For the parson of Paradise

Magpie Simpkins and his faithful burro wander into the ram‑shackle town of Paradise, a place that looks calm from the outside but hides a shortage of both hope and coin. They encounter Old Testament Tilton, a down‑on‑his‑luck preacher whose church can’t even pay for a single sack of flour, and whose sermons are as threadbare as his coat. In the dusty heat of the Ace Full saloon, Magpie offers a five‑dollar hand and a blunt reality check, setting the tone for a story that blends dry humor with a gritty look at faith on the frontier.

Soon a towering stranger in a stovepipe hat bursts onto the scene, proclaiming himself a wandering bard who claims the very name of Shakespeare. His booming voice and dramatic gestures stir the townsfolk, prompting a clash of self‑importance and desperation. As the pilgrims, the preacher, and the eccentric performer navigate their tangled motives, the novel explores what it means to keep one’s “even break” in a place where every promise is weighed against a hard‑earned dollar.