Ferdinand P. Putney, a lawyer in Lost Hills, and Amos K. Weed, a bank cashier, find themselves in a predicament when Amos embezzles $40,000 from the bank to invest in a failed oil venture. With the bank examiner due soon, they concoct a plan to stage a bank robbery to cover the loss. They enlist the help of Cloudy McGee, a notorious outlaw, offering him $1,000 to fake the robbery. Meanwhile, a U.S. Marshal named Morton, suffering from a cold and mistaken for McGee, arrives in town. Morton, having lost his belongings to McGee in a poker game, follows him to Lost Hills. As the plan unfolds, Morton captures McGee, revealing his true identity and thwarting the robbery. Amos receives news that the oil well has struck a gusher, saving him from ruin. The story concludes with the marshal discovering his ailment is hay fever, not pneumonia, bringing a humorous end to the chaotic events.
By W.C. Tuttle · First published 1968 · Genre: Western, Crime Fiction, Heist/Capers