Word: aken
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Since four-fifths of Cook County, Ill. consists of the city of Chicago, which has a school superintendent of its own, life in the County Superintendent's office has its dull moments. For six years those moments have been enlivened by paunchy, grey-haired Otto Aken and dapper young Noble Puffer. Up to 1933 both were assistant superintendents. When the Superintendent died a Democratic school board appointed Mr. Aken to fill out the unexpired term. But before the next election wily Noble Puffer elbowed his superior out of Democratic graces, won the nomination. Superintendent Aken accused him of falsifying...
Superintendent Aken took to the courts, got an injunction on technicalities restraining the sheriff from ousting him from his $12,000 per year job even when his term ended...
There was, however, no restraint on Noble Puffer. Rounding up his wife, his lawyers and a party of burly friends, he returned to the office. Picking up what records they could lug, the Aken forces retreated to an inner office, barricaded the door...
...outer office, Noble Puffer entrenched himself. He cut off Mr. Aken's telephone. When Mr. Aken's secretary left her desk, he popped his own secretary into her seat. Finally he took out what records had not been carried into the inner office, shortly announced that in eight months Mr. Aken had used up all but $69.50 of the year's appropriation for extra office help...
...inner office, equipped with bath, Mr. Aken made the best of his isolation. Leaning out the window, he shouted down eleven floors to newshawks on the street: "I'm in the real office with all the records. I'm carrying on the job of County Superintendent. See, I'm working on my annual report...