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THE RISE AND FALL OF BEN GIZZARD by Richard Kennedy

THE RISE AND FALL OF BEN GIZZARD

By

Pub Date: Oct. 19th, 1978
Publisher: Atlantic/Little, Brown

Ben Gizzard's rise is due partly to meanness and guile, partly to his apparent charmed life: as an old Indian he has swindled foretells it, Ben won't die until he sees a white mountain upside-down and is spoken to by a black bird. Having risen to the eminent position of mayor of Depression Gulch, a self-satisfied Gizzard frequently remarks to his sheriff: ""I guarantee you I ain't wearing silk shorts because I'm stupid."" But when peaceful young Paul wanders into town with a raven on his shoulder, Ben is a mite worried; and when Paul starts painting white mountains, Ben determines to get rid of the troublesome stranger. How the plan backfires, the prophecy is fulfilled, and the fall of Ben Gizzard (through the air) comes to pass make for a jim-dandy tale--and it's splendidly set off by Sewall's crafty portraits.