Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 645

# "The Uncanny Ranch" by Jos. E. Badger, Jr.

This Western serial by prolific pulp author Badger concerns Gregory Baird's inspection tour of the "Square Ring Ranch," which he considers purchasing from the reluctant Jordan Harpe. The property borders the notorious "Haunted Ranch," an abandoned, deteriorating building that deeply disturbs Harpe despite his professed skepticism. Harpe admits experiencing inexplicable sights, sounds, and sensations he attributes to supernatural causes, though he refuses detailed explanation. When Baird presses him near the site, one of their horses suddenly bolts in apparent terror while the other remains calm—suggesting earthly rather than spectral cause. As Harpe pursues the escaped animal and Baird remains at camp, mysterious forces operate unseen. Badger develops mounting tension between rational skepticism and genuine unexplained phenomena, hinting at hidden human agency behind the ranch's sinister reputation.