False face by Ernest Haycox
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"False face by Ernest Haycox" is a Western short story written in the early 20th century. Set amid a rumor-fueled land rush in central Oregon, it centers on a storekeeper-turned-deputy who must quell campsite thefts, clear a wrongly accused cowboy, and expose the true thief. Sheriff Bart McKenzie drafts Dave Budd as deputy when a camp of hopeful homesteaders crowds his store and a brazen wallet theft stirs talk of lynching. A
taciturn rider, Sam, pushes a search that “finds” the stolen wallet in the gear of fiery redheaded Bill, who had been courting a young woman also admired by Sam. Sensing a plant, Budd ties Bill lightly and lets him slip away, then baits a trap by leaving cash in a cigar box and waiting in the dark. Sam sneaks in to steal, shoots, and is shot dead by Budd, exposing him as the true culprit. Bill returns from the brush to point out Sam’s cache, the camp accepts the truth, and the innocent man is cleared. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Haycox, Ernest, 1899-1950 |
|---|---|
| Title | False face |
| Original Publication | New York, NY: Street & Smith Corporation, 1926. |
| Series Title | Produced from the February 13, 1926 issue of Western Story Magazine. |
| Credits | Roger Frank and Sue Clark |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Western stories |
| Subject | Oregon -- Fiction |
| Subject | Man-woman relationships -- Fiction |
| Subject | Theft -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 76931 |
| Release Date | Sep 26, 2025 |
| Last Update | Sep 28, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 2690 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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