
In the sleepy town of Truesdell, a sprawling apple tree by the Blake homestead has become an impromptu playground for a trio of teens. Ned Blake, lanky and daring, shows off rope‑swing tricks while his friend Tommy Beals watches with a mixture of awe and comic reluctance, and the laid‑back Dave “Weary” Wilbur lends a hand at the grindstone. Their banter and light‑hearted bets paint a vivid picture of summer afternoons spent testing strength, courage, and the limits of youthful imagination.
Everything shifts when a new neighbor moves into the house opposite the tree, bringing with him rumors of Copper Coleson’s lingering presence. As the boys’ curiosity grows, the ordinary games they play begin to feel edged with an uncanny tension, hinting at a secret that the town has long kept hidden. Listeners are invited to follow their adventures as friendship, folklore, and a restless spirit intertwine in a tale that balances everyday life with a whisper of the supernatural.
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (240K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan, Special Collections of the University of Florida Library, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2014-12-11
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Best known for a brisk, old-fashioned adventure style, this early 20th-century writer created stories full of mystery, youthful energy, and hidden dangers. His surviving work suggests a fondness for boys’ fiction with strong settings and plenty of suspense.
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