Cover of The Boss of the Lazy Y

The Boss of the Lazy Y

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

"The Boss of the Lazy Y" by Charles Alden Seltzer is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around the main character, Calumet Marston, who returns to his father's ranch, the Lazy Y, after a long exile that has shaped him into a hardened man filled with bitterness and resentment. As he grapples with his past and the strained relationship with his father, he encounters Betty Clayton, who has her own claims on the ranch and a strong, defiant personality that challenges him. At the start of the novel, Calumet is depicted as a complex character wrestling with feelings of hatred and introspection as he rides toward the Lazy Y. He reflects on his difficult upbringing and the emotional scars left by his parents, particularly his father's indifference. After arriving at the ranch, he finds it in disrepair, symbolizing both his father's failure and his own internal struggles. A violent encounter with Betty ensues when she mistakenly believes him to be a threat to her grandfather, leading to revelations about the fate of Calumet's father and his own unexpected place in this new reality. The opening sets the stage for a story of confrontation, redemption, and the complexities of familial ties.

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  • Western stories

Read the opening

Chapter I

THE HOME-COMING OF CALUMET MARSTON

Shuffling down the long slope, its tired legs moving automatically, the drooping pony swerved a little and then came to a halt, trembling with fright. Startled out of his unpleasant ruminations, his lips tensing over his teeth in a savage snarl, Calumet Marston swayed uncertainly in the saddle, caught himself, crouched, and swung a heavy pistol to a menacing poise.

For an instant he hesitated, searching the immediate vicinity with rapid, intolerant glances. When his gaze finally focused on the object which had frightened his pony, he showed no surprise. Many times during the past two days had this incident occurred, and at no time had Calumet allowed the pony to follow its inclination to bolt or swerve from the trail. He held it steady now, pulling with a vicious hand on the reins.

Ten feet in front of the pony and squarely in the center of the trail a gigantic diamond-back rattler swayed and warned, its venomous, lidless eyes gleaming with hate. Calumet's snarl deepened, he dug a spur into the pony's left flank, and pulled sharply on the left rein. The pony lunged, swerved, and presented its right shoulder to the swaying reptile, its flesh quivering from excitement. Then the heavy revolver in Calumet's hand roared spitefully, there was a sudden threshing in the dust of the trail, and the huge rattler shuddered into a sinuous, twisting heap. For an instant Calumet watched it, and then, seeing that the wound he had inflicted was not mortal, he urged the pony forward and, leaning over a little, sent two more bullets into the body of the snake, severing its head from its body.

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Contents

  1. Chapter I
  2. Chapter II
  3. Chapter III
  4. Chapter IV
  5. Chapter V
  6. Chapter VI: "Bob"
  7. Chapter VII
  8. Chapter VIII
  9. Chapter IX
  10. Chapter X
  11. Chapter XI
  12. Chapter XII
  13. Chapter XIII
  14. Chapter XIV
  15. Chapter XV
  16. Chapter XVI
  17. Chapter XVII
  18. Chapter XVIII
  19. Chapter XIX
  20. Chapter XX
  21. Chapter XXI
  22. Chapter XXII
  23. Chapter XXIII

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About this edition

This free edition of The Boss of the Lazy Y by Charles Alden Seltzer comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #19026, released 2006-08-10. 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: Novels, American Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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