Weekly Quote: Open Made for Man

"The open was made for man, and it's a man's fault if he doesn't live in it."

--Charles Alden Seltzer's ARIZONA JIM

Cartridge Creek by Richard Meade - Western Novel Review

CARTRIDGE CREEK is an unusual western story.  It’s the story of a wild town needing taming but it’s not a ‘new lawman rides into town and lays down the law’ story.  The fellow that does the taming is a real estate developer.  Yes, you heard right.  A real estate developer.  The lead character is Will Leatherman, but although he’s a partner in the San Antonio Development real estate company, he’s also an ex-trail hardened cowman. He was tired of the roller coaster life of a cowman and wanted to do something to make steady money.  So he took his $20,000 savings and invested in real estate. He and his partner purchase real estate properties, develop them and resell them at a profit.

But now he and his partner are in a bind and have to find a big money-making deal in order to prevent bankruptcy.  So in the beginning of the novel, we find them eyeing a couple of properties across the country that they feel might meet their needs.   His partner is checking into one option, while Leatherman is checking into another.  The option Leatherman is looking into is a town owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad and a nearby ranch owned by a man named Gorman.  The town is called Cartridge Creek and the railroad has put it up for sale dirt cheap.  Gorman is a retiring rancher and is also offering his ranch up for sale at an extremely low price.  Leatherman’s first task is to find out why both properties are so low in price.  

Just as Leatherman arrives in town, he receives a telegram from his partner who informs him that the other deal is no longer an option. So Cartridge Creek and the Gorman Ranch are now their last hope.  Buying a whole town and a large, well-watered ranch in close proximity could be a sweet deal that saves their company--or it could bust them.  And in Leatherman’s case, he could lose his life.

What Leatherman finds out about the town has him ready to throw in his cards and tell his partner it’s time to dissolve the company and salvage what they can, but that ranch...he wants that Gorman ranch.  Unfortunately, the town is wild and unruly, run by a savage ex-Quantrill rider and his rival. Between their feuding and the rustling, the town is not the prosperous family-friendly place it could be and all the ranches round about suffer, including the sweet beauty that is up for sale.

The town is filled with gunmen chased out of New Mexico following the Lincoln County War.  And the gunmen’s loyalties  are divided up between two saloon-owners: Fate Canady and Goldtooth Bob.  These are the two feuding factions.  Partners at one time (they opened the Cattleman Saloon together), they had a falling out and are now sworn enemies.  Goldtooth Bob left the Cattleman Saloon and opened the Silver Dollar Saloon.  Things are heating up and it looks like there will be an all-out war any day.

The Southern Pacific Railroad is tired of the trouble-causing gunmen and would rather sell the town cheap than hire anyone to tame the place.  Leatherman and his partner have approached the railroad to buy the town but want to take a look at it first.  He enters the town incognito; not letting anyone know his real purpose there or his association with the San Antonio Development company.

He takes a room at the boarding house owned by a widow named Bettina Grady who is being courted by the local town booster, a likeable fellow named Tom Brand. Brand is enthusiastic about the town’s prospects and is the major reason the railroad came through and the town has prospered. At least it prospered up until the gunmen moved in.  He’s handy with a gun and befriends Leatherman.  

Leatherman is not entirely sure he wants any part of the trouble due to occur and struggles with his decision to buy or leave.  If he buys, he knows that the wild bunch will have to be cleared out of the town or they will never be able to develop and sell property there.  If he leaves, he and his partner will surely have to declare bankruptcy.  And then there’s that ranch.  It’s such a beautiful ranch with plenty of land and water that he’s entertaining the idea of buying it up for himself rather than for development.  And lastly, there’s Bettina Grady.  He keeps picturing Bettina Grady on that ranch with him.  But of course, there’s an expectation and understanding that Bettina will marry Brand when he asks her.

Leatherman finally makes his decision.  And as you can guess, he decides to gamble at taking a hand at cleaning up the town and buying the ranch for himself.  He sends a telegram to his partner to proceed with the deal.  

