Description
THE STORY: Young Jacob Lundy leaves the South to fight for the North in 1862. When the war is over, he comes home to Georgia, bringing a bride. He is considered a traitor by his neighbors. Ku Kluxers shoot him, leaving him for dead. They drag his pregnant wife on a rope behind a horse, killing her and the unborn child. When Jacob recovers, he makes a branding iron with a K on it. He has recognized three of the Clansmen: the leader, Corwin Hayes, and two of his henchmen, Rafe Willis and Lige Hawkins. He rides into town and brands these murderers with three Ks, forehead and each cheek. Jacob writes in his journal: "I wanted them to live, to carry my marks for what they done, so eveyrwhere they went, men would say Jacob Lundy done that to 'em. And in case I was wanted, well, I was gone to Texas." In Texas, Jacob Lundy is a known Union man. He travels around the state as scout and guide for the United States Army of Occupation; he finds some land in Young Territory (present day Kent County, Texas) he wants to buy. He sees a beautiful girl in San Antonio; learns she is the granddaughter of old Oram Lundy. Jerrod Hayes, grandpaw to Corwin, has written letters to Texas, offering a bounty for Jacob's death. Jacob kills three men who try to collect that bounty. He hesitates to contact the Lundys, fearing they are unreconstructed Confederates. They own a large ranch, the O Bar L, west of Ft. Worth. Finally, Jacob writes that he can be reached at Fort Griffin and will visit them if he is welcome. He returns to Griffin from a scouting trip. Two people are waiting for him. One is a bounty hunter who shoots Jacob in the leg; the other is the girl he saw in San Antone, nineteen-year- old Jayleen Lundy, his distant cousin. She is in desperate trouble; has lots of land but is short of ready cash, her Grandpaw Oram Lundy has just been killed, her Grandma Neva is ill, someone is rustling her cattle, and Boydston Gilchrist, a neighboring rancher and fa
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