Valley of Wild Horses   By: Zane Grey (1872-1939)

[Illustration: Dust cover art]

VALLEY

OF

WILD HORSES

By

ZANE GREY

GROSSET & DUNLAP Publishers

NEW YORK

COPYRIGHT, 1927, BY CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ALL RIGHTS IN THIS BOOK ARE RESERVED. IT MAY NOT BE USED FOR DRAMATIC, MOTION OR TALKING PICTURE PURPOSES WITHOUT WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION FROM THE HOLDER OF THESE RIGHTS. NOR MAY THE BOOK OR PART THEREOF BE REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF BRIEF QUOTATIONS EMBODIED IN CRITICAL ARTICLES AND REVIEWS. FOR INFORMATION ADDRESS: HARPER & BROTHERS, 49 EAST 33RD STREET, NEW YORK 16, N. Y.

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH HARPER & BROTHERS

Western Novels by

ZANE GREY

Desert Gold Sunset Pass Forlorn River To the Last Man Majesty's Rancho Riders of the Purple Sage The Vanishing American Nevada Wilderness Trek Code of the West The Thundering Herd Fighting Caravans 30,000 on the Hoof The Hash Knife Outfit Thunder Mountain The Heritage of the Desert Under the Tonto Rim Knights of the Range Western Union The Lost Wagon Train Shadow on the Trail The Mysterious Rider Twin Sombreros The Rainbow Trail Arizona Ames Riders of Spanish Peaks The Border Legion The Desert of Wheat Stairs of Sand The Drift Fence Wanderer of the Wasteland The Light of Western Stars The U.P. Trail The Lone Star Ranger Robber's Roost The Man of the Forest The Call of the Canyon West of the Pecos The Shepherd of Guadaloupe The Trail Driver Wildfire Wild Horse Mesa

ZANE GREY BOOKS FOR BOYS

Tappan's Burro Ken Ward in the Jungle The Young Pitcher The Young Lion Hunter Roping Lions in the Grand Canyon The Last of the Plainsmen The Shortstop The Young Forester

VALLEY OF WILD HORSES

CHAPTER ONE

The Panhandle was a lonely purple range land, unfenced and wind swept. Bill Smith, cattleman, threw up a cabin and looked at the future with hopeful eyes. One day while plowing almost out of sight of his little home which that morning he had left apprehensively owing to an impending event he espied his wife Margaret coming along the edge of the plowed field. She had brought his lunch this day, despite his order to the contrary. Bill dropped the loop of his driving reins over the plow handle and strode toward her. Presently she halted wearily and sat down where the dark rich overturned earth met the line of bleached grass. Bill meant to scold Margaret for bringing his lunch, but it developed she had brought him something more. A son!

This boy was born on the fragrant fresh soil, out on the open prairie, under the steely sun and the cool wind from off the Llano Estacado. He came into the world protesting against this primitive manner of his birth. Bill often related that the youngster arrived squalling and showed that his lung capacity fitted his unusual size. Despite the mother's protestations, Bill insisted on calling the lad Panhandle.

Panhandle's first memory was of climbing into the big cupboard in the cabin, falling out upon his head and getting blood all over his white dress. His next adventurous experience was that of chewing tobacco he found in his father's coat. This made him very sick. His mother thought he was poisoned, and as Bill was away, she ran to the nearest neighbors for help. By the time she returned with the experienced neighbor woman Panhandle had gotten rid of the tobacco and was bent upon further conquest.