Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1167

About this issue

This issue of Beadle's Half-Dime Library (No. 1487, 1878) features the serial "The Hidden Lodge: The Little Hunter of the Adirondacks" by T. C. Harbaugh. Two lost woodsmen, Tarsus Nightwell and Simon Oldfoot, wander in circles through the Adirondack forest at night near the roaring Ausable River, their attempts to navigate by natural signs defeated by the treacherous terrain. Convinced they are being followed by something supernatural, Nightwell attacks what he believes is a ghost but passes through empty air, terrifying both men. The "ghost" is revealed to be Piney Paul, a sixteen-year-old wilderness expert dressed in buckskin who navigates the mountains with expert skill. Paul descends into a hidden cavern behind the Ausable's gorge, accessible by vine-covered rocks. Inside, a fire illuminates stone walls decorated with colored-stone drawings—grotesque depictions of animals and a demon-headed ceiling, alongside a striking image of a cottage with children playing. The serial suggests mysteries involving a lost girl and pursuers from the city.