"The Crucial Moment" by Charles Egbert Craddock is a suspenseful story set in a Southern town facing the dangers of a flooding river. It centers on Walter Hoxer, a man working on a levee, whose life takes a dark turn after a heated argument with Major Jeffrey, a rich landowner. After being accused of not doing his job correctly, Hoxer's anger boils over, leading to an act of violence where he shoots Major Jeffrey to protect himself. Now a wanted man, Hoxer must run from the law, battling both the authorities and his own conscience as he struggles to deal with what he has done. The tale reaches a heartbreaking end as Hoxer's desperate flight to freedom ends in the river, leaving behind his faithful dog, a symbol of the good he has lost because of his choices.
The Crucial Moment 1911
By Charles Egbert Craddock
A man's attempt to protect his honor ends in a desperate chase and a tragic end in the currents of a raging river.
Summary
About the AuthorMary Noailles Murfree was an American author of novels and short stories who wrote under the pen name Charles Egbert Craddock. She is considered by many to be Appalachia's first significant female writer and her work a necessity for the study of Appalachian literature, although a number of characters in her work reinforce negative stereotypes about the region. She has been favorably compared to Bret Harte and Sarah Orne Jewett, creating post-Civil War American local-color literature.
Mary Noailles Murfree was an American author of novels and short stories who wrote under the pen name Charles Egbert Craddock. She is considered by many to be Appalachia's first significant female writer and her work a necessity for the study of Appalachian literature, although a number of characters in her work reinforce negative stereotypes about the region. She has been favorably compared to Bret Harte and Sarah Orne Jewett, creating post-Civil War American local-color literature.
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