The loom of lies

The loom of lies by W. C. Tuttle is a Western novel written in the early 20th century. Set in a drought-stricken Montana valley, it centers on towering rancher John “the Baptist” Fann, his steadfast cowhands Bob Kern and “Splinter” Martin, and his embittered son-in-law Barr Wyeth as rustling rumors, pride, and family loyalties ignite trouble. Expect a taut blend of frontier mystery and moral reckoning, with a hard-edged sheriff, a cool-headed gambler, and a gossiping drifter stirring a community on the brink. The opening of the novel sketches a parched range and a proud, aging rancher whose JHF herd is vanishing, while clues—a bar-shoe track, a blotted brand, and a bone hondo marked B.W.—point toward his daughter’s husband, Barr Wyeth. Sheriff Chet Gunning presses for action, Splinter blurts to him then backpedals, and Pastry Pell spreads the tale to Barr and Nell, provoking Barr to a drunken rampage in town where he hurls a bottle that grazes John. Hoping to save Barr from ruin, John mortgages the JHF for cash, while the sheriff and gambler Buck Kelly scheme a staged holdup to keep that money from Barr. Before the plan plays out, John is actually ambushed in the canyon, shot from behind and robbed; Bob and Splinter find him alive and summon help, the money gone. The sheriff privately admits he lay in wait elsewhere and saw Barr ride past before the shot, yet suspicion falls hard on Barr, who had visited the JHF that morning. With tempers rising and evidence murky, Bob withholds what he knows, and Barr rides for town determined to bluff out the real culprit as the chapter break arrives.

Summary written by Project Gutenberg, by machine.