“A Horror in the Night” is a brief tale of borderland violence that moves from realistic social observation to sensational horror. Framed as a firsthand reminiscence, the narrative juxtaposes the conventions of the frontier anecdote with scenes of bodily danger, madness, and sudden death, revealing how quickly ordinary masculine conflict can be overwhelmed by a more primal terror. Although evidently composed much earlier, the story was not published until its appearance in the fanzine Cross Plains no. 3 (ed. George Hamilton, May/June 1974).