Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 186

This February 1881 issue of Beadle and Adams' dime novel series features "Cool Desmond: Or, The Gambler's Big Game," a Western romance by Colonel Delle Sara. The incomplete excerpt shows the opening chapters introducing two fugitives fleeing through the San Juan region near Death Valley. The narrative follows a remarkably beautiful young woman with golden-red hair and a frail, timid boy traveling by mule along a mountain trail. They have been pursued for a week across terrain where rain obliterated their tracks. Seeking refuge in remote mining camps, they possess no money and rely on providence. Their flight is interrupted by a mysterious voice warning them away, revealed to be an uncivilized "spirit of the mountain"—actually a savage, skin-clad youth who emerges from the trees and cryptically warns them that dangerous foes ahead surpass those pursuing them. The narrative emphasizes Gothic atmosphere and frontier adventure elements typical of the era's pulp fiction.