Cover of The Trail Horde

The Trail Horde

  • Free to read
  • 6 hours to read
  • 43 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"The Trail Horde" by Charles Alden Seltzer is a novel written in the early 20th century. Set against the backdrop of the American West, the story follows Kane Lawler, a rancher dealing with the complexities of morality, loyalty, and the business of cattle ranching in the face of shifting allegiances and ethical dilemmas. Central to the narrative are themes involving Lawler's relationship with his mother, his feelings for Ruth Hamlin, and the tension created by characters like Gary Warden and Joe Hamlin, who threaten his world and values. At the start of the novel, readers are introduced to Kane Lawler, who is preparing to ship cattle while grappling with the implications of his family's reputation and local corruption. The opening chapter provides a glimpse into the life of ranching, the tensions with neighbors, particularly involving the deceitful Warden, and Lawler's struggle to uphold his integrity amidst the challenges posed by cattle rustling and his feelings for Ruth Hamlin, the schoolteacher. The interactions between characters set the stage for conflict, drawing readers into a narrative that examines the interplay of personal ethics and ranching culture in the evolving landscape of the West.

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  • Western stories

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Chapter I

CONCERNING MORALS

There were fifty thousand acres within view of the ranchhouse—virgin grass land dotted with sage, running over a wide level, into little hills, and so on to an upland whose rise was so gradual that it could be seen only from a distance, best from the gallery of the ranchhouse.

The first tang of autumn was in the sage-scented breeze that swept the county, and the tawny valley, basking in the warm sunlight that came down from a cloudless sky, showed its rugged beauty to advantage.

Kane Lawler paused at the edge of the gallery and filled his lungs from the sage-laden breeze, and then wheeled to face his mother.

She smiled at him.

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Contents

Show all 43 chapters
  1. Chapter I
  2. Chapter II
  3. Chapter III
  4. Chapter IV
  5. Chapter V
  6. Chapter VI
  7. Chapter VII
  8. Chapter VIII
  9. Chapter IX
  10. Chapter X
  11. Chapter XI
  12. Chapter XII
  13. Chapter XIII
  14. Chapter XIV: Lawler's "Nerve"
  15. Chapter XV
  16. Chapter XVI: A "Norther"
  17. Chapter XVII
  18. Chapter XVIII
  19. Chapter XIX
  20. Chapter XX: The "Killing"
  21. Chapter XXI
  22. Chapter XXII
  23. Chapter XXIII
  24. Chapter XXIV
  25. Chapter XXV
  26. Chapter XXVI
  27. Chapter XXVII
  28. Chapter XXVIII
  29. Chapter XXIX
  30. Chapter XXX
  31. Chapter XXXI: "Jail's Empty, Kane!"
  32. Chapter XXXII
  33. Chapter XXXIII
  34. Chapter XXXIV: "Good Old Shorty!"
  35. Chapter XXXV
  36. Chapter XXXVI
  37. Chapter XXXVII
  38. Chapter XXXVIII
  39. Chapter XXXIX
  40. Chapter XL
  41. Chapter XLI
  42. Chapter XLII
  43. Chapter XLIII

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About this edition

This free edition of The Trail Horde by Charles Alden Seltzer comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #17477, released 2006-01-07. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Adventure, Novels, American Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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