THE POKES OF GOLD. Edesse Peery Smith, DODD, MEAD & COMPANY, NEW YORK, 1958.
 
WINNER OF BOYS' LIFE-DODD, MEAD PRIZE COMPETITION.
Had the orphan-boy, Louis, tried on that morning of 1875, his 14th birthday, to conjure up a miserable situation, he could not have evolved anything more miserable than the situation in which he actually was. Bound to the ruthless Luck Morgan, his is a life of slave-labor, beatings, and deprivation. But on that morning a stranger in search of stolen gold appears and Louis's life becomes a succession of promising adventures.
 
Set against the background of a rough and ready pioneer Oregon, this is the story of how Louis not only frees himself from bondage, but establishes that his tormentor had, thirty years earlier, stolen the gold and committed a murder, a murder for which he must pay with his life. A blue plate special for the lover of orphans, Indians, and fast-paced adventure.

Light blue cover with a bold gilt spine and gilt cover emblem. Solid binding with clean pages & light cover wear. About 8 x 5 with 207 pp.