Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 556

1888 · 16 pages

The Cast for a Life This serial by Philip S. Warne follows Bert Brainard, an educated Eastern tenderfoot arriving in the rough Colorado town of Metropolisville. His refined manners—carrying handkerchiefs, requesting cigars, taking sugar in coffee—bewilder the locals at the tavern and general store, earning him the nickname "tidy tenderfoot." Despite his civilized affectations, Brainard proves intelligent and composed, winning gradual acceptance through quiet courtesy. The narrative introduces Jim Rankin, a dominant, physically imposing borderman with apparent Indian ancestry and untamed temperament, who reacts jealously when the cowboys joke about introducing Brainard to "Lariat Lil," suggesting a woman of interest to Rankin. The story establishes tension between Brainard's Eastern refinement and the rough frontier world, with an impending rodeo and the mysterious Lariat Lil creating plot complications.

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