The curse of the painted cliffs by W. C. Tuttle
"The curse of the painted cliffs" by W. C. Tuttle is a Western novel written in the early 20th century. Set in the Mojave’s silver camp of Calico, it follows heiress Luck Sleed as she defies ruthless gamblers and mine-runners, while the cool-headed drifter Duke Steele is pulled into a fierce struggle over saloons, mines, and power—shadowed by a large unpaid gambling debt. The opening of the novel paints a blistering desert
town ruled by violence and vice, then zeroes in on Luck, who inherits her father’s empire yet longs to leave—until duty and that debt hold her fast. Fire French kills a miner in a poker dispute; Luck fires him and boldly takes over the Silver Bar. Meanwhile, cartel-minded boss Cartier Le Moyne plots to own the desert, and Duke Steele returns, floors French and Pete Black, and quietly probes the town’s rot. A riot in the Silver Bar masks Luck’s abduction; suspicion falls on Duke when his distinctive hat is used as a decoy, even Louie Yen briefly turns on him. Recovering, Duke enlists Mica Cates and Louie to trail suspects; Le Moyne slips into Calico, discovers his own men’s treachery, and—prodded by Duke—agrees to face them. The section closes with Duke, Le Moyne, and Mica stepping into the crowded Silver Bar as a showdown brews. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Tuttle, W. C. (Wilbur C.), 1883-1969 |
|---|---|
| Title | The curse of the painted cliffs |
| Original Publication | Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1923. |
| Series Title | Produced from the January 25, 1923 issue of Short Stories magazine. |
| Credits | Prepared by volunteers at BookCove (bookcove.net) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Western stories |
| Subject | Young women -- Fiction |
| Subject | Mining camps -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 77862 |
| Release Date | Feb 4, 2026 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 252 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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