Kirjahaku

Jim Dawson, Head wrangler of the Lazy R. Dude Ranch, and a man of remarkable character and imagination is the central figure of these wise and entertaining tales of the Far West.With his slow grin, his drawling speech, his guitar, and his seemingly inexhaustible supply of stories, Jim was the terror and delight of the dude ranchers.There was never the occasion when Jim lacked a story to tell. Many of these purported to come from his own experience, as when he was asked to join Buffalo Bill's Wile-West Show; shot a man in a saloon brawl; or when he watched baby rattlesnakes dancing to the tune of "Yankee Doodle." He also had a rich supply of Indian and western folklore, drawing on a stock containing such wonders as moving mountains, "Methuselum" crickets, superstitious snakes, and Indian-snatching buzzards.Those familiar with American folk-heroes and legends will recognize in Jim Dawson the composite appeal of a host of popular characters. Those who love a good yarn for its own sake (and who doesn't) can open any page at random. Here's a feast

1vGene Hoopes was one of those remarkable, yet humble human beings that you would like to meet and spend time with. Though I never met my paternal great-grandfather, as he passed away in 1967 and I was born in 1969, I feel that I knew him from his history and his writings. Gene Hoopes was an adventurous, resourceful, and creative person. These traits can be traced through his entire life from his time as a captain in the Army Air Service during World War I, to being president and general manager of the Union Drawn Steel Co. in his hometown of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania after the war, and president of various banks in Pennsylvania. But what really intrigued my great-grandfather was the spirit and rustic beauty of the American West and the untold stories waiting there. He decided to leave Beaver Falls after the Union Drawn Steel Co. was purchased by Republic Steel Co. and travel to the West, where he finally settled in Prescott, Arizona. There he established a dude ranch and penned several books, of which Silent Friends was one of his first and some say finest. He loved animals, and when you read this book, you will immediately fall in love with the fun and adventurous tale of Gene Hoopes four-legged animal friends. My parents, who live in Skull Valley, where my great grandfather had his dude ranch, did a great deal of research on Gene Hoopes. They uncovered many interesting facts and anecdotes about his time in Arizona. My parents have the original books that my great-grandfather published in the 1950s, and I have them to thank for their inspiration to bring this book and the others Gene Hoopes wrote, into print again so that you may enjoy some classic writing and heartwarming storytelling. My love and thanks go to my maternal grandmother for providing a safe and quiet environment in which I could compile and organize the original books to be digitized and transmitted to my friends at Inkwell Productions, who have been gracious and helpful with the process of preparing this and the other books for production. In this busy and hectic twenty-first century, I feel that, with the advent of advanced technology, we have missed taking a breath. We need to step back for a moment and see the beauty in nature and in the animals that God has provided us for the company. My great-grandfather did and, during and after reading this book, you will momentarily be taken to a more peaceful world.

Here again, for devotees of Jim Dawson and his tall tales, is a col­lection of the wrangler's whoppers at their best. In stories that will stand any dude's hair on end, Jim tells how he got rid of an unsatisfactory cook (far be it from Dawson to do anything as simple as firing him), ... why his horse is called "Hornet,"... how he was arrested for kid­napping, and many, many more hilarious adventures. Told in the vernacular of the hard-riding cowhand, these tales are bound to be favorites with Westerners and dudes alike Jim, his, guitar, and his ever-present home­ made cigarette make a picture long to be remembered and cherished. For, in addition to his dry humor, Jim Dawson displays a shrewd awareness of human nature, which is frequently startling in its clarity. How he handles New England schoolmarms and government scien- tists with equal dexterity, and the dudes who visit the Lazy R always leave a bit wiser than when they arrive. Dawson's incredible tales are interspersed with his obvious love ' of nature. The descriptive passages of the rare beauty to be found on the Western desert make a city-dweller long for the peace and unspoiled natural wonders to be found there. Youngsters, their parents, and their grandparents will find sheer joy in perusing the pages of JIM DAWSON RETURNS, for it is about a man who epitomizes all that was exciting and good and lasting about our great land and the people of the West. Lassoing a steer, branding a cow, or going out on the trail are adventures that we cannot all share in physically. We can, however, in this book, relive all the excitement of the West and relearn the virtues that played so great a part in the making of our national character.

