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The Story of the Foss River Ranch: A Tale of the Northwest
Excerpt from The Story of the Foss River Ranch: A Tale of the Northwest
IT was a brilliant gathering - brilliant in every sense of the word. The hall was a great effort of the decorator's art; the people were faultlessly dressed; the faces were strong, handsome - fair or dark complexioned as the case might be; those present represented the wealth and fashion of the Western Canadian ranching world. Intellectually, too, there was no more fault to find here than is usual in a ballroom in the West End of London.
It was the annual ball of the Polo Club, and that was a social function Of the first water in the eyes of the Galford world.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
IT was a brilliant gathering - brilliant in every sense of the word. The hall was a great effort of the decorator's art; the people were faultlessly dressed; the faces were strong, handsome - fair or dark complexioned as the case might be; those present represented the wealth and fashion of the Western Canadian ranching world. Intellectually, too, there was no more fault to find here than is usual in a ballroom in the West End of London.
It was the annual ball of the Polo Club, and that was a social function Of the first water in the eyes of the Galford world.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
322 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1903
2 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Ridgwell Cullum
120 books4 followersPseudonym of Sidney Groves Burghard
Ridgwell Cullum was a British adventurer who left England at age seventeen to go gold-prospecting in the Transvaal. He then removed to the Cape of Good Hope, where he joined up with a league of freebooters fighting against the Boers. Unable to keep still, he crossed the seas and settled in the Yukon region of Canada. During his stay in that area, he narrowly escaped starving to death. He next crossed the Canadian border, and became a successful cattle-rancher in Montana. It is said that during this period he took part in Sioux uprisings on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations. In 1903, Cullum published his first novel, The Devil's Keg. After its immediate success, Cullum decided to become a full-time writer. Dozens of novels followed throughout a career of nearly forty years. His principal early works include, Hound from the North (1904), The Night Riders (1906), and The Compact (1909). In 1931, these, along with The Purchase Price (1917), were published in an omnibus edition of his works. Despite Zane Grey's success in England, Cullum continued to hold his own in sales and popularity. His characters are larger-than-life, his descriptions vivid, and his plot mechanisms fool-proof.
Ridgwell Cullum was a British adventurer who left England at age seventeen to go gold-prospecting in the Transvaal. He then removed to the Cape of Good Hope, where he joined up with a league of freebooters fighting against the Boers. Unable to keep still, he crossed the seas and settled in the Yukon region of Canada. During his stay in that area, he narrowly escaped starving to death. He next crossed the Canadian border, and became a successful cattle-rancher in Montana. It is said that during this period he took part in Sioux uprisings on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations. In 1903, Cullum published his first novel, The Devil's Keg. After its immediate success, Cullum decided to become a full-time writer. Dozens of novels followed throughout a career of nearly forty years. His principal early works include, Hound from the North (1904), The Night Riders (1906), and The Compact (1909). In 1931, these, along with The Purchase Price (1917), were published in an omnibus edition of his works. Despite Zane Grey's success in England, Cullum continued to hold his own in sales and popularity. His characters are larger-than-life, his descriptions vivid, and his plot mechanisms fool-proof.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 3, 2021
Ridgwell Cullum is my August Literary Birthday author and also part of a personal challenge list to read his works in publication order.
This book was his first, published in 1903. The first couple of chapters set the scene, and they are both interesting. Jacky is a 21 year old woman raised on the ranch of her uncle, 'Poker' John. He is called that because he lives to gamble, especially with cards. He is already deeply in debt to the evil Lablache: banker, merchant, all-around no goodnik. By the end of chapter two Poker John has lost even more money and is in grave danger of losing the ranch. Which is, of course the plan of Lablache, who has extraordinary luck with the cards, especially when he deals. Hmmm.
There is a friend in the mix who also has lost heavily to the evil Lablache, and by Chapter 8 he and Jacky have made a pact to try and stop the crook. Can they do it? What will happen if they don't? And what will happen if they do? Exactly what else was involved in this little pact of theirs?
I was all caught up in the tale during the first few chapters. Racing a blizzard home from a party helped me ignore some of the bothersome aspects of Cullum's writing which showed up early on. But as I got farther along, I got more annoyed and now I have decided to DNF after eight chapters. Between the racist overtones, cliche characters and fairly dull plot this was definitely not a book I wanted to spend more time with.
I will go on to the author's second book and see how that goes.
This book was his first, published in 1903. The first couple of chapters set the scene, and they are both interesting. Jacky is a 21 year old woman raised on the ranch of her uncle, 'Poker' John. He is called that because he lives to gamble, especially with cards. He is already deeply in debt to the evil Lablache: banker, merchant, all-around no goodnik. By the end of chapter two Poker John has lost even more money and is in grave danger of losing the ranch. Which is, of course the plan of Lablache, who has extraordinary luck with the cards, especially when he deals. Hmmm.
There is a friend in the mix who also has lost heavily to the evil Lablache, and by Chapter 8 he and Jacky have made a pact to try and stop the crook. Can they do it? What will happen if they don't? And what will happen if they do? Exactly what else was involved in this little pact of theirs?
I was all caught up in the tale during the first few chapters. Racing a blizzard home from a party helped me ignore some of the bothersome aspects of Cullum's writing which showed up early on. But as I got farther along, I got more annoyed and now I have decided to DNF after eight chapters. Between the racist overtones, cliche characters and fairly dull plot this was definitely not a book I wanted to spend more time with.
I will go on to the author's second book and see how that goes.
May 25, 2012
Read my review at my blog.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews