The Two Cool Sports; or, Gertie of the Gulch

"The Two Cool Sports; or, Gertie of the Gulch" by W.M. Eyster, serialized in this November 1882 issue, is a frontier mining-camp drama. Philip Ashley and his niece Edna Wheeler journey to the rough mining towns of Lode City, Walnut Bar, and Cactus Fork seeking Edna's brother Arthur, who vanished a year prior. At Poker Flat, a young man was arrested and condemned to death for a crime, but mysteriously escaped. Edna discovers from newspaper accounts that her brother may have fled to the legendary "Eden City," a hidden settlement supposedly filled with gold where fugitives disappear. On a stagecoach to Cactus Fork, she befriends "Pocket Jimmy," a cunning young man who claims he can lead her to information about Arthur's whereabouts. Unbeknownst to Edna, Pocket Jimmy and her guardian Ashley are apparently conspiring against her; Jimmy and his criminal associates at the Rooster's Ranch recognize Edna as a wealthy "flat" they can rob of her substantial cash.