Talk:The Loot of the Lazy A

Information about this edition
Edition:	Extracted from Short Stories (US) magazine, 1926 August 10, pp. 3–47.
Source:	https://archive.org/details/short_stories_august_10_1926
Contributor(s):	ragpicker
Level of progress:
Notes:
Proofreaders:	ragcleaner

TUTTLE AGAIN!

From "The Storytellers' Circle," in the issue, pp. 174–175

W. C. TUTTLE'S complete novel in this number is in itself the best answer we can make to the letter printed below.

Editor, Short Stories,

Dear Sir:

"I am about to drop you a few lines concerning a certain writer whose stories you publish in Short Stories—one W. C. Tuttle.

"I picked up an issue of Short Stories at a small bookshop and as was always my habit, thumbed the pages over to see if any particular story should strike my fancy, but at last I turned back to the first story, namely 'The Web of Deception.' written by none other than W. C. Tuttle 'The Web of Deception' is the best story I have ever read in the past or will read in the future, of the Western story species. The characters in it were somewhat humorous, but as to the story itself I never before read a more spectacular and mysterious a story of Western life .that I can remember. It surely keeps you guessing as to just what is going to happen next; you are so enthralled you cannot stop reading, you must go on and finish it. The ending is such a surprise that you almost feel like reading it over again to define the climax aright in your mind.

"I congratulate the writer of 'The Web of Deception' and hope to read a good many more of his stories.

"Sincerely yours,

Private W. S. Streeter
Co. B., 51st Signal Bn.
Fort Monmouth, N. J."

Incidentally, in his complete novel in this number Turtle describes some of the activities of Cultus Collins tracking outlaws near the Mexican border, and the following letter describes some of Mr. Tuttle's own adventures in that vicinity:

"Went on a little hunting trip into Mexico last week. We had one devil of a time getting our guns across the border at Tiajuana. We had permits from the Mexican secretary of state, but it seemed that a new order had gone into effect, cancelling all these. Well, we were up against it. But it seems that there is always a way; so we ditched the guns on the American side, went to Tiajuana (Old Town) and woke up the Mayor. Actually got him out of bed and told him what we were up against.

"So he wrote out a lengthy document, plastering it officially, and when we showed it to the Mexican Custom gang they were so darned servile that they even forgot to stamp our automobile passes. We sure went through a-whoopin'. And just outside of Ensenada the custom gang objected to our unstamped passes, until they read that letter, and then it didn't matter whether we had any passes or not.

"But the hunting was the bunk. We rode ancient Mexican broncs over the rim of the world, and shot quail, listened to a chorus of possibly a million coyotes, and fell back down the mountain in the dark. No ducks nor geese. It is a beautiful country—for Mexicans. Of course their law will not allow an American to own land within 65 miles of the border, nor within 53 miles of the coast—and that just about queers it, as far as Americanos are concerned.

"W. C. Tuttle,
Hollywood. Calif."