02081cam a22003133u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000410011324500310015426400510018530000470023633600260028333700260030933800360033550000310037150800290040252011800043153400450161165300180165665300330167485600430170799900170175023557UtSlPG20260610133536.0mcr n260607r2007||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aCraddock, Charles Egbert,d1850-192214aThe Crucial Moment :b1911 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2007  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier  aRelease date is 2007-11-19  aProduced by David Widger  a"The Crucial Moment" by Charles Egbert Craddock is a dramatic novella written in the early 20th century. The story unfolds in the context of a rural Southern community threatened by rising waters from the Mississippi River, exploring themes of conflict, vengeance, and the weight of a single fateful moment. The narrative follows the character Walter Hoxer, a levee contractor whose life spirals into chaos after an explosive confrontation with a wealthy landowner, Major Jeffrey.  The plot centers on Hoxer, who seeks to defend his reputation and integrity after Major Jeffrey publicly accuses him of cutting corners in his levee construction. Tensions escalate into a violent encounter where Hoxer, feeling cornered, is compelled to shoot Jeffrey in self-defense. Following this fateful moment, Hoxer becomes a fugitive, evading the law while grappling with the moral implications of his actions. The story culminates in a desperate escape that ultimately leads to Hoxer's tragic demise in the river, leaving behind his loyal dog, whose devotion symbolically highlights Hoxer's lost humanity in the face of irrevocable choices. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aShort stories  aMississippi River -- Fiction40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23557  c64609d64609