Old West Mine Salting Scams With hundreds of thousands of folks coming West during the Gold Rush century, a passel of con men and bunko artists also moved out. They tried to relieve the unlearned of their pokes and purses. Most schemes had something to do with mines and mining stock. Many a man paid good […]
Sage Hen Wilderness Living One time I drove down into the Arizona Strip country. As I headed down a 150-mile round trip on a narrow dirt and boulder road, it dawned on me this would be a lousy place to have trouble with my pickup truck. I hadn’t seen another rig for about 50 miles. […]
BUFFALOES AND THEIR SALT LICKS I packed a 25-pound salt block through a couple feet of snow out to the horse corral. Animals need their salt, too. In fact, in the old days, the great buffalo herds were wise enough to know when their bodies needed extra salt. Those huge old shaggies knew exactly what patches […]
OLD WEST COWBOY SAINTS Thousands of heads of cattle roaming through unfenced ranges in the Old West presented a powerful temptation. To some, the scene looked as profitable as bags of money lying around in the street. Besides, the actual cattle owners were often eastern bankers or foreign investors who surely wouldn’t miss a couple […]
LOCAL SAGEBRUSH WESTERN PHILOSOPHER I got a little behind work and I guess I spent too much time down at the Drover’s Café. My plans were just to stop by for a quick cup of coffee. But Jefferson Davis Atwood, our own sagebrush western philosopher, was sitting there eating pie and spouting off stories about […]
THE WRONG SIDE SADDLE SCABBARD I got a fax with a sample of a book cover for one of my upcoming western novels. The artist did a great job on One Went to Denver and the Other Went Wrong. However, there was one glaring difficulty. He had the saddle scabbard on the wrong side of […]
SADDLE GUN WORTHY I drove down the hill to an antiques, crafts, and gun show, hoping to pick up a saddle gun. Guess I had my mind made up to find a ’92 or ’95 Winchester carbine. I did manage to root out a couple of old carbines, only to choke at the price tagged […]
SADDLE BLANKET ADVICE Standing at the corner, watching the entries line up for the annual fourth of July parade, my eye caught a grandpa and granddaughter team. “Don’t forget to put a little slack in the saddle blanket,” I heard the old-timer instruct the girl, about 12-years-old, standing on a short stool by the horse. […]
NEVER SADDLE OTHERS WITH A DEAD HORSE I guess, among other things, you could call me a small town politician. I happened to serve on the city council and was mayor of Winchester, Idaho at one time. Now, these weren’t really demanding jobs, since the official population of the place over the years ranged from […]
How Trainer Sacked Her Horse Annie’s a friend of mine from Pennsylvania. She’s a high school senior and book reader fan who has been writing to me for years. As a pretty good horse trainer, she keeps me informed on all her current horse projects. “I sacked a horse last Tuesday and expect to be […]
In the frame short story in this anthology, Ben and Marnie Pearson never intended to start a jewelry collection. But when they were given a box of leftover jewelry at an estate sale, they were intrigued by the colorful contents . . .
The sparkling jewels featured in this collection may have been passed down through generations or discovered accidentally, but each has its own unique short story. From diamonds to emeralds, opals to rubies, these stones have witnessed it all.
Here in The Jeweler's Heart are their fascinating tales told by seventeen of the talented novel writers of ChiLibris. For fans of inspirational fiction and heartwarming tales, The Jeweler's Heart is a treasure.
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