Bret Harte 
Barker’s Luck (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) 

This 1896 collection is by ‘the creator of a new literature that was purely American’ (the
New York Times). In addition to the title story, included are: ‘A Yellow Dog, ‘ ‘A Mother of Five, ‘ ‘Bulger’s Reputation, ‘ ‘In the Tules, ‘ ‘A Convert of the Mission, ‘ ‘The Indiscretion of Elsbeth, ‘ and ‘The Devotion of Enriquez.’

About the author

Francis Bret Harte (1836-1902) wrote “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” and many other stories and poems about the Gold Rush. His writings gave the world a new outlook on the American West. He worked as miner, teacher, messenger, newspaper reporter and editor, as well as secretary of the San Francisco Mint, and was appointed U. S. consul in Germany and Scotland.