He began writing in 1928 and had his first novel, Company K, published in 1933—though it was written years earlier. Many of his stories are set in small southern towns and are noted for a skillful handling of eccentric and horrible people. By 1954 he seemed to be reaching the full flowering of his powers. There were works such as The Bad Seed, a powerful novel of a psychopathic little girl, and "The Bird House," which suggested an ingenious solution to a real life crime. But then, tragically, he died of pneumonia before being able to capitalize on his newly found fame. THE BIRD HOUSE It was near sunset, and they sat in front of the wide, recessed window that overlooked the park, their drinks arranged on tables beside them. Outside, the red-brick building was covered with lush vines of a peculiar brilliance. They thickened the ledges and the ornate, old-fashioned balconies over which they grew, and so outlined the window itself with dense, translucent foliage that the effect of the small park, seen through it, was the effect of green in an easel of brighter green.
