Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 1106

This October 1900 issue features the opening serial "The Young King of the Gold Mines: A Romance of a Border Boy's Life" by Col. Prentiss Ingraham. The story follows twelve-year-old Ned Oliver, who sacrifices himself to take a whipping intended for his crippled classmate Bennie. When Ned trips the brutal schoolteacher—apparently killing him—he flees Pennsylvania, eventually reaching his uncle John Oliver's mining outfit heading to Nevada. The narrative follows Ned's three-week journey west and his arrival at his uncle's encampment. The subsequent chapters chronicle Ned's adaptation to frontier life during the covered-wagon journey across prairies and mountains, encountering Indians, buffalo, and wild animals. Ned gains mentorship from Spitfire Pete, the taciturn train guide and hunter, impressing him with rifle and revolver marksmanship and his natural talent for reading terrain and locating water sources.