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Exact textual stateDraft

The Feud Buster

Part of The Feud Buster

StateDraft 2Surviving witnesses1TSS catalogue units16
Textual identity is not textual authority. “Catalogue primary/default” selects the default catalogue representation; it does not mean that this wording is automatically Howard’s most authoritative text.

Characters in this exact text

Bill HopkinsBill Hopkins — one of four Hopkins brothers; Elizerbeth’s brother and Breckinridge’s guide; not another BillOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 122Breckinridge ElkinsBreckinridge ElkinsOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 119Cap'n KiddCap’n Kidd — Breckinridge Elkins's horseOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 120Dick JacksonDick Jackson — Chawed Ear suitor of Ellen Elkins; Jake Barlow’s nephew; not another Howard Jackson by name aloneOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 120ElizerbethElizerbeth Hopkins — daughter of Old Man Hopkins and sister of Bill Hopkins; messenger during the feudOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 124Ellen / Ellen ElkinsEllen Elkins — Breckinridge's sister in Draft 2; not Ellen Reynolds #21 or Wampum Ellen #40On Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 120Jake Barlow / Old JakeJake Barlow — Barlow relative whose cabin is the feud rendezvous; uncle of Dick Jackson; not Navajo Barlow #61Mentionedfirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 122Uncle Jeppard GrimesJeppard Grimes — Breckinridge's Uncle Jeppard; owner of the missing goldOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 119Old Man HopkinsOld Man Hopkins — older head of the Hopkins household/clan during the feudOn Pagefirst: First Cuts: Rough Trails 2, p. 126

Surviving manuscript evidence

The records below describe surviving physical typescripts, carbons, manuscript material and documentary catalogue evidence for this exact textual state. TSS numbers identify physical catalogue units; they are not story or draft IDs.

Draft 2 — surviving Howard typescriptHoward typescript
Extent16 pagesCompletenessComplete

Physical extent: Complete 16-page draft

TSS: 24390, 24392–24394, 52665, 64931, 64936–64938, 64940–64942, 64944, 64946–64948

Untitled original typescript.

Additional documentary notes

  • Howard handwritten insertions: The sentence “The wind was blowing towards me.” is a handwritten insertion in pencil above the typescript. (First Cuts p. 129)
  • Howard handwritten insertions: The words “and the horses run off” are a handwritten insertion in pencil above the typescript, intended after “clearing”. (First Cuts p. 130)

Source: First Cuts: Breckinridge Elkins — Rough Trails 2, The Feud Buster, Editorial Notes; Draft 2 transcription

Published in

Breckinridge Elkins - First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments - Rough Trails 2REH Foundation PressMarch 2026↗First Cuts: The Drafts and Fragments Breckinridge Elkins: Rough Trails Volumes 1-4 4 Volume Collector's Box SetREH Foundation PressMarch 2026↗