ABSOLUTE EVIL (1918) – This longish short story was written by Julian Hawthorne, son of Nathaniel. The tale features Julian’s tragically overlooked supernatural adventuress Martha Klemm.
For those not familiar with her, she’s the wealthy descendant of Salem witches and, though in her twenties, proudly calls herself “a spinster” because she has no desire to marry any of her throng of suitors. Martha is independent, iconoclastic, athletic and a sure shot with her pistol. Ms. Klemm is like a proto-flapper, though not “proto” by much obviously, given the year. She appeared in two other stories by Julian Hawthorne.
Absolute Evil deals with a werewolf at large on a sandy island near Hatteras. Martha Klemm is among the well-to-do guests on a large yacht owned by the Pleasances, rich Quakers from Philadelphia. The couple and their guests head for Thirteen-Mile Beach, the aforementioned island where they plan to stay a few days and nights.
This collection of the idyl rich spends their time in the expected ways with the bonus activity of seeing if the island really is haunted by a long-ago murderer like the legends say.
Our Characters:
THE PLEASANCES – Wealthy Philadelphia Quakers who still use “thou”, “thy” and “thee” with each other but not the public.
ANN MARLOWE – The Pleasances’ ward, an attractive teen girl.
JACK PETERS – High society fashion plate, who is wooing Ann.
DR. TOPHAM BRENT – A Boston MD whose marriage proposal was recently rejected by Martha Klemm, but she still keeps him around.
REVEREND NAT TYLER – An unorthodox young clergyman who dabbles in taboo teachings and finds Martha’s bold irreverence intriguing and flirts with her repeatedly.
JANE DUCKWORTH – Elderly recent widow of Tom Duckworth, who had dwelt with Jane in their cabin on Thirteen-Mile Beach and who had drowned rescuing our final character.
PERDITA – Four-year old orphan and sole survivor of a ship called the Jane which recently wrecked on Thirteen-Mile Beach. Something apparently killed all of the other passengers, including Perdita’s parents. (Okay, the hint about the story’s supernatural menace having killed all aboard like Dracula on the Demeter is a bit on the nose, but what can ya do?)
And of course MARTHA KLEMM – Our Beacon Street descendant of witches and whom you’d think would have been adapted in movies or a streaming series by now. She likes to swim nude in the surf and ride her bicycle to dry herself off afterward. Perdita looks up to her, and Rev. Tyler enjoys discussing with her Original Sin and the possible existence of Absolute Good and Absolute Evil.
Martha believes that good and evil will always coexist, with neither one capable of ever destroying the other. She and Rev. Tyler touch on other esoteric and occult topics during their conversations.
I won’t include spoilers regarding the whole story, but I consider this one of Julian’s better works. We get loud howls at night, huge paw-prints and other signs of the man-wolf at large, like its digging up of Tom Duckworth’s grave to gnaw on his remains, and violent encounters with the lycanthrope.
There’s also a storm that further cuts off the island from the mainland, plus signs that the murderer may actually still be alive and inhabiting his cabin. The home stretch of the story features just Martha and two others facing off with the werewolf on Thirteen-Mile Beach.
*** Other Julian Hawthorne stories I’ve covered deal with mummies in an Egyptian tomb, a lady vampire in Ireland and a Steam Punk robot.
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