The Woods-Rider

"The Woods-Rider" by Frank Lillie Pollock is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story follows Joe Marshall, a woods-rider in southern Alabama tasked with overseeing the gathering of turpentine while navigating the complexities of his family’s past and the challenges posed by nature. The narrative is set against a backdrop of the turpentine industry and incorporates elements of adventure, camaraderie, and the pursuit of lost treasures, including bees. The opening of the novel introduces Joe Marshall as he performs his rounds in a turpentine orchard, observing the natural beauty around him and reflecting on his upcoming vacation to visit relatives from Canada. The atmosphere quickly shifts as a sudden storm engulfs the woods, leading to a dramatic wreck of trees and chaos. Joe narrowly escapes injury but is left grappling with the potential destruction of his camp’s financial viability. Afterward, he reunites with his cousins, who are eager to dive into bee-keeping adventures in the Southern landscape, setting the stage for explorations into the legacy of Old Dick's bees and the potential for economic opportunity amid the challenges of the wilderness. The tense interaction between Joe and the implications of his family's financial investment lingers, while themes of survival, friendship, and adventure begin to unfold with a mysterious allure. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Francis Lillie Pollock was an early twentieth-century Canadian science fiction writer. He was born in Huron County, Ontario, Canada in 1876. He wrote 'commercial fiction' under the pseudonym Frank L. Pollock, western or adventure fiction under the name Frank Lillie Pollock, and literary fiction under his own name. Some of Pollock's early commercial fiction can be found in The Youth's Companion. He also regularly published short stories and poetry in Munsey's Magazine, The Smart Set, The Atlantic, The Bookman and The Blue Jay.