The Gift of the Mestizo — Marjorie M. McGinley

Ben Mitchell rides away from Websterville, Arizona, furious. Lucy, his widowed sister-in-law, has lied, using the town's pity and sly illegal maneuvers, to steal the ranch that is rightfully his. In his fit of unusual rage and with a feeling of hopelessness, he rides to a remote canyon area in Northern Arizona Territory.

There he stumbles upon an old mestizo, who, like himself, has given up on trying to live with people and has become a solitary hermit in one of the beautiful but harsh canyons. He tells the mestizo his story, and the mestizo gives him advice and a gift.

After much deliberation, determination and a plan, Ben decides to stop running away and go back to Websterville to fight for his land. It will be the challenge of his life, and the gift of the mestizo will be a surprising help.