
A weather‑worn cowboy named Peace “River” Parker rides into the dusty Cross L ranch, his gaunt frame and battered chaps marking him as a seasoned hand of the range. He pauses before the ramshackle house, eyeing a sleek black horse and a polished saddle that seem to hold a secret, while the ranch’s owner, the gruff Cross L Marshall, watches him with a mixture of suspicion and begrudging respect.
Their terse banter crackles with old‑west humor and an undercurrent of tension, hinting at past debts, broken promises, and a mystery that lingers around the ranch’s perimeter. As Parker and Marshall trade barbed remarks about hair‑slicking vaseline and “enigmatic” rumors, listeners are drawn into a world of dusty corrals, stubborn cattle, and unspoken dangers that promise more than a simple day’s work.
The opening sets a vivid stage of creaking porches, wind‑bent cottonwoods, and the restless rhythm of frontier life, inviting you to hear how a rugged cowhand and a wary rancher navigate trust, loyalty, and the strange forces that have brought them together.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (189K characters)
Release date
2026-05-16
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1883–1969
A hugely popular western storyteller of the pulp-magazine era, this Montana-born writer published more than 1,000 stories and dozens of novels. He is especially remembered for the adventures of Hashknife Hartley and Sleepy Stevens, two cowboy heroes with a strong comic streak.
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