In the full-length portrait of Joan Cort; the heroine of his warm and sympathetic novel, Gene Hoopes presents a memorable and unusual fictional creation where characters in distinguished by unremitting honesty and uncompromising loyalty. Joan's Conquest traces the life and development of Joan Cort from her formative years - during the pre-World War I period - to the attainment of life's dream during the mid-years of the great depression. Born in the depressed area known as "The Flats" in a typical American town called Williamsburg, Joan gets to know the different life of the more affluent dwellers on Mervin Hill obliquely through her early friendship with Ross Marvin. Through her efforts and encouragement, the young Ross attains stature among their school friends and Ross becomes the controlling image of her dreams after his departure from Williamsburg. Death and sorrow, the loss of both her parents and the separation from Ross mature Joan. Her human qualities become increasingly manifest through her associations with the redoubtable and engaging Uncle Billy Leigh and Judge Thorne. Destiny and time conspire to have Joan and Ross meet years later after Ross's return from World War I and his unhappy marriage to the cold, socially ambitious Jean Hollander. After their reunion and separation, Fate again finds a way to bring them together in an unforeseen place and under strange circumstances. Simply and gracefully written, Joan's Conquest is the tender story of a young woman's inner struggles and spiritual achievement. Joan Cort is more than a character encountered in the pages of a book. She becomes the symbol of understanding and deeply searching womanhood and is a noble evocation of the highest virtues in modern women. Through the clear, untainted vision of Joan Cort, one sees the everyday world in new terms and fresh colors. Joan's Conquest is unashamed of sentiment and human emotions and rediscovers many facets of the human heart that many contemporary novelists have bypassed.

Gene Hoopes was one of those remarkable, yet humble human beings that you would like to meet and spend time with. Though I never met my paternal great-grandfather, as he passed away in 1967 and I was born in 1969, I feel that I knew him from his history and his writings. Gene Hoopes was an adventurous, resourceful, and creative person. These traits can be traced through his entire life from his time as a captain in the Army Air Service during World War I, to being president and general manager of the Union Drawn Steel Co. in his hometown of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania after the war, and president of various banks in Pennsylvania. But what really intrigued my great-grandfather was the spirit and rustic beauty of the American West and the untold stories waiting there. He decided to leave Beaver Falls after the Union Drawn Steel Co. was purchased by Republic Steel Co. and travel to the West, where he finally settled in Prescott, Arizona. There he established a dude ranch and penned several books, of which Silent Friends was one of his first and some say finest. He loved animals, and when you read this book, you will immediately fall in love with the fun and adventurous tale of Gene Hoopes four-legged animal friends. My parents, who live in Skull Valley, where my great grandfather had his dude ranch, did a great deal of research on Gene Hoopes. They uncovered many interesting facts and anecdotes about his time in Arizona. My parents have the original books that my great-grandfather published in the 1950s, and I have them to thank for their inspiration to bring this book and the others Gene Hoopes wrote, into print again so that you may enjoy some classic writing and heartwarming storytelling. My love and thanks go to my maternal grandmother for providing a safe and quiet environment in which I could compile and organize the original books to be digitized and transmitted to my friends at Inkwell Productions, who have been gracious and helpful with the process of preparing this and the other books for production. In this busy and hectic twenty-first century, I feel that, with the advent of advanced technology, we have missed taking a breath. We need to step back for a moment and see the beauty in nature and in the animals that God has provided us for company. My great-grandfather did and, during and after reading this book, you will momentarily be taken to a more peaceful world.