Rustlers are stealing Two Diamond cattle, and the manager is fit to be tied. The range boss claims it’s the neighbor, but there’s no proof. Everyone finds the neighbor’s sister desirable, but she finds everyone tedious (at best). Will lies, jealousy, double dealing, and maybe even a cold-blooded killing keep Ned Ferguson from uncovering the truth? (Tom Penn)
24 episodes
Edward Sylvester Ellis was a major American author during the era of inexpensive fiction of the nineteenth century (dime novels). Because he wrote under dozens of pseudonyms, as well as under his own name, it is virtually impossible to know exactly how many books he wrote, but it is believed to be in the hundreds. He specialized in boys' stories, inspirational biography, and history for both children and adults. (From FictionDB.com)
This is a western, set in the Pecos River valley in the late 19th century, post Civil War era.
33 episodes
Edward Sylvester Ellis was a major American author during the era of inexpensive fiction of the nineteenth century (dime novels). Because he wrote under dozens of pseudonyms, as well as under his own name, it is virtually impossible to know exactly how many books he wrote, but it is believed to be in the hundreds. He specialized in boys' stories, inspirational biography, and history for both children and adults. (From FictionDB.com)
This is a western, set in the Pecos River valley in the late 19th century, post Civil War era. This is the sequel to "In the Pecos Country", and the second half of the same story, begun in that book.
27 episodes
"Two, four, six, eight," he muttered to himself at intervals. "Yes, there are eight of them."
Again he laid his ear to the ground and listened.
"Yes, there are eight of them, sure enough," he again muttered; and then, after a pause, he added: "But two of them are mules, I think; and they are coming right down hitherward."
Then he looked to his rifle lock, and cocked his piece.
"Unless they turn aside when they reach the timber, they will be on me in five minutes; and if they know the forest, they will not turn, that's certain; for here's the only place where you can find hard bottom to ride in and out of the old Bravo, for ten miles up and down."
He paused from his soliloquy, listened again, and then a smile crept across his intelligent face.A tale from the 1800s in the Texas plains written by British author Henry William Herbert. - Summary by E.J. Wiley
9 episodes
Ellis Carleton, son of a rich and indulgent father, has enjoyed a wasteful and irresponsible young adulthood. But on reaching 25 it is time to grow up, so dad sends him off to dad’s ranch in outback Montana with instructions to the foreman to pay Ellis the same as the other hands, but only if he earns it. A disputed roadway, an old feud with a neighboring rancher, a new one with his desirable daughter, all drive Ellis to delightful distraction. (Tom Penn)
17 episodes
Whispering Smith, like most of Frank Spearman's western novels (and some non-fiction as well) are set in the world of railroads, in the late 1800's. The main character, Gordon Smith, is a railroad detective; he first appears in this novel, then later in others. This novel was popular enough to be made into film eight times (four being silent) and into a TV series. In this novel, Smith finds that the culprit of the railroad mishaps he is investigating is a close friend, Murray Sinclair. That plot may seem overworked, but Spearman makes it nuanced enough for it to be quite interesting; two interwoven romances are included. The strongest feature of Spearman's novels is probably his beautiful descriptions of the American western landscapes. His character descriptions and plots also hold up well against the other writers of westerns of the early 1900's. (Summary by Bob Rollins)
45 episodes
Murray (1840-1904) was a sometime clergyman, journalist, and purveyor of the outdoor life. His books did much to popularize the virtues of outdoor experience, especially in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. Here are stories, some humorous some serious, of the out-of-doors, of love between man and woman, man and horse, man and dog, teacher and acolyte, of wisdom and foolishness. This recording is a selection of his short stories from "The Busted Ex-Texan And Other Stories" (1889), "How Deacon Tubman And Parson Whitney Kept New Years And Other Stories" (1888) and "A Ride With A Mad Horse In A Freight-Car" (1898). - Summary by david wales
8 episodes
A girl from the East finds herself confronted with a strange type of man with an ancient grudge. Dakota, the man, first convinces her that he is a brute beyond redemption and then gradually wins her back. Before this happens there has been an attempted bribe, an attempted murder that seems the response to the bribe and a wild ride through the night, that ends at Dakota's cabin.(Summary by Richard Kilmer)
20 episodes
