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Sunday, May 8, 2011

Luke Short's "Dead Freight for Piute"

Cole Armin comes to Piute at the request of his Uncle Craig Armin, the owner of the Monarch Freight Company. After the meeting, Cole decides that his uncle is not a fair dealer and wants to prevent any competition hauling the ore from the mines. Cole goes into partnership with Ted Wallace of the Western Freight Co. and tries to beat the Monarch from getting the contract for the China Boy mine. The struggle continues through thick and thin as the Sheriff, supposedly in cahoots with Monarch, plans to get it all himself. Ted Wallce has a beautiful sister, of course, to throw in some love interest and Cole Armin falls for her. Its a dicey game, with Keen Billings who works for Craig Armin, plays dirty tricks on Cole and Ted, like breaking Ted's leg and fighting with Cole, cutting brake handles part way to ruin the freight wagons as they come down the hill, etc.

Lots of fighting and shooting and jailing and flirting and wagons tumbling off the side of the mountain that keeps the story interesting. There is a big surprise as it gets toward the end and the Sheriff's plans are ruined and the bad guys are chased out of town or killed and the good guys win out. Hooray!

I put this book in my car to read while I waited for the wife to visit the quilt shops, grocery store, beauty parlor, and various other places, but I finally finsihed it and it was a fine book, not your typical cowboys and cattle rustling story, and I couldn't wait to get back to it during the wating to find out what happens next.

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