As expected, there’s all kinds of gunplay.  The two hard-case town bosses have it out in a fierce Lincoln County-style shootout in the middle of town, followed by drunken revelry.  The whole town is shot up, windows smashed, dead gunmen laying in the street and the losing saloon trashed.   The townsfolk all hole up in their homes until it’s all over.  They stand guard all night with weapons ready to protect their homes and women from the marauders.  One of the townsfolk peeking through covered window describes it as “...like watching hell through a peep hole.”

Following the win by Fate Canady, Leatherman plans a three-pronged attack:  with the townsmen starting a battle in town, he plans to have a group of ex-railroad policemen approach the town from one side and the ranchers approach from the other side.

With the prospects of the town looking rosier and an offer of the town management position, Brady asks Bettina to marry him.  She, however, turns him down.  And although she doesn’t mention Leatherman,  Brady suspects rightly that  he is the reason.  His jealousy turns into an ugly betrayal which not only nearly costs Leatherman his life, but also puts the town in severe jeopardy.

It’s a gripping story with plenty of conflict--Leatherman’s conflicting emotions about the situation; the competition between Leatherman and Brady for Bettina’s affections; the town bosses against each other and the town and then finally, the winner of the feud against Leatherman and his little ‘army’.

This is one I would definitely re-read.

Back Cover

IRONIC FACT: far more cigars are smoked than cigarettes, but the cover drawing shows a cowboy smoking a cigarette.

FAVORITE LINES:

“You stand fast or you’re dead as hell!”

“I don’t care how many trains go through Cartridge Creek; the one I leave on is the one I pick myself.”

“When a man’s time comes to die, he can do it two ways.  Straight up on his hind legs or hunched over like a scared rabbit in a hailstorm.  Me, I ain’t no rabbit.”

Manor Books printing 1975

Original copyright - Doubleday & Company Inc 1973

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Cigars lit up 10

Gunplay 4

Fistfights 1

Bushwhacks 3

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Weekly Quote: Cities as Money Mills

"Money mills, cities are. They're hoppers into which human beings put principles and morals and manhood and womanhood and even their souls, at one end, so that dollars will come out at the other."  

From Charles Alden Seltzer's ARIZONA JIM

Where the Long Grass Blows by Louis L'Amour - Western Novel Review

Cover of Louis L'Amour's Where the Long Grass Blows

Topnotch writing by Louis L'Amour who rarely disappoints. WHERE THE LONG GRASS BLOWS is the age-old range war story but with a couple of interesting twists. One of which is the fact that the leading character does considerable research on the situation in the area and the competing ranchers and comes in prepared with land deeds. His plan is to sit back and watch the competitors destroy each other. And then move in with his cattle-brand; taking over the range legally.

"Bill Canavan was a young man with a plan. He wanted not wealth but a ranch, a well watered ranch in good start country, and he intended to settle for nothing less. The fact that he was down to his last three dollars meant nothing, for his mind was made up. And back down the trail there were men who could tell you that Bill Canavan with his mindset on something was a force with which to reckon. Yet he was not riding blindly into a strange land. For, like the tactician he was, he had gathered his information carefully, judged the situation, the terrain, the time and the people, and now he was ready."

"This was a new country, but he knew the landmarks and the personalities. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of its rulers, knew the economic factors of their existence, knew the stresses and strains within. He knew that he rode into a valley at war, that blood had been shed and that armed man rode its trails night and day. Into this maelstrom he rode, a man alone, determined to have his own from the country."

Bill Canavan is 27 and has spent most of his life fighting for others to help them get their piece of the pie and now he's prepared to fight for his own. He planned for three years, talked to those familiar with the valley and has drawn a meticulous map based on conversations and recollections of people who had lived there or passed through.

The two big augurs are Walt Pogue at the Box N and Charlie Reynolds at the CR Ranch. Tensions are high and everyone anticipates that all hell will break loose pretty quick. The wild card is the foreman, Star Levitt at the VV Ranch who has a similar plan to watch the two big augurs destroy each other and then move in. Only Levitt has dastardly plans to insure there are no survivors on either side and that he ends up with the VV Ranch.

At the VV, are the owners Tom and Dixie Venable, brother and sister, who are at the mercy of a blackmailing Levitt who has freehand of the ranch doings and a promised marriage with Dixie. Canavan came into the valley thinking he knew all the angles but the relationship between the Venebles and Levitt has him puzzled. Still, from the start, he's identified Levitt as the real danger. For most of the book, Canavan is trying to figure out why Dixie would be engaged to Levitt and why Levitt seems to be calling the shots at the VV. Although puzzled by these mysteries, he has Levitt pegged as a quick-tempered fellow who, if pushed, will likely take rash actions that lead to mistakes Canavan can capitalize on.

