The Game

 

cover art by A.L. Ripley

Read/Watch 'em In Order #180

Tom Gill was a forester and aviator, which sounds pretty cool. Though it's not, of course, as cool as writing for the pulps. He wrote both fiction and non-fiction for the pulps and the slicks from the 1920s until the 1940s.

"The Game," published in the January 10, 1926 of Adventure, is a fun tale. It involves an American army captain stationed in California. He's held in disdain by the rich Mexican ranchers who live in the area. This becomes a problem when he falls in love with the daughter of one of those ranchers.

The story is narrated by the captain's loyal servant, who tells the tale in an entertaining conversational style. It's a fun structure--one of those stories that sounds like it needs to be read aloud to be properly appreciated.

There's another Mexican rich guy who has been promised the daughter's hand. The captain refuses to accept this, leading to a duel, a rescue from a convent and an act of honor & courage from an unexpected source.

You can read it yourself HERE.

One more story to go to finish up this issue of Adventure.