Meadowlark Basin

Lark, owner of the Meadowlark Ranch, had a habit of taking home all sorts of cripples and hurt creatures which he came across, so when he found a child bearing the scars of terrible beatings and crying in fear of another he promptly brought him to Meadowlark also, though the boy was the grandson of old Palmer,-rich and stingy and feared ranch-owner of the district. Palmer tried to brand Lark as a child stealer, but was himself 'branded' by Lark's cowhide, much as the boy had been marked, and was held up to the scorn and contempt of the community. Naturally enough Palmer sought revenge, and the Meadowlark outfit soon found itself in trouble of various kinds. A bank in the near-by town was robbed and the cashier murdered and the air was full of dark hints about the guilt of the Meadowlarks. Other rumours began to circulate and it took all the wits of Lark, his nephew Bud, and the loyal boys of the ranch to straighten things out. B.M. Bower is adept in devising romances with plots which have the full savour of the real West yet come well within the range of probability, with exciting incidents, with cowboys who can shoot and can ride, but do so in normal fashion. Humour is also a characteristic of this author's books, and the present story has its full share. (Goodreads)