And yes, Dixie Venable is Canavan's love interest from the first day. His first meeting with her results in an unforgettable horse race. And before the day is out, he's declared to the hotel clerk, "I'm going to marry her."

Canavan not only out fights Levitt, he out thinks him too. In addition to the fistfights and gunplay, there's an entertaining legal hearing at the end. And of course, a happy ending for Canavan and Dixie.

Where the Long Grass Blows is a terrific read and entertaining story. This one will definitely stay in my collection.

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Gunplay 6
Fistfights 1

FAVORITE LINES


"When thieves fall out, honest men get their dues."

"The happy man is the man who is content with just what he needs… Just so he has it regular."

"It is the way of thieves to find excuses for their crimes. They always argue that everyone would steal if they had the chance."

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R M Hankins' The Man from Wyoming - Western Novel Review

Cover of R M Hankins' The Man from Wyoming Bantam 1949

Originally published by MacRae-Smith Company in 1941 under the title of "Lonesome River Range",   R M Hankins' "The Man from Wyoming" was published in 1949 by Bantam. The novel is a mystery story similar to Wilkie Collins' "The Moonstone" in which a woman witnesses her fiancé stealing a valued jewel and then spurns him without explaining why. Unbeknownst to either of them, he stole it while sleepwalking. So, while she did see him steal it, he's baffled by her behavior and years later is vindicated when a detective discovers the truth.

R M Hankins' odd dedication.

In R M Hankins' "The Man from Wyoming" story, the crime committed is not theft but murder.  A newlywed wife witnesses her husband murder her brother...or does she? The grand jury decides there's not enough evidence & his wife can't testify against him. But that doesn't keep the whole town from ostracizing him and his wife from spurning him.  So eventually he lights a shuck and disappears. Then two years later, a man who looks very much like her husband (only with a missing tooth and a scar) hires on at the ranch. Is he her husband's doppelgänger? Or is he her husband? Is he trying to cheat her out of her ranch? Or is he trying to save her ranch? There were so many twists and turns, first I was certain of one thing, and then certain of the opposite. His wife went a bit soft in the head when she witnessed him killing her brother so we're never sure how sane she is, although, at times she seems saner than and more intuitive and observant than anyone else in the story. 

The story is told in first-person which is my least-liked writing perspective. Although corny at times, it is an interesting story. It's just too bad it's weighed down with too much dialogue. It's also hampered by an overload of jargon & witty old-timer & one up-man-ship tales that don't support or advance the story.

In addition, the inconsistent morals are baffling. The woman hates her husband with a passion when she believes he's a murderer, but his look-alike comes along and is proven to be the real murderer and yet she's all for getting the ranch hands together to spring him from jail if he's convicted. Why didn't she support her husband likewise despite the fact she believed him to be the killer? And the narrator, who also hates him because he's a "killer" and even wants to shoot him on sight, calls the lookalike "the best man in the territory". Baffling.


I suppose if you don't think too hard, it's a good story.

Back Cover of R M Hankins' The Man from Wyoming

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Gunplay 2
Pipes lit up 5
Pistol whippings 1
Fistfights 2
Murder 1
Bushwhackings 1

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Luke Short's Trouble Country - Western Novel Review

   

➽Luke Short's Trouble Country

I usually like stories written by Luke Short, but this one leaves me a mite disappointed.   

The main character of the story, Sam Dana, is a fiddle-footed cowboy who returns home following his father's death to find that his half-brother has let the ranch run down and has invited some hardcases to live in the main house. His brother's wife is so disgusted, she has moved into town. 

Sam doesn't really need the ranch as he's struck it rich with a coal mine so he's all set to sell his share of the ranch to his brother. However, when he hears accusations that his brother is a cattle rustler, he changes his mind, buys his brother out and sets to mend the tarnished Dana family name. 

Only his brother doesn't quit the area; instead he buys a neighboring ranch and commences to causing trouble. 

