Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 718

# "The Gold Crater's Secret" by Jos. E. Badger, Jr.

This serialized Western adventure opens with Luther Larrimer, known as the "Lucky Lad," and his partner Poley Applejohn observing the Half-Way House, headquarters of the outlaw Trick McAllister and his gang—rivals driven from Happy Valley by Applejohn's peacekeeping efforts. Larrimer reveals his long personal quest: his father Stephen disappeared years ago in the mines after striking it rich, leaving Larrimer determined to solve the mystery. Applejohn, now married with a child, remains his steadfast companion despite Larrimer's dangerous plans to confront McAllister. In Chapter II, Larrimer discloses a recent hill adventure involving a colored boy named Lem Claybank, a wounded old miner named Adam Elton, and encounters with the gambler Showy Joe Hoover and an untrustworthy woman named Roxy Ringgold who claimed a mining claim. The plot centers on protecting Elton's daughter while uncovering deception surrounding a valuable bonanza.