Publisher: Western Story Magazine April 1953
Edition: First Appearance
Format: Magazine - Pulp
Genre: Western
Locations:
Special Notes: Original Title: Matt Gordon’s Boy
Characters:

It took three barrells of snake-head whiskey, a fortune in buffalo hides, and the lone-hand courage of Matt Gordon’s kid to cash in on a dead man’s hand!

Will Gordon has his buffalo hides taken from him and forced to accept two kegs of whiskey as exchange by the Foss brothers, the men whose actions attributed to the death of his father Man. Will and Leo Cleary, his father’s friend, track the brothers from hunting camp to camp. As they search, Will forms a plan to turn the tables on Clyde and Wylie Foss that include getting his hides back and avenging his father.

Deputy Marshal Paul Scallen is in charge of puffing Jim Kidd on a train to be taken to prison. Despite diversionary tactics by the head marshal, Kidd’s whereabouts are discovered by his cohort Charlie Prince, and Bob Moons, a vengeance driven brother of one of Kidd’s victims. While more armed men arrive to back up Prince, Kidd works on Scallen’s sense of duty to show how futile his mission is. Scallen, however, is determined to put Kidd on that train, whatever the cost.

Emmet Ryan, head ramrod of the TX crew, has cattle stolen from a herd be and his men are driving. Witnesses implicate Emmet’s brother Jack as one of the rustlers along with Joe Anthony, a known bad man, and two others. The thieves are trailed to a small town where one is killed during a face off. Those left face hanging but the TX crew question the justice of their actions