A Prospector and Five Spunky Orphans

 

Read/Watch 'em In Order #129

We continue our journey through the May 1927 issue of Frontier Stories with yet another visit to the gold fields.

Last time, we looked at a story that had a couple of pages missing from the online copy I'm using. That story was set in gold country without ever identifying the specific area. This week's story--"King of the Thundering Bar, by Robert V. Carr--uses the same technique. We don't know exactly where this takes place. References to hydraulic machinery place it in the late 19th/early 20th Century, but the Wild West feel is still very strong. 

In fact, when Jake Ender hits a rich vein on his claim, the villains are worried about simply being shot outright if they try to claim-jump him. So they come up with a two-layered plan. First, they hire a couple of the local riff-raff to post new claim notices over Jake's. This riff-raff will then leave town, after selling their new "claim" to the main villain. With an extra layer of protection from the actual dirty work, the villain figures he can get the local sherriff involved to back him up when he forces Jake off the property.

Jake, by the way, is a thiry-year veteran of the gold fields. He's essentially a kind-hearted and generous man who will pause in his work to go into town for a drunken bender every so often, then return to work. Aside from those benders, though, he's hard-working and organized. He's using the gold that he's dug up to stock up on supplies and he spends his downtime on the claim reading.

So when he discovers five hungry orphans in his cabin when he gets back from his latest bender, he's well-equipped to take care of them.

Everyone in this story has a name that drips with symbolism or otherwise identifies characters for who they are. Jake is soon being called Daddy Jake by the kids. The kids are all named after jewels--Diamond, Ruby, etc--because they are soon priceless jewels in the eyes of Jake. The villains get the best names--Bird T. Whippet, Tricky Trimmer, Harelip Pike and Scratchy Brown. Two stalwart friends of Jake are David Strong and Bill Oak. It's like an Old West version of Pilgrim's Progress in this regard. 

It must be said that the various characters are pretty much one-dimensional, with each of them serving a specific purpose in terms of plot and theme. But, within context of this story, the characters still mesh together in a satisfying way. Jake takes to fatherhood right away and soon discovers that his desire to go on drunken benders has evaporated. But "there is a recompense that more than pays for the loss of his old freedom." Jake discovers that he loves the responsibilities of being having a family. It's corny, but the story makes it work.

Also, the dialogue is fun to read, especially the lines delivered by chief villain Bird T. Whippet. And the ending is very satisfying. Loathsome villians all get an apporpriate comupannce and there's a nice twist when we learn exactly why Whippet's legal manueverings are doomed to failure. 

Finally, if you ever meet one of Jake's kids--DON'T HIT HIM. It won't end well for you.

You can read this story online HERE.