The Tuttle, W. C. (Wilbur C.) 1883-1969 creator text utu 2026 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats The misdeal by W. C. Tuttle is a Western novel written in the early 20th century. It centers on four rough-as-rawhide cowhands—led by the cool, dangerous Leather Kleig—whose secret rustling for their cranky boss is upended when he dies and a refined niece with a pious lawyer takes over the NR ranch. The clash between range cunning and legal authority drives the story, with crisp saloon action, crooked alliances, and the fate of kindhearted Ma Coogan sharpening the stakes. At the start, four NR hands—Leather Kleig, Wheezer Bell, Chet Wells, and Wooden-shoe Van Dorn—reveal they’ve swelled the ranch herd by misbranding for old Nick Ralls, only to see him die and leave the place to his distant niece, Jane Cleveland, who arrives with lawyer Eph Williams and Sheriff Ben Murtch and promptly plans to fire them and replace Ma Coogan. The men bluff for back pay and try to shield Ma, while a trip to town brings trouble: Wooden-shoe is jailed over a D-Bar-D horse until Leather quietly spooks Williams with the truth about the doctored brands, leading to a hasty “fix” and Wooden-shoe’s release. In the Shoshone Saloon, Leather foils deputy Clay Hardy’s attempt to shoot gambler Spade Hollister and publicly cowhands him; later the cowboys return to find their bunkhouse nailed shut, Ma removed to town (where Leather stakes her to a room), and an after-midnight ambush at the ranch gate that leaves Hardy wounded in the brush. Meanwhile, someone knocks Williams senseless in his office, setting tensions, secrets, and reprisals simmering as the opening closes. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2026-05-12 Prepared by volunteers at BookCove (bookcove.net) Originally published: New York, NY: The Ridgway Company, 1923 Western stories Inheritance and succession -- Fiction Criminals -- Fiction Cowboys -- Fiction Wills -- Fiction Ranches -- Fiction PS New York, NY: The Ridgway Company, 1923 https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/luminist/PU/ADV_1923_06_30.pdf https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78659 https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/luminist/PU/ADV_1923_06_30.pdf https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78659 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134826.0 78659