Beadle's Dime Library, Vol. XII, No. 145

# "Pistol Pards; or, Soft Hand, the Silent Sport from Cinnabar"

This dime novel installment, authored by William R. Eyster, follows Harold Wilkins, a sickly traveler arriving in Tierra Roxo with his daughter Kate, who hopes to recuperate before continuing north. The settlement bustles with miners, gamblers, and prospectors. Wilkins confides to the hotel proprietor Michael Mitchell his anxiety about bandits—specifically Captain Skull and his raiders—threatening the stage route. Desperate to protect Kate, Wilkins considers hiring armed guards, despite reservations about trusting local ruffians. Mitchell directs him to Fritz at the Star saloon, a gambling establishment and dance house, to recruit reliable men. The narrative introduces Alabaster Jim, an eccentric peddler selling a three-legged lame pony, whose face intrigues Wilkins. A mysterious Colonel Dashwood observes Wilkins with notable alarm. That evening, Wilkins visits the Star to assess potential bodyguards, finding the patrons either obviously disreputable or unreliable. The text breaks mid-narrative.