Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 718

1891 · 16 pages

"The Gold Crater's Secret" by Jos. E. Badger, Jr. This serialized Western adventure opens with Luther Larrimer, known as the "Lucky Lad," and his partner Poley Applejohn observing the Half-Way House, headquarters of the outlaw Trick McAllister and his gang—rivals driven from Happy Valley by Applejohn's peacekeeping efforts. Larrimer reveals his long personal quest: his father Stephen disappeared years ago in the mines after striking it rich, leaving Larrimer determined to solve the mystery. Applejohn, now married with a child, remains his steadfast companion despite Larrimer's dangerous plans to confront McAllister. In Chapter II, Larrimer discloses a recent hill adventure involving a colored boy named Lem Claybank, a wounded old miner named Adam Elton, and encounters with the gambler Showy Joe Hoover and an untrustworthy woman named Roxy Ringgold who claimed a mining claim. The plot centers on protecting Elton's daughter while uncovering deception surrounding a valuable bonanza.

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