This 1898 collection of thirteen previously published articles exhibits the acute perception of one of the most popular writers of the late 19th-early 20th centuries. “These "Tales of the Trail" are based upon actual facts which came under the personal observation of the author… and will form another interesting series of stories of that era of great adventures, when the country west of the Missouri was unknown except to the trappers, hunters, and army officers.” Henry Inman (1837 – 1899) was an American soldier, frontiersman, and author. He served in the military during the Indian campaigns and the American Civil War, having earned distinction for gallantry on the battlefield. He was commissioned lieutenant general during the Indian wars. He settled in Kansas and worked as a journalist and author of short stories and books of the plains and western frontier. - Summary by Wikipedia, Book Preface, David Wales
15 episodes
As with most of Frank Spearman's novels (and non-fiction), "Laramie Holds the Range" is set in the West during our early railroad days. He used the best of the illustrators of the day, such as N.C. Wyeth. Occasionally, a character would appear in more than one of his stories. The strongest elements of his novels, including this one, are his outstanding descriptions of the landscape and the physical elements of his characters. In this story, Kate Doubleday travels West to join her father, whom she has never seen. Laramie is a mountain rancher, who is opposed by Kate's father and all of the large cattlemen of the range. While it is a familiar struggle, Spearman effectively weaves a plot that holds the reader's interest. (Summary by Bob Rollins, Augusta GA)
44 episodes
Fleeing from an aggressive suitor, Hazel Radcliffe becomes hopelessly lost in the Arizona desert. Exhausted, she falls unconscious from her pony. Soon she is found by John Brownleigh, a handsome missionary who lives nearby. As he cares for her, a strong and true love grows between them. She was raised in luxury, he was raised to serve God. They part knowing very little about each other except for the love they feel. Back home among her family and friends, Hazel makes an important decision. She will do all she can to change, but can she do so before it's too late? Follow her journey of coming closer to the Lord and finding true love in an unlikely place. - Summary by LikeManyWaters
17 episodes
Britt Hunter is a small fish in a big pond. His little ranch, the Quirt, has a few hundred head of cattle; the neighboring ranch, the Sawtooth, has tens of thousands. Britt and the other small timers manage to scrape by, but only at the sufferance of the Sawtooth. And the Sawtooth is always interested in expanding. When Britt’s city-bred daughter comes for a visit and witnesses a murder, she inadvertently puts the Quirt and the Sawtooth on a collision course. ( Tom Penn)
24 episodes
In Spanish California, a troubling pattern had developed. The natives were reduced to peasants, the Franciscan friars that ministered to them were derided, and the only people who mattered were the caballeros – who styled themselves as knights of the New World. These men strutted about in elegant clothes, riding magnificent horses, and sporting rapiers at their sides that they were quick to draw if they felt their honor was affronted.
Into this world burst Zorro (Spanish for “fox”). A later-day Robin Hood, he stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but he also took it upon himself to punish men who had notably abused others. Cloaked and masked, appearing suddenly from the dark, he always stayed ahead of the manhunt launched at his heels.
The authorities called him a highwayman.
And when the doings of a corrupt governor began to affect the good people around the pueblo of early Los Angeles, Zorro responded – vigorously. Summary by Mark Smith
39 episodes
A genuine cowboy who speaks a bit of Greek? Ditto a bit of The Litany? And more than a little verse, including (would you believe?) Alice In Wonderland. What kind of young man do we have here? And a young woman who matches him without effort? And a definitely literate narrator with his tongue firmly inserted in cheek. There’s a bank robbery and an attempted murder. A desperate ride across the desert and a warm welcome by good Mexican friends. It’s all a great deal of fun. Eugene Manlove Rhodes (1869 – 1934) was an American writer, nicknamed the "cowboy chronicler". He lived in south central New Mexico when the first cattle ranching and cowboys arrived in the area; when he moved to New York with his wife in 1899, he wrote stories of the American West that set the image of cowboy life in that era. Originally Published under the title of Bransford In Arcadia Or The Little Eohippus (1913). Note: eohippus, which plays a part all through the story, is the small prehistoric five-toed ancestor of the modern-day horse. - Summary by david wales
19 episodes
