Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 562

1888 · 16 pages

Issue No. 562 (May 1, 1888): "The Bad Man from Wapsipinnicon" by Oll Coomes. This western serial adventure follows eighteen-year-old Blundering Basil, an orphaned hermit boy-trapper living thirty miles from Hickory Point settlement. Dismissed by settlers for his aversion to labor yet exceptional hunting skills, Basil now visits the Point to sell pelts and procure supplies. While paddling the Des Moines River, he encounters his friends Tom Dayton, his sister Jennie, and Fanny Moore, who prank him with a rifle shot. Back at the settlement, he learns of a deer-hunting competition offering fifteen dollars to the outsider killing most game. His rival, Jack Arp from Wapsipinnicon—an accomplished marksman, wrestler, and suitor to Jennie—appears confident of victory. Jennie expresses preference for Basil's success, prompting rivalry between the two hunters.

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