For the past couple of years I have been working on a biography of my father. It is a long and complicated process; he left behind no single document that explains the where or when of his life, let alone the reasons why he did many of the amazing things that he did. What little correspondence he was able to save over the years paints one picture. His personal journals, many of which were lost or not kept up on a regular basis, fill in some other areas.The writing he did in Yondering and Education of a Wandering Man I have found to be very useful but slightly slanted in the direction of whatever message he was trying to deliver at the moment.

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A young cowpuncher stakes a claim that can only be sealed with fists and a .44 Colt A gunfighter, tired of violence, finds himself pushed down a trail of bloody revenge From purple sage to gambler's gold, from a senorita's tempting smile to a splash of blood in the dust, here are stories with a distinctive L'Amour twist. A quiet farmer defends his honor in a moment of panic and luck...only to find true courage on the run from the dead man's brothers. A young drifter defends a lady's honor...and finds himself the quarry of a hanging posse. An aging marshal with a reputation as a crack shot faces a stranger who knows his secret. With relentless suspense and unforgettable drama, Louis L'Amour once again paints a vivid portrait of our western heritage that will live forever.

Introduction / vii

Beyond the Chaparral / 1

A Husband For Janey / 17

West of Dodge / 30

The Passing of Rope Nose / 50

To Make A Stand / 69

That Man from the Bitter Sands / 85

Let the Cards Decide / 100

Riches Beyond Dream / 113

West of Dry Creek / 118

Marshal of Canyon Gap / 137

Home Is the Hunter / 151

Rain on the Halfmoon / 167

Stage to WUlowspring / 181

To Hang Me High / 197

Afterword / 213