“On Texas Street”
by Ernest Haycox
Little,
Brown & Co., 1942
Originally appearing in the Dec. 1932 issue
of Collier’s, “On Texas Street” is an appealing literary Western about
Lee Bowie. Bowie is a cow-puncher with Texas’ Star Cross Ranch. After delivering
1,800 cattle to Abilene, Kansas, Bowie is stumbling his way to a decision about
the man he is, a trail drover, and what he may want to be: a driftless family
man.
Haycox
stirs a little action into the narrative, even a shooting—although it is
off-page—along with the real-life Abilene lawman, Tom Smith. What makes “On
Texas Street” shine are its emotional sense, its real-world low-key drama, and
its small but colorful cast of characters.
Which is to say, “On
Texas Street” is far from a traditional shoot-’em-up Western, but it is a fine story with enough plot to keep most readers hooked.
“On Texas Street” appeared in the story collection,
Murder on the Frontier, along with eight more of Haycox’s tales published
by Collier’s in the 1930s and early-1940s.
Haven't read this one. Thanks for the heads up! Haycox is a peerless western writer. One of my top favorites.
ReplyDeleteHey, Steve! I hadn't read any of Haycox's work until maybe a month ago and now I've read a short a novel and dozen or so of his stories. And I agree. He is peerless. Stylistically, he was well ahead of his time with his lean, powerful prose, and his stuff is smart, too. I'm planning to read more of his work.
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