Barb Wire

"Pig-tight, horse-high and bull-strong," that was barb wire. It would spell progress for the West, some dared to predict. Three of these were Open Range Carson from Sweetgrass Basin and Doctor Clyde Arington, who had both invested in the wire, and Barb Wire Barney a demon salesman. Carson is murdered as he returns West and sometime later Barb Wire Barney mysteriously disappears. The salesman's home office receives some of his effects by express, including a chunk of lead and a piece of barb wire. A note says that Barney was tagged by the barb wire sign--the enclosed bullet was dug out of his heart. It conclues: "Anyone else working to fence off Sweetgrass Basin will get the same. Yours for an open range, signed The Blue Blazers." Doc Arington goes West to avenge his friends. He learns that Sweetgrass Basin and the town of Gunsight have been terrorized by a bandit known as the Indigo Kid, head of the Blue Blazers. He also finds out that to mention barb wire is almost the same as committing suicide. Sooner than he expects he meets up with the Indigo Kid who forces him to come to a secret hideaway to operate on one of the Blazers who is seriously wounded. Arington is told he'd better do some mighty good doctorin' for two lives depend on it--the man he's going to operate on--and his own.