Introduction
“Old Garfield’s Heart” was first published in Weird Tales in December of 1933 and is generally labeled as a “Horror Story”. It takes place shortly after the end of the Wild West, but it falls squarely into the “Weird Western” genre. The story is about a frontiersman, Old Garfield, who has lived as long as anyone can remember. The story is told through the eyes of an unnamed narrator who believes the tales told by Old Garfield are nothing more than whims of fancy or tall tales.
An earlier draft with only minor differences from the published text exists. Howard sold the story for $35.
From the letters
Howard mentions the story in a letter (#258) to August Derleth, on September 4, 1933.
My latest sale to Weird Tales was “Old Garfield’s Heart”, a short story laid in the post oak country of Central West Texas; whatever merit it may possess lies in its realistic background rather than in the weird development or the plot.
After the story was published he asked August Derleth (letter #275), ca. late December 1933 on what he thought:
How did you like “Old Garfield’s Heart” in the latest Weird Tales? There wasn’t much to the plot, but the background and environment were realistically drawn. I guess I ought to sit down and write a lot of yarns laid in this country, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to sell them.
He also mentioned the story to Carl Jacobi, circa summer 1934 (letter #297):
You ask me why I do not use Texas settings more in my stories. I really should, since Texas is the only region I know by first hand experience. Three of my yarns in Weird Tales have been laid in Texas: “The Horror From the Mound”, “The Man on the Ground” and “Old Garfield’s Heart”. Sometimes too thorough a knowledge of a subject is a handicap (not that I claim to be an authority on the Southwest, or anything like that; but I was born here and have lived here all my life.) for fiction writing.
The story - spoiler alert
The narrative begins with the protagonist sitting on the porch with his grandfather, who reminisces about Old Jim Garfield, a man who has seemingly defied the aging process and has been a part of the community for an unnaturally long time. Garfield, known for his tall tales, is critically injured in an accident, and the protagonist, along with Doc Blaine, visits him.
During their visit, Garfield reveals an astonishing secret about his heart. Years ago, he was mortally wounded in a fight with Comanches, but was saved by an old Indian friend, Ghost Man, a Lipan witch-doctor. Ghost Man replaced Garfield’s damaged heart with a powerful, godly heart, granting him extraordinary vitality and near-immortality. Garfield insists that upon his death, his extraordinary heart must be returned to Ghost Man.
The story takes a dark turn when Jack Kirby, a local bully seeking revenge against the protagonist, attempts to shoot him but accidentally kills Garfield instead. In an eerie, macabre scene, Doc Blaine fulfills Garfield’s wish by removing the still-beating heart from his body. The heart, unlike any human organ, thumps like a cosmic dynamo. The mysterious return of Ghost Man to claim the heart brings the story to a haunting conclusion.
The characters
- The Protagonist: The narrator of the story, who is involved in the events surrounding Old Jim Garfield’s life and death.
- The Protagonist’s Grandfather: An old man who shares the history of Old Jim Garfield with his grandson.
- Old Jim Garfield: The central figure of the story, a man with a mystical heart that grants him extended life and vitality.
- Doc Blaine: The local doctor who treats Old Jim Garfield and later fulfills his wish to remove his heart.
- Joe Braxton: The man hired by Doc Blaine to care for Old Jim Garfield.
- Jack Kirby: A local bully whose actions inadvertently lead to Garfield’s death.
- Ghost Man: A Lipan witch-doctor and old friend of Garfield, who gave him the mystical heart and returns to claim it after Garfield’s death.
Published in:
- WEIRD TALES VOLUME 22 NUMBER 6, Popular Fiction Publishing
- Company, December 1933
- SKULLS OF DOOM NUMBER 12, Ajex-Farrell, November 1953 (loosely based on Old Garfield’s Heart. At best an unofficial adaptation).
