“There were many women in the brief life span of Robert Ervin Howard. And yet there were few.”—Harold Preece, Fantasy Crossroads, vol.1, no. 3, May 1975
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| Novalyne Price 1927 yearbook photo Daniel Baker College |
There
is next to nothing written about the events of Howard’s life at age 15, when he
visited a carnival, perhaps local to Cross Plains but maybe elsewhere, and
encountered a female carnival worker. Apparently, she was like a strong west
Texas dust devil scurrying across the plains, who immediately swept Howard up, if
only from a distance. Howard never mentioned this girl in his letters, to
anyone. Moreover, one of his closest friends, Tevis Clyde Smith, who had
written somewhat extensively on Howard’s life, never mentioned her in any of
his writings. In fact, none of Howard’s closest friends or correspondences who
have written anything we have copies of (e.g. essays, letters, interviews, articles,
etc.) ever mention this girl, except one—Harold Preece.
In
the May 1975 issue of Fantasy Crossroads
(book three volume 1), contains an article by Harold Preece titled, “Women and
Robert Ervin Howard.” In this article, Preece discusses a private conversation
he had with Howard in Cross Plains when Preece visited the Howards at their
home, just six or so years after the carnival experience. Preece explains:
The full—yet awfully thin, story—came out during the
one weekend that I spent with the Howard family. The year was either ’28 or
’29. I can remember the fondness with which Mrs. Howard gazed at her maverick
son—but, also, the graciousness with which she treated me as a guest knowing
her Dallas nieces, Maxine and Lesta Ervin. She would have undoubtedly known the
nice Sunday school miss. But probably this conventional matron had never heard
of the carnival girl. (Preece 21)
The idea that Mrs. Howard
likely knew nothing about the carnival girl is probably correct. There were
various things Howard kept from his mother, some out of embarrassment to
himself, and others if for no other reason than she might get upset.[1] And like all of us do, he
experienced things he simply wanted to keep to himself. Even so, Howard
confided in his friend regarding the carnival girl.
It is not known whether this carnival (or fair as the
case may have been) was a local event or an itinerant show. It is not likely
that the show was local, like the annual fair and rodeo held in Cross Plains
nearly every summer and typically sponsored by someone such as the local Fire
Department. If that were the case, this carnival girl may have been a local
girl, unless they hired outside workers to come in and help. There was such an
event in Cross Plains on July 21-22, 1921 and a write up about it in the July
29, 1921 Cross Plains Review. But
Preece’s retelling of Howard’s experience does not seem indicative of a local
event. No, it seems closer to an itinerant carnival or an out of town event. It
is also possible that this carnival may have been in a larger town, like
Abilene or Brownwood, and the Howards traveled to attend it. In fact, back in
1921, both Brownwood and Abilene hosted various carnivals and fairs in their
respective towns. The American Legion held several rodeos/carnivals in
Brownwood,[2] and Abilene hosted a
traveling carnival that is still in existence today.[3] It would not have been
unusual for the Howards to have traveled to either town, especially since Mrs.
Howard had at one time lived in Abilene and the Howards also knew people in
Brownwood.
Whatever the case may be, a 15-year-old Howard spotted
this girl, and being taken in by her, he watched her until she “disappeared
behind a tent with a man—likely another carnie—for whom she had probably been
waiting.” (22) According to Preece’s recollection, the girl’s occupation at the
carnival was not known. She was likely spotted by Howard somewhere on the
midway, perhaps close to the gaming or show booths.
She may have been a dancer—maybe the mistress of the
character who “barked” the show. Or she could have been a shill for one of the
“pitches” stepping up to make a fake purchase of some dubious ware to attract
customers not getting their money back. She might have been a gypsy or just
some Midwest girl gone wrong.
Whoever or
whatever this sensuous wench, she made a lifelong impression on an already
impressionable 15-year old boy. (22)
It is at least interesting to imagine that Howard may
have used his memory of her for a female character for, perhaps, one or more of
his Conan yarns. Could she have been the model for a blonde-haired mercenary
named Valeria? Or could she have been the woman in “The Frost-Giant’s
Daughter,” whose “body was like ivory to his [Conan’s] dazed gaze . . .”
(Howard 32) Perhaps Howard used her as the model for Bêlit, who was “untamed as
a desert wind, supple and dangerous as a she-panther.” (127) There are any
number of possibilities where Howard may have used her. Or it may be that he
simply kept her to himself, choosing to tell only his friend, Harold Preece,
perhaps in an attempt to make her real again in the telling. Whatever the case
may be, she certainly left an indelible impression, and I for one, am glad that
Harold Preece chose to share Howard’s experience with his fans.
Works
Cited
Howard, Robert E. The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian. New
York: Del Rey, 2003.
Preece, Harold.
"Women and Robert Ervin Howard." Edited by Jonathan Bacon. Fantasy Crossroads, May 1975, 20-22. (Volume
1, Number 3)
[1] In
one of Howard’s letters to Clyde Smith, Howard attempts to avoid writing a
biography about himself for The Junto,
for fear certain things about himself might get back to his mother (CL3.487-488)
[2]
See The Cross Plains Review, Vol XII, No. 11, May 20, 1921.
[3] In
Abilene, Texas a city fair was established in 1881, which later became a county
fair, and eventually became The West Texas Fair and Rodeo. By 1921, this fair
in Abilene would have been a county fair with an itinerant carnival coming in
to set up its show.
This article was originally posted at James R. Schmidt's blog: MightyThorJRS
