Max Brand was one of the pen names used by Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 - May 12, 1944). Faust was an American fiction author best known for his thoughtful and literary Westerns. In the 1910's he began selling stories to pulp fiction magazines. His love of mythology is evident in his fiction writings. Ronicky Doone helps a new friend, miner Bill Gregg, track Caroline Smith, a girl he wants to marry, to New York City. Once there the two westerners discover that she and her friend, Ruth Tolliver, are employed by a ruthless gangster. Despite overwhelming odds, Doone attempts to rescue them.