IT WAS Robert Heinlein, if memory doesn't fail, who asserted that the main difference between science fiction and fantasy is the difference between Karl Marx and Groucho Marx: similar in name but very different in substance. In today's story, our author threads that line between Karl and Groucho with . . .
"Martie and I."
By Miriam Allen deFord (1888-1975; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDb HERE; the SFE HERE; and the IMDb HERE).
First appearance: Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1956.
Short story (11 pages).
Online at SFFAudio (HERE).
"I know—I keep putting off telling it. It's so weird I wouldn't believe it myself if somebody else told me about it. But it did happen, and I'm not crazy."
WHENEVER someone goes missing it's usually resolved with a rational explanation, such as, but not limited to, kidnapping, amnesia, skipping out on big debts, an unhappy marriage, or, saddest of all, death. When Martie disappears, though, only her grandmother knows that there's no way an ordinary, rational explanation is going to account for it . . .
Main characters:
~ Mrs. Newcomb, the narrator ("But nobody, nobody on earth would believe me"), Martie ("What worries me is, I know too much"), the chief ("That's not the girl!"), and the man with the pistol ("don't open your mouth or I'll shoot").
References and resources:
- "Leghorn hat":
"leghorn: fine plaited straw. Leghorn hat: a hat made of leghorn."
 |
| "The Leghorn Hat" by Roswell T. Weidner |
- "You can see how long ago it was!":
When this story first saw print deFord was 68.
- "white slavers":
"Noun (archaic): A person who tricks or forces a white woman into prostitution."
"White slavery (also white slave trade or white slave trafficking) refers to the enslavement of any of the world's European ethnic groups throughout human history, whether perpetrated by non-Europeans or by other Europeans." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "a single closed car":
"The vintage era lasted from the end of World War I (1918) until the Wall Street Crash at the end of 1929. During this period, the front-engine car layout dominated, with closed bodies and standardized controls becoming the norm. In 1919, 90 percent of cars sold were open; by 1929, 90 percent were closed." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "my silver chatelaine watch":
"A chatelaine is a decorative belt hook or clasp worn at the waist with a series of chains suspended from it. Each chain is mounted with useful household appendages such as scissors, thimbles, watches, keys, smelling salts, and household seals." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "it was a trap":
"A trap, pony trap (sometimes pony and trap) or horse trap is a light, often sporty, two-wheeled or sometimes four-wheeled horse- or pony-drawn carriage, usually accommodating two to four persons in various seating arrangements, such as face-to-face or back-to-back. In the eighteenth century, the first carriage to be called a trap was a gig with a hinged trap door, under which was a place to carry a dog. In late nineteenth century USA, four-wheeled dog carts with convertible seats also started to become known as traps." (Wikipedia HERE.)
- "two ladies who visited Versailles, in France":
"The Moberly–Jourdain incident (also the Ghosts of Petit Trianon or Versailles, French: les fantômes du Trianon / les fantômes de Versailles) is a claim of time travel and hauntings made by Charlotte Anne Moberly (1846–1937) and Eleanor Jourdain (1863–1924).
"In 1911, Moberly and Jourdain published a book entitled An Adventure under the names of 'Elizabeth Morison' and 'Frances Lamont.' Their book describes a visit they made to the Petit Trianon, a small château in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, where they claimed to have seen the gardens as they had been in the late eighteenth century, as well as ghosts, including Marie Antoinette and others. Their story caused a sensation and was subject to much ridicule." (Wikipedia HERE.) This explains the editor's headnote comments.
- Luckily for her, Mrs. Newcomb didn't have this problem:
- Miriam Allen deFord had the knack that all writers cherish, the ability to hold the reader's attention. Previous deFord appearances on ONTOS: "The Eel" (HERE), as well as "The Absolutely Perfect Murder" and "Murder in the Transcontinental Tunnel" (both HERE).
The bottom line:
Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.
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