News — ShortStoriesByJohnSteinbeck

Johnny Bear  by John Steinbeck John Steinbeck / Johnny "El Oso" The village of Loma is built, as its name implies, on a low round hill that rises like an island out of the flat mouth of the Salinas Valley in central California. To the north and east of the town a black tule swamp stretches for miles, but to the south the marsh has been drained. Rich vegetable land has been the result of the draining, land so black with wealth that the lettuce and cauliflowers grow to giants.   The owners of the swamp to the north of...