Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 244

This issue of Beadle and Adams' weekly dime novel (March 28, 1882) contains "Sierra Sam, the Frontier Ferret; Or, A Sister's Devotion" by Edward L. Wheeler, author of the "Deadwood Dick" series. The serial depicts a stagecoach robbery in the Colorado mining country executed by Lady Lil, a mysterious road-agent whose true sex remains uncertain to all who encounter her. She and her gang successfully rob Judge Berkley and his daughter Louise, extracting jewels and hidden currency. The narrative then shifts to Bowieville's Galoot's Goal saloon, where the massive ruffian Jake Gouger announces his violent intentions. He is confronted by a young woman in white duck clothing—refined, educated, and unintimidated—who orders him from her establishment. Her identity and connection to the plot remain unrevealed in this excerpt.