Despite the Distances

Wayne Cameron complies with the wishes of his respected Boston family and begins to study law at Harvard University. However, he soon discovers that choosing to study medicine is not the right preparation for life. As a greenhorn, he heads West and befriends a trio of wonderful fellows. The cowboys and seasoned lads Vance, Jack, and Tom join him and the workers building the first telegraph line across the country. The strenuous work at Western Union, the constant danger posed not only by people at the beginning of the Civil War but also by nature, sincere friendship, and, of course, love—between Vance Shaw and the saloon girl Ruby, and between Cameron and the prospector's daughter Kit—shape the young man's outlook on life. Zane Grey himself, as a sign of admiration, dedicated the story to all the selfless individuals who managed to bring civilisation to the wilderness. Translated from the English original Western Union by Jaroslava Poberová