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The Idyll of Red Gulch

By: Bret Harte
Narrated by: Jack Benson
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Editorial reviews

Jack Benson’s measured voice and tenor pairs well with Bret Harte’s 1869 tale of California pioneer life, The Idyll of Red Gulch. 

Harte’s story centers around Miss Mary, a schoolteacher who has recently arrived in the California town of Red Gulch. She meets Sandy, a handsome drunk, passed out under an azalea bush. When Sandy gives up drinking, Miss Mary tests her virtue and causes tongues to wag when they become friends. 

Benson’s subtle inflections shift as he assumes the roles of Miss Mary and Sandy in this frontier tale of temptation and redemption.

Publisher's Summary

This story, one of Harte's most anthologized, first appeared in The Luck of Roading Camp and Other Stories.

Public Domain (P)1981 Jimcin Recordings

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