Beadle's Dime Library No. 655

This issue of *Beadle and Adams' Half-Dime Library* (No. 655, 1891) features the opening chapters of "The War-Clan of Lucifer Annex" by W.H. Manning. Set in Glory Eden, a Rocky Mountain mining town, the narrative introduces Bridle-path, a mysterious surveyor newly arrived at Red Ring's Hotel. The story establishes a central mystery through Strawberry Sam, a muscular miner bearing a distinctive red birthmark on his forearm, which he deliberately displays by keeping his left sleeve cut off. Sam reveals he is hunting an unknown enemy who shares knowledge of this "brand" and has sworn vengeance. A fortune-teller directed him to Glory Eden. Meanwhile, references emerge to Lucifer Annex, an island settlement harboring outlaws led by the ruthless Graf Giblon, whose temperamental daughter Cynthia is noted for her beauty and wild nature. The narrative concludes with Bridle-path attending a masquerade ball hosted by Mayor Allen, suggesting layers of disguise and hidden identities central to the plot's development.