Barker’s Luck

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Barker’s Luck

by Bret Harte

Genre: Comedy
Setting:
Format of Original Source: Short Story
Recommended Adaptation Length: 90 Minutes

Candidate for Adaptation? Promising

EXCERPT:

But the next moment, flushed and triumphant, Barker rose from his knees, and came toward them carrying some papers in his hands. Demorest seized them from him, opened them, spread them on the table, examined hurriedly the date, signatures, and transfers, glanced again quickly at the newspaper paragraph, looked wildly at Stacy and then at Barker, and gasped:

“By the living hookey! it is SO!”

“B’gosh! he HAS got ’em!” echoed Stacy.

“Twenty shares,” continued Demorest breathlessly, “at ten thousand dollars a share–even if it’s only a foot–is two hundred thousand dollars! Jerusalem!”

“Tell me, fair sir,” said Stacy, with sparkling eyes, “hast still left in yonder casket any rare jewels, rubies, sarcenet, or links of fine gold? Peradventure a pearl or two may have been overlooked!”

“No–that’s all,” returned Barker simply.

“You hear him! Rothschild says ‘that’s all.’ Prince Esterhazy says he hasn’t another red cent–only two hundred thousand dollars.”

“What ought I to do, boys?” asked Barker, timidly glancing from one to the other.

COMMENTS:

A lot of fun. You would probably have to beef up the main storyline (Rags to riches to rags to riches to…), especially with some subplots, but the main structure is solid and adaptation-worthy.

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