Cupid from Bear Creek

Introduction

“Cupid from Bear Creek” is a raucous and energetic short story in the Breckinridge Elkins cycle, a tale of romantic rivalry, outlaw treachery, and unintended mayhem. Originally written under the title The Peaceful Pilgrim, it was revised significantly before its appearance in the August 1935 issue of Action Stories. The version in A Gent from Bear Creek as Chapter 9 maintains the core elements but includes further polish and integration into the novel’s episodic structure. This summary is based on the short story version, “Cupid from Bear Creek.”

Detailed summary:

Breckinridge Elkins, returning home from the Yavapai country, stops in Teton Gulch—a mining camp riddled with outlaws—on his way back to Bear Creek. He is worried someone might be courting Dolly Rixby in his absence. At the Yaller Dawg Saloon, the barkeep recognizes him and informs him that his rival for Dolly’s affections, Blink Wiltshaw, is upstairs.

Elkins finds Blink in a paranoid state, hiding out with bags of gold dust from a rich strike. Blink fears Rattlesnake Harrison, the local outlaw leader, will murder him for his gold. He asks Breckinridge to secretly carry the gold out of the gulch via the old Indian trail and meet the stagecoach at Hell-Wind Pass. Blink also asks Breck to bring back Brother Rembrandt Brockton, his fiancée’s uncle and a circuit-riding preacher, to perform the wedding.

Although reluctant at first, Elkins agrees after realizing that getting Blink married to someone in Teton Gulch would eliminate him as a rival for Dolly. He saddles up his formidable horse, Cap’n Kidd, but is confronted by a man named Jake Roman, who falsely accuses Breck of horse theft—a common outlaw trick. Breckinridge allows Jake to try and claim the horse. Cap’n Kidd violently dispatches him, reinforcing Breck’s ownership.

Suspicious that Harrison’s men are already targeting him, Breck leaves with the gold and rides toward Hell-Wind Pass. There, he meets a man claiming to be Brother Rembrandt. As Breck prepares to saddle his horse, he notices Jake Roman aiming a rifle at him. Breck kills him in a shootout, realizing it’s a setup: the supposed preacher is Harrison in disguise, trying to trick him out of the gold.

To protect the impostor/preacher, Breck scoops him up and flees on Cap’n Kidd, dodging gunfire and heading toward a log bridge across a deep canyon. With bullets flying, they ride across the narrow log at full speed, narrowly escaping the pursuing outlaws. On the other side, Breck tricks the gang into following and then pushes the log off the rim, sending the outlaws plunging into the river below.

But “Brother Rembrandt” revives and attacks Breckinridge in a frenzy, revealing his true identity as Rattlesnake Harrison. After subduing and tying up Harrison, Breck resumes his mission and returns to Teton Gulch with the prisoner in tow.

To his shock, he finds the real Brother Rembrandt already there—having arrived by stage from War Paint—with his niece, who turns out to be Dolly Rixby. Blink has already married her. Breckinridge is stunned. Blink had tricked him by lying about the preacher’s location and identity of the bride, sending him on a wild and dangerous mission to remove him from the scene.

As Breckinridge processes the betrayal, he tries to take it like a gentleman and shake hands. However, the sheer strength of his emotional state leads to him accidentally breaking Blink’s arm during the handshake, which Dolly responds to by smashing a cuspidor over his head.

Characters:

  • Breckinridge Elkins – Giant, strong-willed, and not particularly book-smart frontiersman from Bear Creek. Narrator and central character.
  • Blink Wiltshaw – A nervous miner from War Paint, determined to marry Dolly Rixby. Rival to Breck for her affection. Manipulates Breckinridge into helping him.
  • Dolly Rixby – The belle of War Paint and the woman both Breck and Blink wish to marry. She ultimately chooses Blink.
  • Brother Rembrandt Brockton – Actual preacher and Dolly’s uncle. A circuit rider who arrives in Teton Gulch in time for the wedding.
  • Rattlesnake Harrison – Notorious outlaw and leader of a gang preying on miners in Teton Gulch. Disguises himself as Brother Rembrandt to steal Blink’s gold.
  • Jake Roman – Member of Harrison’s gang. Tries to provoke Breck by claiming Cap’n Kidd is his stolen horse. Later tries to ambush Breckinridge.
  • Cap’n Kidd – Breck’s monstrous and nearly unmanageable horse, as fierce and unstoppable as his rider.
  • Unnamed Barkeep – Local saloon keeper at the Yaller Dawg who warns Breck of Jake Roman and identifies Harrison.
  • Stagecoach Driver and Onlookers – Various background characters in Teton Gulch and Hell-Wind Pass, including miners and saloon-goers who observe or react to Breck’s actions.

Alternate title:

THE PEACEFUL PILGRIM.

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