Opening Statement:
Sheehan’s Pool Room, which adorns one of the lesser alleys in the heart of Chicago’s stockyard district, is not a nice place.What in Brown Jenkin's Name..?
Inside a seedy bar, an old drunk angrily strikes a glass of spirits out of a young man's hand and then dies. A picture found in his pocket reveals his true identity.Synopsis:
In the "future" year of 1950, the smell of whiskey (still prohibited) can still be detected outside Sheehan’s Pool Room in Chicago. A decrepit drunk named “Old Bugs” sweeps the floor there. One day, a young man comes in and orders a drink. The young man is the son of a well-known female writer, whose husband had long ago disappeared due to alcohol dissolution. Old Bugs soon recognizes the identity of the young visitor and becomes enraged. He knocks the young man's glass of whiskey out of his hand. After a seizure, Old Bugs dies, and a picture of the young man’s mother is found in Old Bugs’ coat.From Dr. Armitage's Notes:
This is a relatively minor tale in Lovecraft's oeuvre, and it has no supernatural or sci-fi elements at all (aside from the stated date). However, it does allow him to paint a colorful portrait of various characters in a seedy pool hall, not a very usual Lovecraft haunt. Because this story was written as warning to a friend curious about drink, Lovecraft sets the time period 30 years into the future. Not meant for publication, this tale is more like a cordially-delivered sermon I suppose.The Horrible Conclusion:
For the gentle and noble features were those of his own mother.Read it here. More background on its genesis can be found here.
Follow'd by "The Transition of Juan Romero".
