Classic Western Literature

Here is a tale that concerns the incredible power of friendship. The movie Tennessee's Partner (1955), starring John Payne and Ronald Reagan, was based on this story.

A narrative of the unparalleled adventures of Matthew Brayton is compiled for the satisfaction of those who wished to preserve a memorial of his romantic history. Extraordinary as the incidents may appear, there is abundant proof of their entire truth. Living witnesses bear testimony to the circumstances of the mysterious loss of the hero, and his identity is established by incontrovertible proofs. Numerous circumstances also confirm the account given by him of his adventures during the 34 years spent among the Indians.

A successful dragon drive two months ago should have filled Buck Johnson's and Skeeter Evans' pockets. And it did - for a few weeks. Now they're back to wrangling dragons to recoup their losses, attempting to round up unclaimed dragons in the mountainous Leptok Territory. But rogue dragons and just sheer bad luck make this little venture more challenging than either of them expected.

Buck, Snort, and Skeeter are still trailing a herd of dragons to Skrintax in hopes of selling them for enough to get off Terul and maybe get better pay, easier work, and something to drink. But the obstacles keep mounting - including a tcheka-smoking interlude, hungry dragons, insolent Terullians, and... well, you'll see.

Buck Johnson: The Dragon Drive? is the second short story in the Buck Johnson series. This time Buck and Skeeter and Snort are trailing a herd of dragons to Skrintax. If everything goes as planned, they'll sell the dragons for a good price and finally be able to get off Terul. But things seldom go as planned, especially when dragons are involved.

In Agatha Christie’s short story, “The Adventure of "The Western Star,” Poirot investigates the case of a missing diamond, “The Star of the East”, belonging to Lady Yardly. But what is the connection between it and a similar diamond owned by the famous American film actress Mary Marvell? And why does a Chinese man want it returned? This short story originally appeared in the April 11, 1923 issue of The Sketch magazine.