Dangerous Ground; or, The Rival Detectives — Edition Insights

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In Category - Exploration Survival Adventure Tales

Authors: Lynch, Lawrence L. Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2011 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Fiction; Detective and mystery stories Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 117,120

Reading time 510 min

Text sections 16

Dangerous Ground; or, The Rival Detectives — Edition Insights can be approached with a clearer sense of reading commitment from its source measurements: 117,120 words, 8 hr 30 min estimated reading time, and 16 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 15.1 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Fiction,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #36366

The opening prologue sets a stormy Kansas night in 1859, introducing a missing man named Pearson. Later excerpts reveal a tense confrontation between Leslie Warburton and Alan Warburton, involving accusations of murder, a hidden child named Daisy, and a rival detective named Van Vernet.

Editorial Edition Score 4.9/5

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Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg36366

Read the Text

While the stranger was thus communing with himself, and while Van Vernet was striding toward that fashionable quarter of the city which contained the splendid Warburton mansion, Richard Stanhope, perched upon one corner of a baize covered table, his hands clasped about one knee, his hat pushed far back upon his head, his whole air that of a man in the presence of a familiar spirit, and perfectly at his ease, was saying to his Chief:

"So you want me to put this business through _alone_? I don't half like it."

"You are equal to it, Dick."

"I know that," with a proud curve of the firm lips, "but I'm sure Van expected to be in this thing, and--"

"Vernet has another case in hand. I have given him all his time until it is finished, with the privilege of joining you here and assisting in the Raid to-morrow night, if he can do so without interfering with his other duties. You seem to fear to offend Vernet, Dick?"

"I _fear_ no one, sir. But Van and I have pulled well together, and divided the honors equally. This Raid, if it succeeds, will be a big thing for the man, or men, engineering it. I know that Van has counted upon at least a share of the glory. I hate to see him lose the chance for it."

"You are a generous friend, Dick, and Van may rejoice that you _are_ his friend instead of his rival. Now, leaving friendship to take care of itself, do you feel that the _success_ of the Raid depends upon Vernet's assistance?"

"You know the ground?"

"One pilot is enough."

"You know the people?"

"Do you doubt the success of the undertaking?"

"No, sir. I see only one chance for failure."

"I have made this Raid a study. If anything occurs to prevent my leading the expedition, and you put another man at the head, it will fail."

"Even if it be Vernet?"

"Even Vernet. Satan himself would fail in those alleys, unless he knew the ground."

"And yet you would share your honors with Vernet for friendship's sake? Dick, you are a queer fish! But why do you suggest a possibility of your absence?"

"Because," sliding off the table and pulling his hat low over his eyes, "The Raid is thirty-six hours distant, and one never knows what may happen in thirty-six hours. Is there any thing else, sir?"

"Yes; I've a dainty bit of mystery for you. No blind alleys and thieves dens in _this_; it's for to-morrow evening, too."

Stanhope resumed his former position upon the corner of the table, pushed back his hat, and turned an attentive face to his Chief.

"Your Raid will not move until a little after midnight; this other business is for ten o'clock. You can be at liberty by eleven. You know Follingsbee, the lawyer?"

"By reputation; yes. Is _he_ in the mystery?"

"He's negotiating for a client; a lady."

"A lady!" with a stare of dismay. "Why didn't you turn her over to Van; you know he is just the man to deal with women, and I--"

"You are afraid of a petticoat! I know; and I might have chosen Vernet, if the choice had been given me. But the lawyer asked for _you_."

Stanhope groaned dismally.

"Besides, it's best for you; you are better than Vernet at a feminine make up."

"A feminine make up!"

"Yes. Here is the business: Mr. Follingsbee desires your services for a lady client; he took care to impress upon me that she _was_ a lady in every sense of the word. This lady had desired the services of a detective, and he had recommended you."

"Never mind why; you are sufficiently vain at present, You have nothing on hand after the Raid, so I promised you to Follingsbee; he is an old friend of mine. To-morrow evening, at ten o'clock, you are to drive to Mr. Follingsbee's residence in masquerade costume."

"In a feminine disguise of some sort. Mr. Follingsbee, also in costume, will join you, and together you will attend an up-town masquerade, you personating Mrs. Follingsbee, who will remain at home."

"Phew! I'm getting interested."

"At the masquerade you will meet your client, who will be introduced by Follingsbee. Now about your disguise: he wants to know your costume beforehand, in order to avoid any mistakes."

"Let me think," said Stanhope, musingly. "What's Mrs. Follingsbee's style?"

