Beadle's Dime Library No. 564

The Seraphs of Sodom This Beadle & Adams dime novel, published 1898, presents the opening installment of "The Seraphs of Sodom" by Joseph E. Badger Jr., a Western action story. The narrative introduces Sidney Harper, nicknamed "Grip-sack Sid," a seasoned adventurer whose alligator-leather grip-sack deflects a rifle bullet. He discovers the shot's source: Inza, a young huntress in mountain attire, who was actually shooting at game—a grouse—rather than targeting him. After cleanly decapitating the bird with expert marksmanship, Inza must defend herself and her kill from a mountain wildcat, demonstrating remarkable shooting skill with her Stevens rifle before dispatching the creature. The complication arises when Oliver Gilchrist arrives, a persistent, oafish suitor whom Inza scorns. When Gilchrist physically restrains her, Inza attempts to shoot him with her now-empty revolver. Gilchrist, emboldened by her disarmament, threatens to force unwanted attentions upon her while making cruel remarks about her father's powerlessness.