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| Front Cover of The Boss of the Lazy 9 |
PETER FIELD is one of the western authors I only just discovered after getting interested in the genre. The name is one of the many pseudonyms of HARRY SINCLAIR DRAGO who wrote over 80 western novels. THE BOSS OF THE LAZY NINE is a pleasant cattlemen versus rustlers story that focuses as much on the romance as the battle against the rustlers.
The lead character is ACE GILBERT. His full name is Asher Laird Gilbert. I love the opening explanation of all if his names: “Asher Laird; Ash, to a few of his friends; Ash to friend and foe alike; Asher to Ruth Cameron, who was to be Ruth Gilbert one day; and Lord Gill to Ruth Cameron’s sister, Kay, who was an impertinent minx at best and lacking in proper respect for her elders….”
The various nicknames say much more about those who assigned them to him than they say about him.
The story opens with some of the local ranchers trying to persuade Ace to lead up their vigilante group. Most of the ranchers that are being hit by rustlers are on one side of the river, while Ace is on the other. He explains that he doesn’t want any part of a vigilante group. In his place, the ranchers have elected a newcomer named JIM TALBERT to lead the vigilante group. They’ve openly stated that they intend to hang rustlers as they find them and the sheriff is backing them.
Ace explains that until the rustlers start taking his cattle, he’ll keep out of it. But if, and when, the rustlers begin working his side of the river, he’ll take care of the problem himself; not ask for help from the other ranchers. And he won’t be hanging them as he finds them. He’ll let the law have them.
Things escalate though when Ace’s youngest cowhand gets shot to pieces by the rustlers. He makes it back to the ranch to report what he’s seen and how he got shot up, but dies at Ace’s feet. Naturally, Ace is hell-bent for leather to find out who is responsible so he and his cowhands strike out in search of the rustlers.
He finds that the responsible party is the notorious BUCK WILBER outlaw gang who have robbed banks and nearly wiped out ranches in other counties with their rustling ways. Wilber is dead, but his right hand man ONE-SHOT FARLEY is putting the gang back together.
Ace finds out about their plans to rob the town’s bank, but the gang hits the bank earlier than expected before Ace can warn the bank manager.
Ace gets another shot at the gang though when he learns they intend to hit the bank again because they missed the big haul. Ace tells the banker to take the money out of the bank and hide it. He then organizes his cowhands and the other ranchers to surround the bank to set a trap for One-Shot Farley and his gang.
Despite his serious task and stubborn determination, Ace is a good-humored character. His casual attitude puts him at odds with his fiancee RUTH CAMERON who is more reserved and formal. She’s been away for a year touring Europe. He, understandably, is excited to see her again and greets her with an enthusiastic kiss at the train station. Such a public display of affection doesn’t sit right with her and she is aloof and cool.
To complicate matters, a beau she met on the return voyage drops in for a visit--at her invitation. GORDON WALLACE is British and his overly-stilted speech paints him as two-dimensional caricature. His lines are limited to saying things like “By george, Gilbert, that’s perfectly ripping! Decent of you, ol’ chap.” He doesn’t play any role in the major events. His only part in the story is to monopolize Ruth’s time in order to put Ace’s relationship with her in jeopardy.
Ruth’s sister Kay is another matter. She’s Ruth’s opposite. She’s friendly and outgoing and much less reserved than her sister. We are told from the start that she harbors a secret love for Ace.
Their father is STEVE CAMERON who is good friends with Ace and pleased that Ace will be his son-in-law and they can combine their ranches. Unfortunately, their friendship hits a ripple when Ace tells Cameron that his foreman WES LUCKERT is involved in the rustling. This angers Cameron but he confronts Luckert anyway.
Luckert has quietly replaced all of Cameron’s hired hands with his own, so when he and Cameron have words, he leaves the ranch and takes all but one cowhand with him. And when he leaves, he vows to kill Ace Gilbert.
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| Back Cover of The Boss of the Lazy 9 |
This sets off an interesting chain of events. First, Steve Cameron rides out in the direction of Ace’s ranch to warn Ace. Then his daughter Kay rides out on her own. She, knowing that Ace has taken out looking for the rustlers, quickly figures out where he may be headed and decides to take a shortcut. She stumbles on the outlaws before Ace does and overhears their plans to kidnap her father! She hears other things she doesn’t understand. For one, the outlaws have some type of information that could jeopardize her father’s re-election as state senator. And for another, they need to keep her father out of the picture until the fifteenth of the month.
She’s unable to prevent her father’s kidnapping but with the information she provides Ace, he is able to figure out what the gang is planning and when.
While Ace is riding all of over the country looking for the rustlers, meeting with Kay and her father and making plans with the other ranchers to set up a trap for the outlaws, Ruth Cameron and her British beau are taking leisurely rides around the ranch and going to dances. Things don’t look good for our hero.
But in the end, Ruth tells Wallace she can’t marry him because she’s promised to Ace. But poor Ace, now having discovered that he’s fallen in love with Kay, feels bound to marry Ruth anyway because she turned Wallace away after all his wooing. So gosh darn, everyone’s unhappy. Or are they? Despite the dilemma, it all works out and there is a delightful double wedding at the end.
Ace is a fun character and his playful attitude with Kay is entertaining. While not top-notch writing, it’s a nice read.
Favorite lines:
"I’ve always made it a practice to kill my own snakes."
"You just call the dance and by God, we’ll play the music!"
Cigarettes lit up: 3
Cigars lit up: 1
Gunplay: 2
Fistfight: 1
Ambush: 2
