Western Hendryx, James B: The Gun Brand. v1. 22 Feb 2013

[crutledge]

James B. Hendryx (1880-1963: James B. Hendryx wrote 40 novels, 13 anthologies of short stories, and many more short stories and non-fiction articles that have only appeared in magazines. These take place in settings from the Northern US and Canada to the Wild West, but the majority are set in the Yukon Gold Rush, with the best known series about Black John Smith of Halfaday Creek, published in 13 anthologies.
He really experienced the things he wrote about — he spent extensive time in the Canadian wilderness, had a ranch in the Badlands of Wyoming, sought his fortune in the Alaskan Gold Rush, and had an enormous range of other experiences, including "enough law school to stay out of jail". He was no armchair adventurer -- he was as tough as his characters, yet with a great sense of humor and gentle manner.

Excerpt
A swift anger surged in the girl's heart. "No!" she cried. "I will not write! I have no such amount in any bank this side of San Francisco! But if I had a million dollars, you would not get a cent! You can't bluff me!Vermilion sprang toward her with a snarl; but before he could lay hands upon her Big Lena, with a roar of rage, leaped past the girl and drove a heavy stick of firewood straight at the half-breed's head. The man ducked swiftly, and the billet thudded against his shoulder, staggering him. Instantly two of the scowmen threw themselves upon the woman and bore her to the ground, where she fought, tooth and nail, while they pinioned her arms. Vermilion, his face livid, seized Chloe roughly. The girl shrank in terror from the grip of the thick, grimy fingers and the glare of the envenomed eyes that blazed from the distorted, brutish features