Cowboy Chris, the Vengeance Volunteer

This 1898 dime novel by William G. Patten (under the pseudonym "Wm. West Wilder") concerns Conrad Vincent, a young man accused by Pascal Boone of being "White Plume," lieutenant to the outlaw "Red Fox." Old Jim Pike, father of Bessie—whom Conrad loves—confronts him with this accusation and orders him away. After a tense standoff involving drawn revolvers, Conrad reluctantly departs when Bessie begs him to leave. He returns to find Jim Pike murdered, stabbed between the shoulder blades. Conrad swears vengeance and recruits his cowboy friend Rube to hunt the killer. A Dutch boy, Hans, hints the murderer is connected to the quarrel over Bessie and Conrad, suggesting Jim Pike drove lovers away at gunpoint. The story promises pursuit of the assassin across Arizona territory.