“I just saw Comer,” Marty announced, his eyes
hot, his voice contained. “He’s givin’ us till sundown to clear out of town.”
Nobody spoke for a minute. Ernie found them watching
him, but he kept silent. There are times you can advise men, and times you can’t.
Luke Short wrote many a fine formulary Western. They are often
Noir-ish in tone, but he always strived for that bit more than assembly-line
feel. He was a great admirer of Ernest Haycox and wanted to infuse his stories
with something a bit more, to render them beyond just disposable western
fodder.
This story is the only Short tale that made the Top 100 Western Short Story
list, but I must confess the brevity emphasizes Short’s formulary elements over
his ability with tone and shading of events.
It is not a bad tale, but comparing the author to himself, he has
produced far better work.
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