Munsey's Magazine, October 1919

Museum Catalog Description "The Last Straw," a western serial by Harold Titus, opens at the H.C. Ranch in spring. Four cowboys—Dad Hepburn, Jimmy Oliver, Two-Bits Beal, and Tom Beck—await the arrival of Jane Hunter, the new owner who has inherited the property. Recent rustling losses and years of neglect under the former owner have left the ranch in disarray. Jane arrives from New York, a small, blue-eyed blonde woman whose forthright city manner surprises the men. She explains that her lawyer, Mr. Alward, is unavailable and she needs to appoint a foreman. Rather than choose directly, she proposes they draw straws—the holder of the shortest straw wins the position. The three men draw; Beck refuses to participate, declaring he never takes chances he can foresee, piquing Jane's interest with his calm indifference to her authority.