Come On and Fight!

Unfortunately, there isn't a lot known about writer Louis Chilton Goldsmith (1898-1943). According to the Fiction Mag Index, he was born in Caldwell, Idaho, served as a Major in the Air Transport Command, and is buried in Cambridge, England. He contributed stories and novels to pulp magazines like Wings, Detective Tales, and Air Stories. By the late 1930s, Goldsmith had elevated to adventure magazines like Argosy and Adventure. My only experience with the writer thus far is a late career entry in the May 1942 issue of Adventure. It's an Alaskan crime-fiction novelette titled “Come On and Fight!” 

Fred Meade is a 26-year-old bush pilot learning to fly in Alaska. He has a bum leg due to an old injury that prevented him from entering the war effort. His mentor is an old, hardened pilot named Brad Pace, a wild drinker and gambler who lost a fortune investing in mining claims. He is teaching Fred the intricacies of flying in Alaska's harsh conditions, while also instilling in the young man the idea of learning to like a good fight. 

Years ago, Pace and a scheming, dishonest businessman named Rader were partners in an air freight business. They split after Pace refused to participate in shady dealings. In a wild night of drinking, Rader's henchman is shot and killed. Pace is arrested for the murder, but doesn't recall killing anyone. 

Surprisingly, the author doesn't paint himself into a corner with a typical fugitive-on-the-run narrative, nor does the plot dip into the overused formula of the amateur sleuth outwitting the police to save his friend. Instead, a storyline evolves concerning a Native American couple and their promising mining claim. Rader and his enforcers are out to claim-jump, a popular criminal trope of western storytelling. After another body is discovered, evidence points to several suspects who may be killing miners. 

This novelette had so many enticing plots woven into the fabric of this high-adventure tale. Meade and Pace both make for admirable, witty characters that naturally fight injustice and prop up the locals to remain independent from a crooked credit system. The mystery and whodunit is central to the plot, but it's the colorful characters that really enhance the storytelling. They reflect a unique time and place in American history. It is these types of stories that remind me of why I love the vintage 20th-century pulps and glossy magazines – excellent writers with mesmerizing imaginations. 

Read the story for yourself HERE.