Taking Crazy Chances

 

cover art by Peter Stevens

A blog worth reading (well, other than mine, of course) is Rough Edges, in which author and master storyteller James Reasoner will review the sort of fiction I love and often add to my list of "Stuff I Gotta Read." A recent entry, found HERE, reviewed the June 1947 issue of Adventure. Reasoner mentioned one particular story--a boxing yarn by Clifton Adams--that sounded like more fun than a barrel full of oil workers.

"The Crazy Kind" is set in the oil fields of Oklahoma and narrated in the style of someone casually telling the story to friends, full of humor as it moves the plot along swiftly.

The unnamed narrator is an oil worker along with his best friend Ed Burk. Ed was once cheated out of valuable land by their foreman, big and brutal Hack Lawson. Ed is someone the narrator classifies as the "crazy kind." In Ed's case, it's because he gambles but always loses. "In fact, Ed don't miss anything that there's a chance to lose money on."

Soon, they meet new guy Duke Hastings. The Duke is another of the crazy kind--in this case a greenhorn who thinks that anyone who works in oil in Oklahoma is bound to strike it rich.

The Duke has a run-in with Hack Lawson, who gives Duke an under-the-belt shot to take him down. 

But Ed finds out that the Duke was a boxer back in Chicago. So he comes up with the idea of setting up a Duke/Hack rematch in the ring, knowing the arrogant Hack would take bets while giving really good odds. Ed scraped up enough money for a large bet. 

Ed's plan goes awry when Hack finds out the Duke has bad legs. If the fight goes more than three rounds, the Duke's gams would give out.

This fun story, written in easy, humorous prose and ending with an exciting and brutal boxing match, is worth reading. I appreciate Mr. Reasoner sharing its existence with us. 

You can read the story yourself HERE to see how it all plays out.