Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 596

This serialized Western story by W.H. Manning centers on Mark Jeffords, private secretary to canal-project promoter Malachi Landgrove, and Mazette Duane, a French tutor harboring a mysterious past. Set in Red Lake, a town nestled in Bighorn Valley, the narrative concerns the "Sacred Comet Canal"—an ambitious scheme to tunnel through surrounding ridges and establish waterway transport to connect with the Northern Pacific Railroad. The project has attracted Eastern investors despite widespread skepticism. The central conflict involves Amos Smith, a visiting Brooklyn businessman investigating the enterprise on behalf of his nephew, convinced the venture is fraudulent. Jeffords and Mazette strike a pact of mutual silence regarding their prior acquaintance. Jeffords cryptically suggests Smith will never return East with adverse reports, darkly hinting the directors might resort to extreme measures to protect their investment. The narrative builds suspense around the project's legitimacy and the threat Smith poses to its survival.