For this paper, I chose the short story author Bret Harte. I had never heard of
him before we read his story “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” for class, but I
enjoyed that story, so I thought he would be interesting to read. I read five
stories, “The Luck of Roaring Camp,” “Miggles,” “Tennessee’s Partner,” “The Idyl
of Red Gulch,” and “Brown of Calaveras.” In these stories, two common themes
appeared. They were the theme that hidden beauty exists in the mining camps and
frontier towns and the theme that miners and men of the west are not as tough as
they may look.
“The Luck of Roaring Camp” is about the son of a prostitute. His mother dies in
childbirth, so the mining camp he is born in decides to raise him. The boy is
taken care of by a miner named Stumpy using milk from a donkey. Another miner
named Kentuck also helps with the boy. The miners name the boy Tommy Luck or
“the Luck” for short, because they feel that he brings good luck to their camp.
The first winter after the Luck was born is a hard one. With the added amount of
snow, the rivers and streams around the mining camp begin to flood. One night,
the river closest to the camp floods, sweeping away the cabin where Stumpy and
the Luck live. Kentuck tries to rescue the boy, but ends up dying with the boy
in his arms. His final words are, “Tell the boys I’ve got the Luck with me now”
(Harte 14).
“Miggles” is about some people traveling by stage. A flood destroys the bridge
they need to cross to reach their destination, so they are told to stop at
Miggles. When they arrive, Miggles’ house is deserted so they let themselves
inside. As they enter the house, they see a mentally handicapped paralytic. They
are confused and don’t know what to do, until a young woman comes in and tells
them she is Miggles and the man is Jim. She fixes them dinner, and lets them
spend the night. She tells them how she was once a saloon girl, and one night
Jim came into her room perfectly normal but collapsed onto the sofa, unable to
move or speak. She felt sorry for him, so she moved out into the country to take
care of him. The next day, the travelers leave with images in their heads of the
pretty young girl tied to the crippled older man.
“Tennessee’s Partner” is about a man named Tennessee and a man known only as
Tennessee’s Partner. Tennessee is suspected of being a thief, so one night, he
is captured and given a trial. Tennessee’s Partner comes to offer a bribe to
save him, but it is of no use. The verdict of the trial is still guilty. After
the men hang Tennessee, Tennessee’s Partner takes him and buries him at their
house. At the end of the story, Tennessee’s Partner dies. As he dies, he is
reunited with Tennessee.
“The Idyl of Red Gulch” is about a pretty young schoolteacher in a frontier
town. One day, she comes across a drunken man underneath an azalea bush, and
tries to cover his head with his hat. He doesn’t want to wear his hat so he
takes it off. She then tells him to go home and take a bath. For the next few
months, the drunken man begins to show favor towards the teacher. He brings her
flowers, and carries water for her. At the end of the story, the teacher is
getting ready to leave for San Francisco for the summer when the single mother
of one of her students comes to her, and begs her to adopt her son. She tells
her that the father of the boy is the drunken man. The teacher leaves for San
Francisco with the boy, never to return.
“Brown of Calaveras” is about the gambler Hamlin who sees a pretty lady on the
stage on his way home to Calaveras. The woman is the wife of a comrade of his,
Mr. Brown. She has come out to California to find her husband. The couple buys a
hotel, and Mrs. Brown becomes very popular. One night, Hamlin comes to pay the
Browns a visit. Mr. Brown takes him upstairs and confides in him that the couple
is having marital problems. Hamlin has come to run away with Mrs. Brown, but he
decides not to do it. He tells Mr. Brown to leave the country and to try to save
his marriage.
One of the themes in all of these stories is that of hidden beauty in the mining
camps and frontier towns. In “The Luck of Roaring Camp,” there is hidden beauty
in the miners coming together to raise the boy, and also in Kentuck’s giving up
his life to save the boy. In “Miggles,” hidden beauty is shown through the
beautiful young woman who is taking care of the crippled man simply because she
wants to. “The full moon…looked into the room. It touched the lonely figure in
the chair with an infinite compassion, and seemed to baptize with a shining
flood the lowly head of the woman whose hair, as in the sweet old story, bathed
the feet of him she loved” (Harte 41). In “Tennessee’s Partner,” hidden beauty
is shown by Tennessee’s Partner in his sentimental feelings towards Tennessee.
As the miners leave Tennessee’s Partner after he has just buried Tennessee they
look back and see “Tennessee’s Partner, his work done, sitting upon the grave,
his shovel between his knees, and his face buried in his red bandanna
handkerchief” (Harte 53). In “The Idyl of Red Gulch,” hidden beauty is seen in
the azalea bush that brings the schoolteacher and the drunken man together as
well as in the nature that surrounds them. “She noticed, however, that every
morning a fresh cluster of azalea-blossoms appeared among the flowers on her
desk” (Harte 58). In “Brown of Calaveras,” hidden beauty is seen through small
things in nature such as birds and shooting stars. “He looked up at the
firmament, and as he did so a star shot across the twinkling field” (Harte
78-79).
Another theme in all of these stories is how miners and men of the west, even
though they may seem rough and unkempt, have a good heart. In “The Luck of
Roaring Camp,” the miners begin to clean up their camp and themselves for the
sake of the boy. They bring him flowers, and decorate his cradle. “The men had
suddenly awakened to the fact that there were beauty and significance in these
trifles…It was wonderful how many treasures the woods and hillsides yielded that
‘would do for Tommy’” (Harte 11). In “Miggles,” the miners feel sentimentally
towards Miggles. “Well then, here’s to Miggles, God bless her” (Harte 42). In
“Tennessee’s Partner,” Tennessee’s Partner has a good heart, even though he
shows it through things like attempting to bribe the judge. In “The Idyl of Red
Gulch,” the drunken miner Sandy has a good heart, and in “Brown of Calaveras,”
the gambler Hamlin decides not to run away with Mrs. Brown, but to let the
Browns attempt to restore their marriage instead.
One of my favorite characters from these stories is Miggles. She has had a hard
life, but she still has a kind and generous spirit. She takes care of Jim
without any pay or reward, simply because she feels sorry for him. Even though
she is living out in the country, away from all other people, she has still
found things to occupy her time. She has adopted a bear and a magpie to keep her
company. She has also used newspapers for wallpaper and she reads them to Jim in
the wintertime. She is content with life as it is. This is a rare trait to find,
and one that Harte portrays well.
My other favorite character from these stories is Kentuck. When the Luck is
born, he grabs on to Kentuck’s finger. From that point on, Kentuck is attached
to the boy. He begins to bathe regularly and wear clean clothes so that he can
hold him. He watches the boy as he interacts with nature. At the end of the
story, he gives up his life to save him. This story reminded me a little of the
Crucifixion story—A man giving up his life to save the one he loved.
I enjoyed reading these stories. Harte is from the period of local color
writing, and he expresses himself well in this style. The characteristics of
local color writing are an increased emphasis on setting and character, with
little emphasis on the plot, which is usually very romanticized. Harte does
place importance on setting and character development. I would estimate that
70-80 percent of each story is nothing but setting and character development.
The stories have just enough plot to make them stories, and all of them are very
romanticized. I also enjoyed his stories, because I enjoy reading about the “Old
West,” and I like surprise endings. His stories are full of both. Harte may not
be the most famous short story writer of all time, but I still feel that he is a
note-worthy one. I enjoyed this chance to familiarize myself with another
excellent author.
Works Cited
Harte, Bret. The Luck of Roaring Camp and other sketches. USA: Spencer Press,
1937.
Please Send All Comments Or Suggestions To: Ruth