Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 43

Museum Catalog Note This issue of *Beadle's Dime Library* contains "Dakota Dan, the Reckless Ranger; or, The Bee-Hunters' Excursion" by Oll Coomes. The western adventure serial opens in Southern Dakota on the Keya Paha River, where Jonathan Duncan, a bound prisoner, faces torture from White Falcon (alias Donald Gray), a renegade white man leading Yankton Sioux warriors. Duncan carries a picture of a young woman and a note referencing a $10,000 reward for locating someone—details White Falcon discovers during a search. Before Duncan's execution can commence, an eccentric vagabond called "the Oracle" arrives with his three-legged horse named Patience and cowardly dog Humility, singing hymns. The stranger's unexpected appearance diverts the warriors' attention and disrupts the imminent torture scene. The narrative combines frontier action, mystery (the identity of the woman in the picture), and comic character portrayal.