The Killer

"The Killer" by Stewart Edward White is a story set in the Arizona territory during the late 1800s, where a young cowboy's courage is tested against the lurking menace of a solitary, old rancher named Old Man Hooper. The cowboy rashly agrees to spend a night at Hooper's ranch, dismissed and whispered to be the domain of a man feared for his cruel reputation and how he lets lost cattle die. As the protagonist journeys to the isolated ranch, he discovers that it is an eerie place that hints at dark secrets, marking the beginning of a suspenseful confrontation rife with themes of survival on the lawless frontier, where danger hides beneath familiar facades.