Drive that tunnel through, whatever the cost
Hard Money is quite an early Luke Short, the eleventh
of fifty-three Western novels. It was first serialized in the magazine Argosy in 1938 under the title of Golden Acres.
Many
Luke Shorts were knowledgeably based on one or other aspect of working in the
West, cattle driving, mining, freighting and so on, and this one is about
tunneling. The hard money of the title is the capital that self-made-man
Charles Bonal is trying, with great difficulty, to raise in order to drive
through a tunnel which will drain a number of rich mines which are being
flooded. So we get quite a lot of interesting info on nineteenth century
tunneling, though lightly presented and not over-technical.
But the
real hero is Phil Seay, a younger version of Bonal who has made his way in all
sorts of métiers in the West and is
now running a saloon he has won from the previous owner at faro. Bonal
recognizes his qualities and recruits him (by winning the saloon in his turn).
Seay turns out to be an outstanding tunnel boss who rapidly earns the respect
of his crew. Of course there is a cave-in (deliberately caused), allowing Seay
to move heaven and lots of earth to save the trapped workmen, earning their
undying (for they survive) gratitude.
Luke Short
Naturally,
too, Bonal has an attractive daughter, Sharon, and equally naturally Seay
gradually falls for her despite mutual dislike at first. As is also
conventional, there is another, slightly racier dame, Vannie, and Seay dallies
with her before finally realizing that true love lies in the arms of Sharon.
The evil
mine boss out to thwart (no other word but thwart
will do) the Bonal/Seay tunnel scheme and cash in for himself is a muscular
villain, Feldhake, backed up by various flunkies and henchpersons. There is a final confrontation. You may
guess who wins out.
Yes, all
pretty conventional, I suppose, and there is little original or new about the
resourceful Western hero who, through grit and skill, outwits the bad guys and
gets the girl. But Hard Money, like
all Luke Short books, is well written, tightly plotted, authentic and it
rattles along. The characters are strong and appear real people, with their
weaknesses as well as strengths.
Definitely
worth a read, e-pards.
Other Luke Short novels reviewed on this blog:
Coroner Creek
Dead Freight for Piute (filmed as Albuquerque)
Other Luke Short novels reviewed on this blog:
Coroner Creek
Dead Freight for Piute (filmed as Albuquerque)
No comments:
Post a Comment