8) “Three Spanish Ladies” by Walter E. Marconette
Plot:
Finding himself at the Pearly Gates, a loyalist Spanish soldier, deceased during the Spanish Civil War, * explains how he left the land of the living in the presence of the three women he loved. Hey, being with one woman is bad enough, but three? The lethal shot solved his problems. He’d discover which woman loved him most by turning and seeing the one who came to him.
Oh, is he in for a surprise.
Thoughts:
This is what would be called a short-short now, barely more than a page long. It is cute, lightweight fare. Then again, if one is looking, one might find a gay joke (albeit a homophobic one), but a gay joke in a story from 1938—you know, before anyone acknowledged gay people existed in polite society? Or maybe it was intended with the idea that it would just fly over the heads of those who didn’t see it.
Or, I could be wrong.
This was a fun little piece.
The story can be read here.
Bio: Walter E. Marconette (1919-1988) was an editor, science fiction fan, and artist. He was a member of FAPA (Fantasy Amateur Press Association) and the SFL (Science Fiction League).
*The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was fought between—broadly speaking— the left-leaning Republican (“loyalists”) and the right-leaning Nationalists (“rebels”). The Nationalists prevailed, and the Nationalist leader Francisco Franco ruled Spain as dictator until his death in 1975.
Title: “Three Spanish Ladies”
Author: Walter E. Marconette (1919-1988)
First published: Spaceways #1 November 1938
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 
Thank you for this great review! I really enjoyed it. 🙂
Thank you! What a lovely thing to say. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Tell me…IS Generalissimo Francisco Franco still dead?
Yes. I’ve read the paper this morning and his still pushing up daisies.
That was a fun little story. It was the first time I read it. The grandfather of one of my buddies in my platoon was one of Franco’s generals. However, he was the total opposite of his grandfather. Anyway, thank you Denise.
Thanks. What an odd coincidence.
I have to agree with your take on the end of the story. It does read as a homophobic joke. But who knows?
The collection I read this story in is modern. It contains a couple of stories that I won’t post about because in such bad taste, IMseldomHO. But this one has me puzzled. Even mentioning homosexuality in the 1930s? Was that a thing? So who knows. Or could be reading what it isn’t there.