"A little above the medium. Follingsbee thinks, that, with considerable drapery, you can make up to look sufficiently like her."

Continue Reading →

The prologue of Dangerous Ground; or, The Rival Detectives opens on a stormy May night in 1859, near the Marais des Cygnes massacre site in Kansas. A camp of pioneers is unsettled by the disappearance of a man named Pearson, who went to sleep apart from the group before the storm. The captain, Parks, grows uneasy, and the dialogue among the men—marked by colloquial speech like “By ginger!”—establishes a tone of frontier tension and mystery.

Later excerpts shift to a domestic confrontation between Leslie Warburton and Alan Warburton, where accusations of murder, a hidden child named Daisy, and a rival detective named Van Vernet surface. The language becomes charged with emotional intensity, as Leslie faints after revealing her fears. This contrast between the rugged prologue and the later drawing-room drama suggests a narrative that moves between wilderness and society, with secrets bridging both worlds.

A Prologue of Storm and Suspicion

The prologue immediately establishes a sense of danger and uncertainty. The storm is described with physical force: “Huge trees are bending their might, and branches, strong or slender, are swaying and snapping.” The camp fire provides “ghostly light,” and the wagons are “prairie schooners of the staunchest type.” The dialogue among the men is terse and practical, with Parks speaking “as one having authority.” The missing Pearson is introduced through casual remarks—he “took a fancy to the place when we crossed here before”—but the captain’s unease hints at something more ominous. The scene ends with Parks moving toward the wagons, leaving the reader with unanswered questions about Pearson’s fate and the group’s vulnerability.

Accusation and Collapse in the Library

In a later excerpt, the setting shifts to a library where Leslie Warburton faces Alan Warburton’s accusations. The dialogue is sharp and confrontational. Alan sneers at Leslie’s story as “excellent, but too improbable,” and presses her about a man disguised in woman’s apparel at a masquerade. Leslie defends this man as “a brave, true man; a gentleman,” and warns Alan that Van Vernet is hunting him. The tension escalates when Alan mentions “poor little Daisy,” causing Leslie to cry out, “I have killed my husband! I have brought a curse upon little Daisy!” She faints at his feet, but Alan coldly calls for a servant and leaves. This scene reveals a web of secrets involving a hidden child, a possible murder, and a rival detective.

Voice and Structure: From Frontier to Drawing Room

The excerpts show a marked shift in voice and setting. The prologue uses rough, colloquial speech (“By ginger! I haven’t thought of the fellow”) and focuses on physical action and environment. The later scene employs formal, emotional language (“death-like pallor,” “wailing cry”) and centers on psychological conflict. This structural contrast suggests that the novel may alternate between outdoor adventure and indoor intrigue. The prologue’s frontier setting—with its “prairie schooners” and storm—evokes a historical moment of westward expansion and civil unrest, while the library scene belongs to a more conventional domestic mystery. The reader should watch for how these two threads connect, especially through characters like Pearson and the mysterious “brave man.”

Recurring Details and Unanswered Questions

Several details recur across the excerpts. The name “Daisy” appears in both the prologue (as a child peering from a wagon) and the later scene (as “poor little Daisy” hidden by Leslie). This suggests a link between the frontier group and the Warburton household. The rival detective Van Vernet is mentioned only in the later excerpt, but his role as a hunter of Alan Warburton implies a broader conspiracy. The “Sailor” disguise from the masquerade is another recurring motif, tied to Alan’s escape and Leslie’s warning. The prologue’s missing Pearson may connect to these later events, but the excerpts do not reveal how. Readers should note these threads as potential clues to the novel’s central mystery.

These excerpts offer a glimpse into a novel that balances frontier peril with domestic intrigue. The prologue’s storm and missing man set a tone of physical danger, while the library confrontation reveals emotional and moral stakes. Pay attention to how the setting shifts between wilderness and society, and how characters like Pearson and Daisy may bridge these worlds. The rivalry between detectives hinted at in the title likely drives the plot, but the excerpts leave its full shape unclear. Approach the text as a layered mystery where every detail—from a stormy night to a fainting woman—may carry weight.

There’s a peculiar comfort in watching wanderers like the Warburtons stumble through their mysteries, and it reminds me of another restless crew—those Southern travelers in The Kentuckin in New-York; or, The Adventures of Three Southerns. Volume 1 (of 2) — Story, Setting & Ideas. Both books carry that same uneasy feeling of being far from home, shadows pressing close, and kinfolk who aren’t quite what they seem. I’ve shelved them side by side for years.