Laughing Bill Hyde and Other Stories

A recently released prisoner, Bill “Laughing” Hyde tries to shed his notorious past by heading for a healthier climate. Fresh from Deer Lodge Penitentiary, he’s learned a few trades—crafting horsehair bridles and talking through stone walls—yet his sardonic humor remains intact. In Arizona, his weak lungs find relief, but his knack for quick, quiet theft quickly propels him into a new, illicit venture.

Hyde’s latest scheme involves a payroll he lifts from a kindly‑natured custodian, funding a brief spell of comfortable living. When the victim recovers and spots Hyde’s gleeful confrontation with a faro dealer, the sheriff is alerted, forcing Hyde to flee on a wild horse he later gifts to a Mexican woman. He rides onward, eventually reaching the West Coast, where the climate and the constant public notices of his whereabouts push him yet again toward the sea.

The tale follows Hyde’s restless wanderings, his sharp wit, and the constant tug‑of‑war between his desire for a fresh start and the pull of his old habits.