The title story, The Hanging Tree, is based on a true episode in Montana?s gold-mining past. Three amazing characters meet: the cynical Doc Frail; the boy robber named Rune, whom Doc saves and enslaves; and Elizabeth, the young easterner who survives an Indian assault and comes under the care of Doc and Rune. In the gold-mining camp of Skull Creek Elizabeth becomes the mysterious Lucky Lady. A vigorous, psychological western, The Hanging Tree was made into a movie starring Gary Cooper. The stories in this book consolidate Dorothy M. Johnson?s reputation for authenticity and artistic integrity. ?Lost Sister? is based on the recapture of Cynthia Ann Parker, a white woman abducted by the Comanche Indians. ?The Man Who Knew the Buckskin Kid? tells of two married people and an outlaw who share a secret. Fully as arresting are ?The Last Boast,? ?Journal of Adventure,? ?I Woke Up Wicked,? ?The Gift by the Wagon,? ?A Time for Greatness,? ?The Story of Charley,? and ?Blanket Squaw.?