Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT INFO
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
ADVERTISED IN ADVANCE, by Johnston McCulley
THERE AIN’T NO MEN IN HEAVEN, by Gary Lovisi
MUSTANG BREED, by Alan LeMay
DESERT VENUS, by Lonni Lees
BAD BLOOD AT DRY ROCK, by Arlette Lees
LADY SHERIFF SEES RED! by Barbara L. Bonham
THE SECRET CACHE, by E. C. Brill
BOOTHILL BOUND, by J. R. Jackson
HELL-PATH FOR PILGRIMS, by William Heuman
HANDY MAN TO HAVE AROUND, by Donald Bayne Hobart
THE JAIL-PROOF OUTLAW, by T. W. Ford
SIXGUN AND PENCIL LEAD, by Ben Frank
MEN WHO MADE THE WEST, by Earle Wilson
THE LAST MILE, by Frank Richardson Pierce
THE WAGON WARRIOR, by Les Savage, Jr.
TONY’S BANJO, by Carl Elmo Freeman
FINGERS ON THE TRIGGER, by S. Omar Barker
CROOKED, by James H. Hull
CALICO CAPEN’S CACHE, by J. E. Grinstead
FLAPJACK MEEHAN’S FOURTH ACE, by Frank Richardson Pierce
BULLION AND BULLETS, by J. Thompson Kescel
COPYRIGHT INFO
This Third Western Megapack is copyright © 2014 by Wildside Press LLC. All rights reserved. Cover art © Catmando / Fotolia.
* * * *
“Advertised in Advance,” by Johnston McCulley, originally appeared in West, April 5, 1926.
“There Ain’t No Men in Heaven,” by Gary Lovisi, originally appeared in Hardboileld #21. Copyright © 1996, 2007 by Gary Lovisi. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Mustang Breed,” by Alan LeMay, originally appeared in Adventure, March 10, 1925.
“Desert Venus,” by Lonni Lees. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Bad Blood at Dry Rock,” by Arlette Lees, originally appeared in the January 2012 issue of Shot of Ink. Copyright © 2012 by Arlette Lees. Reprinted by permission of the author.
The Secret Cache, by E. C. Brill, originally appeared in 1932.
“Boothill Bound,” by J. R. Jackson, originally appeared in Thrilling Western, April 1947.
“Lady Sheriff Sees Red!” by Barbara L. Bonham, originally appeared in Double-Action Western, Jan. 1952.
“Hell-Path For Pilgrims,” by William Heuman, originally appeared in Frontier Stories, Winter 1943.
“Handy Man to Have Around,” by Donald Bayne Hobart
“The Jail-Proof Outlaw,” by T. W. Ford, originally appeared in Thrilling Western, July 1947.
“Sixgun and Pencil Lead,” by Ben Frank, originally appeared in Thrilling Western, July 1947.
“Men Who Made the West,” by Earle Wilson, originally appeared in Complete Story Magazine, July 1924.
“The Last Mile,” by Frank Richardson Pierce, originally appeared in Western Story Magazine, Sept. 6, 1924.
“The Wagon Warrior,” by Les Savage, Jr., originally appeared in Frontier Stories, Winter 1943.
“Fingers on the Trigger,” by S. Omar Barker, originally appeared in West, Aug 6, 1927.
“Crooked,” by James H. Hull, originally appeared in West, Aug 6, 1927.
“Calico Capen’s Cache,” by J. E. Grinstead, originally appeared in West, Aug 6, 1927.
“Tony’s Banjo,” by Carl Elmo Freeman, originally appeared in West, Aug 6, 1927.
“Flapjack Meehan’s Fourth Ace,” by Frank Richardson Pierce, originally appeared in Western Story Magazine, Nov. 29, 1924.
“Bullion and Bullets,” by J. Thompson Kescel, originally appeared in Western Story Magazine, Nov. 29, 1924.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Our third general collection of Westerns is at your fingertips…more great tales of the Old West That Never Quite Was, by some of the best historical writers of the pulps (or, in the case of our modern writers, to come out of the pulp tradition). I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed putting finding them and putting this collection together.
We have already begun work on a fourth volume, so keep an eye out for it!
—John Betancourt
Publisher, Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidepress.com
ABOUT THE MEGAPACKS
Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has grown to be among our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”
The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)
A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS
The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader.)
RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?
Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).
Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.
TYPOS
Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.
If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at wildsidepress@yahoo.com or use the message boards above.
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
MYSTERY
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Bulldog Drummond Megapack*
The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack
The Detective Megapack
The Father Brown Megapack
The Girl Detective Megapack
The Second Girl Detective Megapack
The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack
The Second R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Third R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack
The First Mystery Megapack
The Second Mystery Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Philo Vance Megapack*
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Raffles Megapack
The Sherlock Holmes Megapack
The Victorian Mystery Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
GENERAL INTEREST
The Adventure Megapack
The Baseball Megapack
The Cat Story Megapack
The Second Cat Story Megapack
The Third Cat Story Megapack
The Third Cat Story Megapack
The Christmas Megapack
The Second Christmas Megapack
The Cla
ssic American Short Stories Megapack, Vol. 1.
