandit is at least a foot taller than the newly checked-in hotel guest, Mr. Lawson. What Uncle Joe and the rest of the family are unaware of is that Mr. Lawson is the bandit. Will Uncle Joe ultimately get his man, who is unknowingly right under his nose? Uncle Joe's newest labor saving device at the hotel, a rubber life raft and hat pin may be just what he needs to catch the crook.
—Huggo