Wednesday, April 10, 2024

“THE SECRET OF MACARGER’S GULCH” by Ambrose Bierce

 


Nevertheless, there was something lacking. I had a sense of comfort, but not of security. I detected myself staring more frequently at the open doorway and blank window than I could find warrant for doing. Outside these apertures all was black, and I was unable to repress a certain feeling of apprehension as my fancy pictured the outer world and filled it with unfriendly entities, natural and supernatural - chief among which, in their respective classes, were the grizzly bear, which I knew was occasionally still seen in that region, and the ghost, which I had reason to think was not. Unfortunately, our feelings do not always respect the law of probabilities, and to me that evening, the possible and the impossible were equally disquieting.

A Ghost Story disguised as a Western story.

We find this one buried in Bierce’s collection Can Such Things Be?

I’ve enjoyed Bierce and I have also found some of his work to be slight.

This one falls into the latter category.

Caveat: One of my faults, I do not enjoy the subtle oblique ghost stories of M.R. James.

If you do, your tolerance for this tale may be higher.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Last Scout by Wade Everett

  “Another thing too,” he said. “A man picks his work because he is what he is. When a man ain't afraid to try himself, to find out what...