Beadle's Dime Novels No. 57: The Scout

About this issue

This issue contains two serialized romances. "Laughing Eyes: A Tale of the Natchez Fort" by Henry J. Thomas depicts a French girl of that name who enchants both a Natchez warrior and French courtiers during the Old French Regime, set amid "stirring incidents" at a frontier fort. The publisher's note emphasizes the Natchez tribe's sophistication, comparing their customs to South American Incas. The primary serial, "The Scout: A Story of Early New-England" by Warren St. John, follows Henry Atwood, a skilled young frontiersman, as he seeks permission from James Wilber to marry his daughter Mary. After Wilber consents, a mysterious scarred stranger arrives, claiming Wilber owes him a life-debt from years past and demanding an unspecified (whispered) favor. When Wilber refuses, the stranger threatens violence and departs, warning of Indians massing for attack. Atwood and the stranger nearly come to blows over knives before the excerpt ends.