The loot of the Lazy A by W. C. Tuttle
"The loot of the Lazy A" by W. C. Tuttle is a Western novel written in the early 20th century. It spins a hard-riding mix of range mystery and action around the Lazy A ranch, where an old feud, rustling whispers, and a fortune in mineral rights collide with a contested inheritance. The story centers on Cultus Collins, a laconic investigator for the cattlemen, and Mary Smith, a down-on-her-luck stranger swept into
an imposture that drops her into the very heart of the trouble. The opening of the novel begins on a rain-soaked San Francisco night, where Collins rescues the destitute Mary from a predatory stranger and a nearby chop-house erupts into a deadly shootout. In the confusion they flee with the wrong suitcase—packed with a woman’s clothes, cash, and a ticket to Oreana, Arizona—plus a note hinting at a crooked job; Collins persuades Mary to assume the traveler’s identity and heads the same way on Association business tied to a worried letter from the crippled cattleman of the Lazy A. The scene shifts to Oreana and sketches its players and tensions: a decades-old feud between the Lazy A and the Star X, Jud Ault’s will leaving the ranch to a niece while disowning his daughter Faith, and tough hands on both outfits. A drunken street flare-up between the crews follows, and when the train arrives the Star X boys waylay the expected heiress by spiriting the new arrival from the depot. Their runaway team wrecks, Mary is thrown and found by Dude Wheeler, who carries her to the Star X ranch, while the Lazy A foreman storms into town claiming a kidnapping. The section closes with Mary, ankle sprained, facing a suspicious old rancher and a courteous son, as Collins keeps his knowledge to himself and the real stakes begin to surface. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Tuttle, W. C. (Wilbur C.), 1883-1969 |
|---|---|
| Title | The loot of the Lazy A |
| Original Publication | New York: Doubleday, Page & Co,, 1926. |
| Series Title | Produced from the August 10, 1926 issue of Short Stories magazine. |
| Credits | Prepared by volunteers at BookCove (bookcove.net) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Western stories |
| Subject | Vendetta -- Fiction |
| Subject | Ranches -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 78028 |
| Release Date | Feb 24, 2026 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 4839 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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