Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 977

Cyclone Pete, the Silk Hat Detective; or, The Ever Ready Sport on His Mettle

This dime novel by Wm. R. Eyster follows the title character, a dandy detective in silk hat and refined dress, as he travels by stagecoach to Running Gear. The narrative opens with Miss Carmen Carter desperately seeking passage over the mountains, having stakes described as vital—a life at risk if she fails. She boards a coach chartered by the elegant "Philadelphia Smith," whose refined manners initially clash with rough frontier passengers Buck Barber and Tim McGonnigan. Barber, suspicious of Smith's reluctance to discuss a mining investment opportunity on the Cripple, becomes threatening, drawing a revolver before McGonnigan restrains him. The story develops their tense interaction, with Smith maintaining courteous detachment while the frontier men regard him with contempt and growing hostility over the undefined business proposition.