"The sheriff of Sun-Dog" by W. C. Tuttle is a Western novel written in the early 20th century. It follows red-headed lawman Brick Davidson as he tries to enforce a new crackdown on maverick calves and stand up to powerful ranch interests while rustling, range politics, and personal loyalties collide. The tension builds around hostile cattleman Jeff Seldon, the smooth Pete Kane, a suspicious newcomer called Jack Smith, and Brick’s bond with Scott and Jean Martin.The opening of this novel sets the scene in scorched Marlin City as Brick and his giant deputy Silent Slade announce a cattle association order to seize unbranded calves, angering Seldon and his outfit. Soon after, Brick finds Scott Martin shot near a staged open-range branding, a setup that casts suspicion on Brick because he carries a .41 like the bullet the doctor pulls from Scott. While townsmen murmur and Seldon sneers, Brick cools Seldon with a dunking, notes a telltale clue in odd horseshoes without toe-calks, and uses a blink-code with the paralyzed Scott to learn he wasn’t branding and that his Weeping Tree occupancy paper is missing; Kane and the slick “Jack Smith” hover around Jean’s place. A small sheep band appears—likely a test—its rough herders even take a shot at Brick before he jails them, and the cattlemen (led by commissioner Bill Voorhies) bristle for trouble; then word comes that Scott dies, the town turns on Brick, and he walks into the saloon with a resignation in his pocket. (This is an automati…
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