Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 604

1889 · 16 pages

This issue of Beadle's Dime Novels (February 19, 1889) features "The Dove and the Vultures: A Romance of Rocket Gulch" by William G. Patten. The serial concerns Iron Fern (Fernald Irons), a skilled gambler and gunfighter in a mining camp known for his fiery temperament and hidden revolvers. The narrative establishes his character through encounters: he defeats and humiliates rival gambler Flush Font in a shootout, then redeems himself by returning a fortune to a desperate young man. The story's central mystery emerges when a veiled woman arrives at the camp's hotel. Iron Fern recognizes her and becomes emotionally turbulent. When she rides out the next morning, a gunshot rings out; Iron Fern discovers her unconscious body beside the trail and, removing her veil, identifies her as Lona, his estranged wife. He revives her with liquor and begins tending her wounds, overwhelmed by conflicting emotions of love and betrayal.

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