The Classic Humor Megapack
The Dog Story Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The Horse Story Megapack
The Military Megapack
The Pirate Story Megapack
The Sea-Story Megapack
THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION MEGAPACKS
1. Winston K. Marks
2. Mark Clifton
3. Poul Anderson
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Fredric Brown Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Dragon Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The C.J. Henderson Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack
The Jack London Science Fiction Megapack
The Martian Megapack
The A. Merritt Megapack*
The E. Nesbit Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Science-Fantasy Megapack
The First Science Fiction Megapack
The Second Science Fiction Megapack
The Third Science Fiction Megapack
The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack
The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack
The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack
The Eighth Science Fiction Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
The Space Opera Megapack
The Steampunk Megapack
The Time Travel Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
HORROR
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Second Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The Ghost Story Megapack
The Second Ghost Story Megapack
The Third Ghost Story Megapack
The Haunts & Horrors Megapack
The Horror Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Macabre Megapack
The Second Macabre Megapack
The Third Macabre Megapack
The Arthur Machen Megapack**
The Mummy Megapack
The Occult Detective Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Vampire Megapack
The Weird Fiction Megapack
The Werewolf Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack
WESTERNS
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The Buffalo Bill Megapack
The Cowboy Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
The Western Megapack
The Second Western Megapack
YOUNG ADULT
The Boys’ Adventure Megapack
The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack
The Dare Boys Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The G.A. Henty Megapack
The Girl Detectives Megapack
The E. Nesbit Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Pinocchio Megapack
The Rover Boys Megapack
The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack
The Tom Swift Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
AUTHOR MEGAPACKS
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The H. Bedford-Jones Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Fredric Brown Megapack
The Second Fredric Brown Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
The Stephen Crane Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Guy de Maupassant Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Frederick Douglass Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The F. Scott Fitzgerald Megapack
The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack
The Second R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Third R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The Dashiell Hammett Megapack
The C.J. Henderson Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Selma Lagerlof Megapack
The Harold Lamb Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Jonas Lie Megapack
The Arthur Machen Megapack**
The Katherine Mansfield Megapack
The George Barr McCutcheon Megapack
The A. Merritt Megapack*
The Talbot Mundy Megapack
The E. Nesbit Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Rafael Sabatini Megapack
The Saki Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
The Bram Stoker Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
The Virginia Woolf Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack
* Not available in the United States
** Not available in the European Union
***Out of print.
OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY
The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)
The Wildside Book of Fantasy
The Wildside Book of Science Fiction
Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries
ADVERTISED IN
ADVANCE, by Johnston McCulley
In the little town of Rock Castle, at the edge of the desert country, the recognized social center was known as Hank’s Place, though it was as much Ike’s as Hank’s, since Ike Cumway and Hank Redlan were partners.
Ike and Hank had come to Rock Castle when there was no indication of a town except a few tents and a mining boom. The boom passed on, but the tents changed into shacks and remained.
It was not much of a town. It was away down in one corner of the country, far from the railroad, and was visited by county officials only at election time and when it was necessary to collect taxes. Citizens of Rock Castle thought that it was a weakness to pay taxes unless the sheriff came in person to collect them.
Rock Castle had a half dozen small buildings that housed business enterprises—a small bank, a blacksmith shop, a livery stable and corral, a restaurant operated by a Chinaman, and a cobbler’s shop. And then there was Hank’s Place.
The Place was a big frame building with a false second story front. A partition clove the building into two long rooms. There was a wide open doorway in this partition. On one side was a general store and postoffice, presided over by Ike. On the other side was the bar, gambling room and dance hall combined, under the supervision of Hank.
Inside Hank’s Place, a dozen men loafed against the bar. On the other side of the partition, Ike was alone after the stage driver had departed to put up his iron steed. Ike opened the mail sack and removed therefrom three newspapers, two mail order catalogues, and three letters. Two of the latter were bills from wholesale houses, for Ike. The third also was for Ike—it was addressed to the postmaster.
Ike Cumway held the letter up to the light briefly, and then ripped the envelope open. Inside was a single sheet of cheap paper, with pencil scrawls upon it. Ike turned the letter to the light that came through the flyspecked window, and read.
Ike Cumway was docile and slow moving, not given to excitability. So the consternation that fell upon Hank and the dozen idlers who suddenly beheld Ike Cumway rush through the open doorway in the partition up to the bar, gasping for words, was intense.
Hank swore, fearing a stroke of some sort. The citizens of Rock Castle stood amazed. Ike lurched against the bar, and motioned wildly toward a bottle. Hank supplied the bottle and a glass, Ike tossed off a snifter of liquor, choked, and sputtered.
“What’s the matter with you, Ike?” Hank demanded. “You gone loco? Scarin’ my customers thataway!”