- THE DARK MAN AND OTHERS, Arkham House, 1963
- VINGT PAS DANS L’AU-DELÀ, Casterman, August 1970 (French)
- THE DARK MAN AND OTHERS, Lancer, 1972
- PIGEONS FROM HELL, Zebra, June 1976
- THE DARK MAN OMNIBUS, Volume 2, Panther, 1979
- PIGEONS FROM HELL, Ace, 1979
- SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #203, Marvel, du (as “Old Garrod’s Heart”)
- LE TERTRE MAUDIT, NeO, November 1985 (French)
- CTHULHU THE MYTHOS AND KINDRED HORRORS, Baen, May 1987
- LA RESURREZIONE DELLA MUMMIA, Fanucci Editori, October 1987 (Italian)
- CTHULHU THE MYTHOS AND KINDRED HORRORS, 2nd. Baen, 1989
- CTHULHU THE MYTHOS AND KINDRED HORRORS, 3rd. Baen, 1992
- LE TERTRE MAUDIT, Fleuve Noir, October 1991 (French)
- 黒の碑(いしぶみ) (KURO NO ISHIBUMI), Sōgen Suiri Bunko, December 1991 (1st edition)(Japanese)
- THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN VOLUME 1 NUMBER 203, Marvel Comics, November 1992 (graphic adaptation)
- OMBRE DAL TEMPO, Fanucci Editore, August 1994 (Italian)
- CIEN BESTII, Wydawnictwo PiK, 1994 (Polish)
- NIE KOPCIE MI GROBU, Wydawnictwo Andor, 1994 (Polish)
- ZMIERZCH NAD STONEHENGE, Wydawnictwo GEA, 1994 (Polish)
- THE BLACK STONE, North-West, 1997 (Russian)
- NE ASSATOK NEKEM SIRT, Cherubion Könyvkiadó, 1998 (Hungarian)
- 黒の碑(いしぶみ) (KURO NO ISHIBUMI), Sōgen Suiri Bunko, August 2000 (2nd printing)(Japanese)
- PIMEDUSE RAHVAS, Fantaasia, 2002 (Estonian)
- YORICK FANTASY MAGAZINE #36/37, Yorick Fantasy Magazine, January 2004
- THE BLACK STRANGER AND OTHER AMERICAN TALES, Bison Books, April 2005
- THE DARK HORSE BOOK OF THE DEAD, Dark Horse Books, June 2005
- THE WEIRD WRITINGS OF ROBERT E. HOWARD Volume 1, Girasol Collectables, January 2006
- VALLEY OF THE WORM, Wildside Press, April 2006
- AMERICAN SUPERNATURAL TALES, Penguin, September 2007
- THE BEST OF ROBERT E. HOWARD VOLUME 2: GRIM LANDS, Del Rey, November 2007
- THE HORROR STORIES OF ROBERT E. HOWARD, Del Rey, October 2008
- THE HORROR STORIES OF ROBERT E. HOWARD, Tantor Media, Inc., March 2010 (audio)
- THE HORROR STORIES OF ROBERT E. HOWARD, Subterranean Press, March 2011
- GARY GIANNI’S MONSTERMEN AND OTHER SCARY STORIES, Dark Horse Books, March 2012
- TOTE ERINNERN SICH, Festa Verlag, September 2012 (German)
- LES OMBRES DE CANAAN, Bragelonne, February 2013 (French)
- AMERICAN SUPERNATURAL TALES, Penguin, October 2013
- WESTERN TALES, REH Foundation Press, December 2013
- LES OMBRES DE CANAAN. LES PIGEONS DE L’ENFER, Bragelonne, February 2014 (French)
- THE SHADOW KINGDOM AND OTHER WEIRD TALES, Ulwencreutz Media, October 2015
- I FIGLI DELLA NOTTE. RACCONTI DELL’ORRORE VOLUME 2, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, December 2015 (Italian)
- БЕЗЫМЯННЫЕ КУЛЬТЫ: МИФЫ КТУЛХУ И ДРУГИЕ ИСТОРИИ УЖАСА (NAMELESS CULTS: CTHULHU MYTHOS AND OTHER HORROR STORIES), AST, August 2016 (Russian)
- GARY GIANNI’S MONSTERMEN AND OTHER SCARY STORIES, Dark Horse Books, July 2017
- THE DARK HORSE BOOK OF HORROR, Dark Horse Books, August 2017
- STORIE DELLA FRONTIERA, Elara, April 2019 (Italian)
- DECA NOĆI I DRUGE PRIČE, Filip Višnjić, December 2019 (Serbian)
- THE DARK HORSE BOOK OF HORROR, Dark Horse Books, October 2021
- IL CICLO DI GARFIELD, Independently Published, October 2021 (Italian)
- WEST STREGATO, Salirandra, October 2021 (Italian)
- ROBERT E. HOWARD AND WEIRD TALES, Dennis McHaney, November 2021 (excerpt only)
- THE ROBERT E. HOWARD COLLECTOR VOLUME 2: HOWARD’S WILD WEST, Old Tiger Press, October 2023
Listen to the story
Credits
- Teaser art by Jim and Ruth Keegan.