Last night I read “The Story of a Scar” by James Alan McPherson, and I have to say that it is an excellent short story.  The dialogue is gripping, and the characters sympathetic.  I wasn’t quite sure about the ending.  Not sure how/why it tied the story together; it does so in an obvious way, but in short stories like this there is a deeper text, that I just didn’t apprehend right away.  Have to think more about it.  I had never heard of McPherson, even though he apparently still teaches at Iowa.  So I have some more stories to look forward to.  His collection, Elbow Room, won the Pulitzer prize back in 1978.