Beadle's Pocket Novels No. 136: Scarlet Moccasin

Catalog Note *Scarlet Moccasin; or, The Forest Fort's Queen* by Paul Bibbs (Beadle and Adams, 1870) opens in New Orleans, where the narrator and his friend St. Pierre prepare to travel upriver as fur traders. At a hotel, St. Pierre quarrels with an arrogant British dandy over a refusal to drink together. The Londoner insults St. Pierre, calling him a "loafer," prompting St. Pierre to seize him by the throat. They settle the dispute through rapier combat on the hotel saloon floor, which St. Pierre wins decisively. The antagonist apologizes under threat. The narrative then shifts to the steamboat *Sultana*, departing New Orleans for St. Paul. The Londoner boards with his dignified sister. The *Sultana* races a competing vessel, the *Henry Hudson*, while passengers wager on the outcome. The narrator, attracted to the Londoner's sister, observes her character favorably contrasts with her brother's pretension. The story combines frontier adventure with romantic elements.