With a set-up like that, you'd expect lots of gunplay, bushwhacking and the possibility of Sam losing the ranch, his life or even his girl. 

Yep, there's a romance with the sheriff's daughter, but there's no conflict between the two to be resolved nor a challenge from another suitor to be overcome.  Disappointingly, before the romance even gets going, it turns sour when she heeds ugly rumors about Sam's sister-in-law and turns out to be both mean-spirited and prejudiced. 

And as for the ranch, there's never even the remote possibility he'll lose it. Yes, his brother burns down the ranch house, but golly, there's a still a small cabin there to live in and well, Sam is rich and can rebuild without much trouble. 

The story is well-written. My disappointment is in the expectation that there would be stronger resistance from Sam's half-brother and his hardcases. Turns out the hard-cases aren't as tough as we're led to believe and no challenge to Sam.  His brother is no challenge either.  He turns out to just be a weak-willed, slow-minded adversary.  And without the risk of losing something, or even gaining something worthwhile, there's no real investment in reading the story.

Back cover of Luke Short's TROUBLE COUNTRY western novel

One thing I like to do is compare the cover descriptions with the story to see if they measure up. The cover mentions rustlers having his ranch and him having to fight for it. That doesn't measure up with the story. He comes back, meets with his brother and buys him out with no resistance (other than an inflated price tag for his brother's share in the ranch.) 

Same with the back cover and the images. It all looks and sounds like there was never-ending  gunfights and skirmishes to get his ranch back. You'd think from reading this that Sam had hired a bunch of tough hands to fight his brother and his gun toughs and maybe there were some saloon brawls.

In fact, most of Sam's activity is in legal maneuvering, especially in achieving financial support for his half-brother's wife.  The legal maneuvering isn't even challenged with counter legal moves by his brother.

Cigarettes lit up 9

Gunplay 3

Fistfights 1

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Ray Gaulden High Country Showdown - Western Novel

Paperback cover of Ray Gaulden's High Country Showdown

➽Ray Gaulden's High Country Showdown

There's no publication date on this western novel by Ray Gaulden.  It's printed by Starbooks out of Sydney, Australia.

A bit of an oddball western in that it's not about a range war, cattle rustling, gunman, cattle drive, mining town, cattle town, frontier fort, stagecoach run, wrongly accused cowboy or saving the ranch, but there is lots of gunplay and some fist fighting. 

The story is about a fella named Grady Galloway, who has gone looking for his missing father who went to Denver to get a bank loan to save the local ranchers. His father is being held captive in a high stakes poker game where he has won a large sum of money and the losers want a chance to win their money back.  Hence, the captivity.

The son finds him there, helps him escape and the rest of the story is the son's attempt to get the money back home to the local ranchers. 

Grady, inscrutably, leaves his six shooter at home despite being worried that his father has encountered some trouble in Denver.  First thing he has to do in Denver is buy a pistol.  That, I could never figured out.  If you're expecting trouble, why leave your pistol at home?

And then there's Libby Blue, a saloon singer desperate to escape a bad situation. Her path keeps crossing that of Galloway's and she ends up taking the same escape route. Thus, she and Galloway share the dangers of the pursuit. Yes; there's some romance, but it's a gruff sort of romance.  Gruff as in, neither seems to be much impressed with the other, but in the end, it's 'Yeah, well, what say we get married?'.

I love comparing the front and back cover descriptions the ad copy folks come up with for these paperbacks to see if it lives up to the story or not.  The front cover of this one says "A bounty on his head."  Technically, not true; there is no bounty as he hasn't broken any law. Galloway is just in trouble because he had to use gunplay to free his father from the poker game. But there is a gang out to get him and a gunman that has been paid to kill him. 

The back cover is accurate though. And the inside cover description of  Libby Blue is fairly accurate; although it turns out she's a better person than the initial impression Grady receives.

Not really impressed with the story, but it's not bad writing.

Still haven't figured out why he left his six shooter at the ranch.

Backcover of Ray Gaulden's High Country Showdown

Inside front of Ray Gaulden's High Country Showdown

Starbook Publication brand from Sydney, Australia - no date.

Cigarettes lit up: 11

Cigars lit up: 1

Pipes lit up: 3

Fistfights: 2

Pistol-whippings: 1

Gunplay: 8

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