CHAPTER ITHE SHERIFF RIDES TO WAR
CHAPTER IICONCERNING AN ARROW
CHAPTER IIITHE SHERIFF FINDS THE ORPHAN
CHAPTER IVTHE SECOND OFFENSE
CHAPTER VBILL JUSTIFIES HIS CREATION
CHAPTER VITHE ORPHAN OBEYS AN IMPULSE
CHAPTER VIITHE OUTFIT HUNTS FOR STRAYS
CHAPTER VIII“A TIMBER WOLF IN HIS OWN COUNTRY”
CHAPTER IXTHE CROSS BAR-8 LOSES SLEEP
CHAPTER XTHE ORPHAN PAYS TWO CALLS
In a rugged frontier where legend and rumor intertwine, a fearsome outlaw known only as The Orphan haunts the remote valleys, his mixed‑heritage origins whispered about in taverns and on the trail. Tales paint him as a cold, methodical killer, yet the narrative hints that the man behind the myth may be more complex than the blood‑stained stories suggest. His reputation for brutal humor and uncanny marksmanship has made him a figure of both terror and fascination.
Enter James Shields, the stoic sheriff who oversees a territory as vast as New Jersey, a man of few words but fierce loyalty. When word reaches him of The Orphan’s latest violent act against two sheep herders, Shields feels a rare spark of dark amusement and decides to ride out and confront the outlaw. His quiet resolve and wry sense of humor set the stage for a tense showdown that will test both men’s convictions.
The opening pits these two starkly different personalities against each other, promising a clash of relentless force and measured law‑fulness amidst the unforgiving wilderness. Their impending encounter hints at deeper questions of identity, honor, and the thin line between justice and vengeance.
Language
en
Duration
~7 hours (434K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.fadedpage.net
Release date
2010-07-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1883–1956
Best remembered for creating Hopalong Cassidy, this early 20th-century writer helped shape one of the West’s most enduring fictional cowboys. His stories mixed action with a deep interest in the details of frontier life.
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