Beadle's Pocket Library No. 219: Buck the Detective

About this issue

This issue features "Paul, the Boy Pard," a romantic story of Colorado mining life by Albert W. Aiken. The narrative opens in the Crystal Palace saloon at Eagle Bar, a rough settlement in the Colorado mountains. A small, orphaned boy named Paul Powderhorn, whose father Jake abandoned him while fleeing a man he'd tried to rob, enters the gambling hall and attempts to wager his meager gold dust on cards. A beautiful dark-haired woman dealer, dressed in men's clothing, refuses to accept his stake, showing him compassion. A large, bullying ruffian named Utah Bill from Roaring Fork then confronts the dealer, mocking her attire and attempting to intimidate her into rigged dealings. When he refuses to accept losing bets and draws his revolver, she produces her own pistol and shoots him, winging him in the shoulder. The story establishes themes of frontier violence, gambling, and the female protagonist's competence in this lawless environment.