Book details
His brother's keeper
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Metadata
- Gutenberg ID
- 76208
- Title
- His brother's keeper
- Language
- en
- Book source
- Project Gutenberg
- Description max 80 words
-
In the scorching Bitter Water Valley, Sheriff Jim Deming, known as "Duty," pursues a murderer into the deadly lava beds. Exhausted and feverish, he is found by the very man he hunts, who nurses him back to health. As Deming recovers, he confronts the consequences of his rigid adherence to the law, realizing that his obsession with duty has cost him his family and nearly his life.
- Summary up to 500 words
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Set in the unforgiving desert of Calor, W. C. Tuttle's *His Brother's Keeper* explores the destructive cost of rigid adherence to the law. Sheriff Jim Deming, known as "Duty," has become so obsessed with upholding the law that he has alienated his family, sending his innocent son to prison and driving his wife away. His deputy, Joe Mills, quits in disgust after Deming arrests a sick hobo instead of helping a dying woman, an act that reveals Deming's complete lack of compassion. Following this, Deming chases the murderer Red Cowan into the scorching lava beds. Overwhelmed by heatstroke and smallpox contracted from the hobo, Deming collapses. Miraculously, Red Cowan discovers him and spends three days nursing the dying sheriff, feeding him broth and protecting him from the elements. When Deming regains consciousness, his fever-induced delirium causes him to mistake Red Cowan for the killer he must arrest. In a tragic fit of duty, Deming attempts to shoot Red, but the gun recoils, leaving him wounded. Joe Mills eventually arrives to reveal the truth: Red Cowan is a kind stranger who saved Deming's life, while the real murderer, Slim Delong, has already confessed. The story concludes with a profound revelation: in his hallucinations, Deming killed a red bull calf, mistaking it for Red Cowan. His wife's prophecy that his "star" would kill him comes true as he dies from his illness, having finally learned that true justice requires compassion rather than blind obedience.
- LLM editorial rating
- 4.2/5
- Download URL
- https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76208.epub.noimages
- Local file path
-
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People
Authors
- W. C. Tuttle
Classification
Categories
- Short Stories
- Western stories