
In the dim, smoky halls of a frontier tavern, a rag‑tag group of men and women gathers around a battered table, trading stories of luck, liquor, and the harsh realities of life in the northern gold fields. Their conversations drift from the practical—how to stretch a bottle of hard cider—to the more existential, as they stare into the quiet that follows a night of dice and card games. The atmosphere crackles with restless energy, hinting at both camaraderie and the underlying tension of a world where fortunes are won and lost in an instant.
Outside, the rugged landscape of Circle City teems with hopeful prospectors and the promise of untapped riches, yet the winter months leave the miners idle, forcing them to seek solace in fleeting diversions. When a mysterious newcomer, known only as Daylight, steps into the tavern, his presence sparks curiosity and a subtle shift in the room’s mood, suggesting that something beyond the ordinary may be about to unfold.
Amid the clatter of glasses and the soft strains of a waltz, listeners are drawn into a tale of survival, ambition, and the fragile bonds that hold a frontier community together. The story promises a vivid portrait of early 20th‑century life on the edge of the wilderness, where every laugh, wager, and whispered secret could change the course of a life forever.
Language
fi
Duration
~11 hours (648K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2018-03-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1876–1916
Adventure, hardship, politics, and restless curiosity all fed the stories that made him one of America’s most widely read early modern authors. Best known for tales such as The Call of the Wild and White Fang, he brought unusual energy and lived experience to everything he wrote.
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