"Six Times That Iron Coughed"

"The Anti-Climax of a Bad Man."

By Burke Jenkins (1879-1948).

First appearance: The Argosy, September 1907.

Short short short story (3 pages).

Online at Hathi Trust (HERE and below).

   "For nonchalance in cold-blooded murder, Kinston had branded himself king."

When opportunity knocks, it's unwise to ignore it. In today's story, an ambitious young man follows that advice but admits that opportunity works best if you "couple it with luck and a little ingenuity."

Principal characters:

~ Caldwell, candidate for sheriff.

~ Dog Hankly, another candidate for sheriff.

~ Kinston "of the steely orb."

~ Various and sundry village smart alecks.

References and resources:

- "We're electing a sheriff, you see, and according, we can't be too careful":

  "In the United States, a sheriff is the chief of law enforcement of a county. Sheriffs are usually either elected by the populace or appointed by an elected body. . . . Of the 50 U.S. states, 48 have sheriffs. . . . In many rural areas of the United States, particularly in the South and West, the sheriff has traditionally been viewed as one of a given county's most influential political office-holders." (See Wikipedia HERE.)

- "that 'opportunity' which is supposed to knock once at every man's door":

  There are quite a few English idioms that feature "opportunity." (See The Free Dictionary HERE.)

- FictionMags credits Burke Jenkins with dozens of slick mags sales (The Argosy, Munsey's, All-Story, and the like) from 1904 to 1928. He had only one series character, Tadbury Wimple, limited to three issues of The Cavalier in 1910.

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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