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THE GOLDEN CHILD by Paul Engle

THE GOLDEN CHILD

By

Pub Date: Oct. 15th, 1962
Publisher: Dutton

Martha, Martin Fisher and their daughter Rachel leave Iowa for California too late to escape the December snows. Trapped in the mountains, the parents become hysterical as they abandon the wagon and choose among their possessions for one thing to carry. (Martha grabs her guitar, Martin the family Bible and Rachel her doll) while both parents perform a wild and ghoulish dance around the bushes. After the trek down the mountain, the miracle of Sutter's ranch appears but their welcome by the miners is soured by suspicion. When the greedy men find the family Bible where they thought Martin had hidden gold, when they witness the sight of Martha's new born child in the barn, hearts soften and the entire group is engulfed by a beam of radiant light. Poetry and songs are supposed to add spiritual quality to a story which is pretentious in its semi-religious connotations and utterly incredible in every other way. Stick to your last, Paul Engle.