The Crooked Stick; Or, Pollie's Probation

The story opens on a blistering February evening in the endless flatlands of West Logan, where a blood‑red sun sinks behind a horizon of dust‑caked pines. A mail coach rattles its way across the barren plain, its passengers cooling their heels under a sail of stifling heat and buzzing insects. As the coach nears a lone timber fence, rumors of a cattle‑stealing gang swirl, hinting that the quiet desert road may soon become a stage for violence.

Among the travelers is Captain Devereux, a former soldier whose sharp eyes miss nothing, and Joe Bates, the stoic driver who knows these harsh tracks like his own skin. Their conversation turns from casual fatigue to a tense strategy when the possibility of an ambush looms. With a revolver at his side and a promise of duty on the line, Devereux prepares for a showdown that could test loyalties and survival in this unforgiving landscape.