Short Story Short Take: "Gunman's Christmas"

“We don’t judge a man by the blood he was borned with. We measure him by the blood he’s got in his veins now, ‘cause we figure he made it whatever it is—good or bad.”

I write of this Christmas tale in the month of August as it was my first encounter with the work of Caddo Cameron [the penname of Charles Beeler.] It's a quaint tale with heart, and has the feel of hard-earned authenticity.

That authenticity likely comes from Beeler's own experience working ranches and railroads in the late 1800s.

In this story no new roads are paved, but the old roads feel legit and with the backing of the Yuletide setting it resonates.