The Oakdale Affair
Series: Mucker 3
Reviewed date: 2010 Jun 25
Rating: 1
112 pages
The Oakdale Affair is a spinoff from the Mucker stories. Billy Byrne is not in the story, but the hobo Bridge is a major character. The affair mentioned in the title is actually several separate incidents: local playboy Reginald Paynter is murdered and thrown from a car, old man Baggs is robbed and beaten to death in his home, the Prim mansion is burgled, and Miss Abigail Prim goes missing. The story follows the Oskaloosa Kid, who we first meet when he is in the act of sneaking into the Prim mansion and cracking the safe.
The Oskaloosa Kid does not kidnap Abigail Prim. He steals a wad a money from her safe and heads for the open road to be a hobo. He falls in with a party of tramps who try to relieve him of his cash, and later he runs into Bridge, who takes him under his wing. Bridge and the Oskaloosa Kid almost get lynched for the murders of Abigail Prim, Reginald Paynter, and old man Baggs, but they are saved in the nick of time. It turns out that the murders of Paynter and Baggs were unconnected, and the guilty parties of those murders are caught. The Oskaloosa Kid is innocent of Abigail Prim's murder because Abigail Prim is not dead. Nor is the Kid guilty of theft, because it turns out that the Oskaloosa Kid is actually Abigail Prim herself. She disguised herself and ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage.
When the dust settles, Abigail Prim's father puts a stop to the arranged marriage. Abigail and Bridge fall in love. The end.
The Oakdale Affair is not a good story. I didn't enjoy it. You can read The Oakdale Affair online at ERBmania!