(Interesting explanation here of the term "potboiler." I had thought it meant a story that kept rollicking on its way, like a boiling pot, but in fact it means work that you do in order to keep the pot boiling, i.e., in order to keep food on the table.)

So, in King Spruce, it is revealed that the ruby in the rough, the girl who was left, as a baby, to be raised by the dissolute vagabond clan, is actually the illegitimate daughter of the timber baron, which makes her the half-sister of our hero's sweetheart. Furthermore, the mother of this unfortunate girl was the wife of the fire marshall--the timber baron stole her away while the fire marshall was down the mountain on business somewhere. Stole her and then abandoned her! And then she died! And the baby was left with the degenerates! (Which upset the fire marshall, but not so much that he was willing to rescue her ... I guess her being the product of his wife's fall from grace and all, or something...)

... You know, I'm making fun, but the truth is, it's very exciting, and I'm enjoying reading it very much.

This girl has set the mountain on fire--not to generate blueberries, but because she was jilted. One of the timber baron's cronies nearly shoots her! But she gets away. Meanwhile, the fire marshall compels the timber baron to come with him up the mountain and ties him to a tree! And leaves him to burn! But our hero rescues him, because our hero is noble. And the timber baron has a huge change of heart.... which lasts only until he gets back with his crony--now they're plotting mischief again.

Here's the timber baron tied to a tree:



Look at his snarling face!

There's also this description of the forest fire that I liked:

One after the other the green tops of the hemlocks and spruces burst into the horrid bloom of conflagration. They flowered. They seeded. And the seeds were fire-brands that scaled down the wind, dropping, rooting instantly, and blossoming into new destruction.

--Holman Day King Spruce (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1908), page 168

So yeah, parts of this book are quite good, and the rest is altogether entertaining, so far.