Max Brand

"Found among a group of unpublished works by Frederick Faust, these two Western stories both deal with cowardice. In "Traynor" the title character is believed to be a weak young man, having let Dr. Parker Channing steal his love, Rose Laymon, away from him. When the stage Traynor is driving into Little Snake is robbed and Traynor's best friend and stage guard, Sam Whitney, is killed by the robber, Traynor chases the thief and recovers his dropped...

"In three novellas, young men who have started to build bad reputations for themselves turn their lives around when they defend the innocent and bring down bad men"--

Paul Torridon rides the fabulous steed Ashur on his way to Fort Kendry with his guide, plainsman Roger Lincoln, in The Man from the Sky. When Roger disappears one morning, Paul knows only that finding Fort Kendry by himself will be almost impossible -- and that's if he manages to survive on the empty plains. Then he comes upon ailing Cheyenne warrior Standing Bull sprawled on a small island in a dry gulch ... On his deathbed, gunman Hank Peyton tells...

In "Dust Storm," Bob Lindsay is stuck in his shack in the Powder Mountains during a huge dust storm. When he finally emerges, he finds his water hole is nothing but a wallow of mud, and two-thirds of his crop has been wiped out. Now the two largest ranches in the area are ready to fight for water. Lindsay stopped the fighting once…can he do it a second time? Hugo Ames is the outlaw in "Outlaw's Pursuit" with a $15,000 bounty on his head following...

Within ten days of stepping out of the woods afoot near the town of Moose Creek, Duval was the most popular man in the district. After all, what wasn't there to like? He was a good listener, generous with his money, a great cook and host, and a hard worker on old Dad Wilbur's place, which he bought for $1,500. He wins the admiration of Sherrif Nat Adare when he quells and befriends the often-wild Charlie Nash and pays for the damages Nash has caused...

"After serving two years in Folsom Prison, Blondy Kitchin lands in Sour Creek Valley where his brute strength gets him a job managing a ranch where he has to deal with an out of control bunch of cowboys, ruthless rustlers, and a savvy Mexican youngster he picked up in town to act as his mozo"--

"In "The White Streak," twenty-one-year-old Jimmy Babcock, a former football star, but now a worker at the local bank run by William Parker in the town of Dresser, which has changed from cattle country to one made up of oil and alfalfa fields. When Parker fires Jimmy, all Jimmy can think is how he will hurt Muriel Aiken, his fiancée, who wants to marry. When his father signs over the old family homestead to him that is in serious need of repair,...

"Two connected stories discovered among unpublished works by Frederick Faust are combined to create this western story about a young man whose fascination with tall tales told about a fictional hero causes him to make a decision that sends him down a path outside the law"--

Don Sebastian Valdivia and his secretary, Juan Carreño, attend a horse auction at the Garrison Ranch, where an outlaw stallion, Twilight, is held back until last. The only man who can ride this magnificent beast is Charles Dupont, known as The Crisco Kid, who has bonded with the horse since he was a colt. Because gunman Bud Carew despises The Kid, he desperately wants to possess Twilight. Those attending the auction know that no matter which one...

"When Menneval offers Lefty Bill Ranger $6000 to travel from Alaska to California to spy on a father and son it sounds like easy money, but Ranger will soon discover there is nothing easy about it in this tale of covert espionage, gold, and a mysterious figure on horseback"--