Dave Porter's summer at Star Ranch takes him far from boarding school and into the wide, dangerous beauty of the American West. After a life marked by hardship, family reunions, and schoolroom troubles, Dave arrives with his friends Phil Lawrence and Roger Morr, along with Laura and Jessie, ready for horseback rides, hunting, and ranch life. But the adventure is shadowed from the start by old enemies and new suspicions, especially the bitter Aaron Poole, his son Nat, and the ever-troublesome Link Merwell. A playful target practice session turns serious when Dave is blamed for an accidental shot near Aaron Poole's buggy, and the threat of arrest hangs over him. Soon afterward, Dave proves his courage by defending the elderly Caspar Potts from Nat's cruelty, and later he faces Link Merwell in a public fistfight that leaves the bully defeated. As the ranch days unfold, there are stampedes, stolen horses, a sabotaged bridge, and uneasy encounters with rough cowboys and mysterious figures from Dave's past. Through danger and conflict, Dave's loyalty, quick temper, and steadfast sense of justice carry him forward in a lively western coming-of-age adventure. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.