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b"Russell Kirk was born in 1918 in Plymouth, Michigan to a relatively modest family. He died in 1994, but between birth and death, he became arguably the foremost American theorist on Conservatism in his time. He wrote lots of books on political theory, but he also wrote ghost stories. I have a copy of his collection Ancestral Shadows. Kirk spent time in Scotland as a student at St Andrews and with a name like Kirk, he had some Scottish ancestry. A few of his stories are set in Kinross and Fife and others in England. He loved tradition and from his stories you see that he had respect for traditional spiritual values of Christianity.One of his first acclaimed stories was Behind the Stumps, and that\\u2019s why I\\u2019ve chosen to read it.This story has a lovely structure. First we get a description of Pottawattomie County. Then we learn how the government want to tax the folk there. Kirk was deeply conservative and disliked government, which comes out in the story. Next we get a detailed and well-drawn picture of Cribben, the tax enumerator. When that\\u2019s all done we set off to Bear City.Kirk paints nice portraits of the characters. We have Cribben of course but then the genial Matt Heddle as postmaster. Heddle is generally well-treated by Kirk, though he does say a couple of nasty things about him. Love the alcoholic hasn\\u2019t much of a role but we can picture him. Both Heddle and Love in their way are telling Cribben not to mess with the Gholsons.Love gives information about Cribben\\u2019s nemesis, though Cribben doesn\\u2019t listen. He\\u2019s too proud. Like all moral tales, he won\\u2019t mend his ways and therefore will be punished.There is an encounter with the main Gholson man in the street, who appears awful, but even he tells Cribben not to go near, specially on a Sunday and that foreshadows what Cribben is going to get. It also gives us the knowledge that Cribben\\u2019s heart is weak. This is to prepare us for the final scene so we understand how it happens.In the bleak scrubland which is reminiscent of Lovecraft\\u2019s ideas of the badlands of rural America where strange things go on since time immemorial. This is a folk-horror theme that we see in The Wicker Man, the Blood on Satan\\u2019s Claw, Witchfinder General and the recent Midsommar. He walks through the woods rather than taking the road. Usually that\\u2019s a sign that something bad will happen. You shouldn\\u2019t depart from well-trodden ways! But it doesn\\u2019t really. But he sees the house on the hill \\u201cindefinably mutiltated\\u2019.All the Gholsons, all the cats, hens etc, are absent from the farm.Some strange energy or power emanates from the farm where the old witch is housed undying. The young peasant girl watching is started by Cribben. I\\u2019m not sure what she represents, but I may be being slow here. Is it that the Gholsons themselves fear the house so they watch it? I guess that\\u2019s it.He looks at the house and sees that it is very odd. But he pays no heed.And then, fools rush in and Cribben enters the farm and you know what happens, all lovingly set up by Kirk for us to go aaah! to at the end.I guess that the old mother, who has no name, and who is neither dead nor alive is some kind of archetype. She is the devouring and life-giving mother (see how fertile the farm is).\\xa0 She\\u2019s very fat \\u2014 again to to with nurture. They\\u2019re terrified of her but fascinated. It\\u2019s all very Jungian.Don\\u2019t dream about this stuff. It\\u2019s unhealthy.Usual links:Support the Show!https://www.patreon.com/barcud (https://www.patreon.com/barcud)Look at our Spooky Pictureshttps://www.instagram.com/classicghoststoriespodcast/ (https://www.instagram.com/classicghoststoriespodcast/)Get in touch via Twitter@classicghostst1Music Support the showVisit us here: www.ghostpod.orgBuy me a coffee if you're glad I do this: https://ko-fi.com/tonywalkerIf you really want to help me, become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/barcudMusic by The Heartwood Institute: https://bit.ly/somecomeback\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices"