Merlin and  Pandora riding double on Little Buck.  Merlin's special lady in several of his Merlin Fanshaw series.

In this issue:
• From the Lady Publisher:
• Nuggets from the Merlin Fanshaw Westerns
• Personal from Stan Lynde
• Western Author Chit Chat
• Merlin Fanshaw Weekly Puzzle
• Grass Roots
• Latigo
• Rövar Bob
• Stan Lynde's Cowboy Lore & Legend
• Western Website Recommendations
• Stan's Novels Currently Available
• Fans Speak

Nuggets from the Merlin Fanshaw Westerns

 From Summer Snow:

“In spite of my helping to put him in prison, George's attitude this morning was matter-of-fact, almost friendly.  I took a deep breath and waited for the other shoe to drop.

   George crisped the bacon, sliced the potatoes, and chopped up the onion, then fried it up in Graves's fire-blackened skillet.  He brewed a second pot of coffee and got plates and cups from the pannier.  "Come and get it, boys." He said.

   Odd--two corpses lay just downwind, and I was hungry again.  So much for death ruining my appetite.  I've been around George Starkweather thirty minutes, and already I've grown calluses on my heart.  I forked the grub in with gusto, thinking only how glad I was to be alive.

   We finished breakfast and divided what coffee was left in the pot.  Pronto drank his and went to see to the horses.  George lit up a stogie and offered me one.

   "Much obliged, Cap'n," I said, "but I don't use tobacco.  Never did."

   George exhaled blue smoke.  "You didn't four years ago," he said.  "I thought maybe you'd took it up since then.  People change."

   He sipped his coffee.  Above the rim of the cup, his yellow eyes were intense.  "Take you, for example," he said.  "I heard you became a lawman--deputy marshal under Chance Ridgeway.  Is that a fact?"

   I forced myself to meet his gaze.  "That's a fact, Cap'n," I said, "but like you say, people change.  I'm runnin' from the law these days."

   "Why is that?"

   "Stole a horse from Thane McAllister out of Dry Creek.  Glenn Murdoch was fixin' to lock me up.  I got hold of a gun.  We struggled, and I shot him."

   George nodded.  "And then you broke Rufus out of jail and the two of you lit out.  Was that the way of it?"

   My mouth was dry.  George was testing me, asking questions he already knew the answers to.   "Yes," I said.  "That's how it was."

   "How did killin' Glenn make you feel?"

   "Bad.  I never meant to shoot him."

   "Why did you break Rufus out?"

   "To tell the truth, Cap'n---I figured he might lead me to you."

   "So you could maybe bring me in?  Chance Ridgeway would like that."

   "You're forgettin' about Glenn.  There's no goin' back from a killing."

   George was silent for what seemed like minutes.  Sweat crawled down from beneath my hat brim.  I felt like a mouse being studied by a snake.

   This time it was George who looked away.  He seemed to accept my answers.  "No, there ain't," he said, "especially from the killin' of a lawman.  All right, why did you want to find me?"

   "I wanted to ride with you again, Cap'n."

   Again, George fell silent, like he was weighing my words.  At last he said, "I reckon you ain't the first man to walk on both sides of the law."

Merlin Fanshaw Weekly Puzzle 

In the Merlin Fanshaw westerns, the man known as "Boogles" is:

a. Dry Creek's town drunk
b. A hard-luck outlaw
c. A cowboy from the M Cross Ranch
d. Bartender - Owner of the Oasis Saloon
e. Night man at the Livery Barn

To answer, you must go to Stan's blog http://stanlyndeauthor.com/?page_id=2268. Click on 04-29-12. The contest is pre-set to begin at 6 a.m. MDT for those early Sunday morning risers. Check out the cool Bronc Rider artist's print you can win by being the first with the correct answer.

Please note that while the Cottonwood Clarion is changing to coming out the fourth Sunday of each month the Merlin Fanshaw Weekly Puzzle will be posted each week as always.  Just look for the newest Puzzle each week (I use the next following Sunday date for the deadline to answer the Puzzle.  So far winners have happened on the first day of posting.  You guys are good!

Congratulations to last week's winner Donna Delgado of Versailles, Kentucky! 

Fans Speak

By

D. Scott (Lubbock, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

 This review is from: Summer Snow: A Merlin Fanshaw Western (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my dad, who is a huge Stan Lynde fan and he loved it. He has several other Stan Lynde books and likes them so much he reads them over and over.

Grass Roots

This Sunday's Grass Roots Cartoon feature 04-22-12 "Making A Living" reminds us of the struggles many people all over the world have with costs of living going up faster than wages.  It also reminds us of the businesses that simply can't make it because of difficult economic conditions.  Many work two jobs to survive (that includes the normal modern households of today that often require two adults to work outside the home to make a household  survive economically) and those who simply have fallen out of the system from lack of hope of finding work.  This link will take you to the Grass Roots Cartoons http://stanlyndeauthor.com/?page_id=2211.

This particular Stan Lynde LATIGO Sunday Cartoon Strip 04-22-12 finds Latigo needing a hotel room.  The conditions may remind us of unplanned travels we may have encountered in a similar situation trying to find a good night's accommodation in a strange town. http://stanlyndeauthor.com/?page_id=2225.

Rövar Bob

That's it for this Cottonwood Clarion Newsletter! Have a great month, and plan on watching your email for Sunday May 27th (the 4th Sunday of each month)!  Tell your friends they're welcome to join in at http://stanlynde.net/cottonwood-clarion-signup_314.html.  Otherwise please check for the weekly cartoons and features at http://StanLyndeAuthor.com EVERY WEEK! 

Stan Lynde's Cowboy Lore & Legend





http://stanlyndeauthor.com/?page_id=2255

The Chuck Wagon, Part Four

On the chuck wagon's left side rode a water barrel, large enough for a two-day supply on the trail.  On the opposite, right-hand side, was a tool box containing horseshoes, nails, hobbles, wire, hammers, rasps, and what-not,.  Large pots, pans, and Dutch ovens rode in the boot beneath the chuck box, while the wagon box itself held bedrolls, corral and stake ropes, slickers, and often an extra wheel.

Lynda@CottowoodClarion.com

Stan@StanLynde.net


Stan and Lynda Lynde
296 Willowbrook Drive
Helena, MT 59602


http://www.StanLynde.net/  or http://www.stanlyndeauthor.com/

406-495-1020