Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 256

This issue of the pulp weekly features "Double Dan the Dastard; or, The Pirates of the Pecos," by Major Sam S. Hall ("Buckskin Sam"), author of other frontier tales including "Diamond Dick" and "Big Foot Wallace." Set in 1850s Texas, the narrative introduces Rosa Ray, fifteen-year-old heiress of a plantation on the Rio Brazos, described as spirited and beautiful but sheltered from male society by her protective father and maiden aunt. The story establishes the setting—a grand mansion surrounded by gardens and slave quarters—and introduces a mysterious, noble young man secretly observing a hunting party from a boat. Among the hunters is the dark-featured "Mars' Louis," presented as a disreputable leader whose conversation with his companions provokes the hidden observer's indignation. The serial combines romantic elements with frontier adventure, with conflict emerging between the restricted heroine and predatory male characters.