Dames

"Dames by Murray Leinster" is a short story most likely written during the early 20th century. The book is a work of crime fiction with a touch of drama, set against a foggy and remote maritime backdrop. The story’s atmosphere and dialogue reflect the style and social sentiments characteristic of pulp magazines from that time. At its heart, the story focuses on the complicated relationships and desperate circumstances surrounding a fugitive, a resilient young woman, and a tough local man. The story follows a man who narrowly escapes drowning after leaping from a steamer while being transported as a prisoner. Rescued by a resourceful young woman, he becomes entangled in her own troubles—the looming presence of Butch Traynor, a notorious local figure who seeks to force the woman into marriage. As tensions rise in the fog-bound isolation of her family’s island, the three characters converge in a conflict fueled by fear, desperation, and twisted affections. The man from the water is revealed not as a federal agent, as he first claims, but as a wanted criminal. In the end, the woman and Butch reconcile, leaving the fugitive to continue his escape alone, hardened and disillusioned, encapsulated by his final, contemptuous utterance: "Dames!"