TY - BOOK AU - Browne,George Waldo AU - Bridgman,L.J. TI - The Woodranger AV - PZ PY - 2025/// CY - Salt Lake City, UT PB - Project Gutenberg KW - Animals -- Juvenile fiction KW - Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction KW - Adventure stories KW - Hunting stories KW - Frontier and pioneer life -- Juvenile fiction KW - Youth -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction KW - Outdoor life -- Juvenile fiction KW - Parent and child -- Juvenile fiction KW - Hunters -- Juvenile fiction KW - Boundary disputes -- Juvenile fiction KW - New England -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- Juvenile fiction N1 - Release date is 2025-12-21; Produced by Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net; Originally published; New York: A. Wessels Company, 1899 N2 - The Woodranger by George Waldo Browne is a historical adventure novel written in the late 19th century. Set on the colonial frontier along the Merrimack River, it follows the Scotch‑Irish youth Norman McNiel, his foster‑sister Rilma, and their Highland grandfather as they navigate land rivalries between Massachusetts grantees and Londonderry settlers. With the enigmatic Woodranger acting as scout, guide, and moral compass, the story mixes wilderness hunts, frontier justice, and community contests. The opening of The Woodranger frames the 1740s “debatable grounds” dispute between New Hampshire and Massachusetts before plunging into action: Norman watches a wounded deer leap from Rock Rimmon after a shot by Christo, a lone Pennacook, and is then seized by Gunwad, a zealous deer‑reeve, for killing game out of season. Woodranger intervenes, and a horn from Norman’s grandfather pulls him home, where he saves Rilma from a wildcat attack—finished by a timely shot from young Johnny Stark—then accepts an invite to a coming canoe match. At dawn, Woodranger escorts him to be tried locally by ’Squire Blanchard; along the way a comic stop with Zack Bitlock (who has mistakenly cultivated mullein for tobacco) lightens the mood. In court, Woodranger shows the bullet is Indian‑made and that the deer died from its fall, not Norman’s hand; the dog’s role can’t be proved, and Norman is acquitted. When Gunwad slanders Norman’s lineage, Woodranger silences him, and the crowd shifts to the eagerly awaited shooting‑match—signaling that personal grudges, local pride, and frontier tests will drive the tale forward. (This is an automatically generated summary.) UR - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77515 ER -