Beadle's Dime Library No. 568

Catalog Note This issue of *Beadle & Adams*' dime novel features "Phelim McGallaghin's Hard Luck Hustle" by W. R. Eyster. The serial opens in a cabin near Hard Luck mining camp, where an elderly invalid named Howard Bromwell hires two ruffians—Beeker and Turtle-foot—to kidnap a young woman named Gladys Golden and deliver her to a designated location, offering one thousand dollars for the job. When the men test Bromwell's authority, he subdues both with a loaded cane, establishing his control through demonstrated skill and threats. The narrative then shifts to Irish character Phelim McGallaghin and his English companion, traveling toward Hard Luck after journeying from Turkey Bend. They encounter Beeker at the cabin, seeking shelter and provisions. Phelim identifies himself as newly arrived from Ireland while his aristocratic companion poses as "Patrick McGinnis," concealing his true status as a duke. The opening establishes conflicts involving crime, class disguise, and frontier lawlessness.