Wister modeled Dean Drake after a cowboy acquaintance, Dean Duke, who is prominently mentioned in his 1895 journal. According to Wister's journal, Duke was a twenty-twoyear-old ranch foreman who had acquired some skill at mastering drunken cowboys. Like the Virginian, Duke had quiet confidence and steady judgment which placed him a notch above his peers. Reserved and thoughtful, Duke's dramatic counterpart, Drake, generally responds to tense situations by quietly withdrawing to smoke and ponder his next move. His passive "wait and watch" method appears to be the best management strategy since it cleverly allows him to avoid a bloody showdown with his liquor-courageous cowhands. When faced with a crisis, he relies on brains instead of brawn, and as a result of this good judgment, achieves the respect of his errant employees.

Hank, a dark and brooding character who appears in "Hank's Woman," is the embodiment of evil that is...