“Beyond the Frontier” by Dorothy M. Johnson

 

It was right that Edwards should think of Blossom first; she was his wife. She was standing in the yard in front of the still smoking log house, her long skirts blowing, her hands up to her mouth in a theatrical gesture that said Rancher’s Wife Waiting for Husband’s Return After Indian Raid.

How have I missed this story?

I am a fan of Miss Johnson. “The Lost Sister” and “The Hanging Tree” are acknowledged classics, but this little gem escaped me until now.

It packs a wallop of character in its brief page count. There is more limned in single sentences than many novelists pack into overthick covers.

Art, craft, narrative force—packed tight.

Simply superlative.