# Bess — Riders of the Purple Sage character guide > Bess in Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Bess Oldrin, Masked Rider, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Erne **First appearance:** 0004-v-the-masked-rider ## Snapshot The masked rider of Oldring's rustlers, wounded and ashamed, whose dark eyes and whispered plea for mercy change Venters's life. ## Who they are Bess rides muffled with Oldring's rustlers and is known only as the Masked Rider, a figure of dread in the sage. When Venters shoots her companion and finds her bleeding, her whispered refusal to return to Oldring and the shame that reddens her cheeks reveal a girl trapped by circumstance rather than evil. Hidden in Venters's secret valley, she becomes the reason he builds a paradise, and her presence forces the novel's reckoning between the outcast riders and the world they fled. ## Relationships ### [Lassiter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/lassiter) _family_ Bess is Lassiter's long-lost daughter, and their reunion is a central emotional arc of the story. ### [Jane Withersteen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/jane_withersteen) _friendship_ Bess and Jane develop a close, protective friendship, with Jane acting as a maternal figure to the younger woman. ### [Oldring](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/oldring) _family_ Oldring is Bess's father, though their relationship is complicated by his criminal life and her abduction. ### [Lassiter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/lassiter) _family_ Bess is Lassiter's long-lost daughter, and their reunion is a central emotional arc of the story. ### [Lassiter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/lassiter) _family_ Bess is Lassiter's long-lost daughter, and their reunion is a central emotional arc of the story. ### [Jane Withersteen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/jane_withersteen) _friendship_ Bess and Jane develop a close, protective friendship, with Jane acting as a maternal figure to the younger woman. ### [Oldring](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/oldring) _family_ Oldring is Bess's father, though their relationship is complicated by his criminal life and her abduction. ### [Jane Withersteen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/jane_withersteen) _friendship_ Bess and Jane develop a close, protective friendship, with Jane acting as a maternal figure to the younger woman. ### [Oldring](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/oldring) _family_ Oldring is Bess's father, though their relationship is complicated by his criminal life and her abduction. ## In the story ### [The Masked Rider](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/v-the-masked-rider) Revealed as the Masked Rider; shot by Venters, she is gravely wounded and unconscious. ### [Surprise Valley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/viii-surprise-valley) Bess, revealed as the Masked Rider, begs Venters not to take her back to the rustlers. She shows vulnerability and a desire to live, trusting Venters with her life. ### [Silver Spruce and Aspens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/ix-silver-spruce-and-aspens) Revealed as Oldring's Masked Rider. She is weak and feverish but gradually recovers under Venters's care. She admits she was forced into her role and hates the life. ### [X: Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/x-love) Recovering from her wound, she shows innocence and dependence on Venters, unaware of his nightly trips to rustle cattle. ### [XIII: Solitude and Storm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xiii-solitude-and-storm) Now fully recovered, she shows feminine grace and beauty, tames animals, and expresses deep fear of canyon storms, clinging to Venters during the gale. ### [XIV: West Wind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xiv-west-wind) Expresses fear that Venters might not return and reveals her shame about her past as Oldring's Masked Rider. ### [Gold](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xvi-gold) Reveals her secret to Venters, showing her femininity and deepening their bond; becomes wistful and unhappy after Lassiter's visit. ### [Wrangle's Race Run](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xvii-wrangle-s-race-run) Bids Venters farewell under Balancing Rock, transformed by his avowal of love. ### [Oldring's Knell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xviii-oldring-s-knell) Referenced as the object of Venters's love and the daughter of Oldring; her innocence and purity are emphasized in Venters's reflections. ### [XXI: Black Star and Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xxi-black-star-and-night) Emotionally torn between leaving Surprise Valley and her love for Venters; learns of Venters killing her father Oldring, then is shown Milly Erne's locket. ### [XXII: Riders of the Purple Sage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xxii-riders-of-the-purple-sage) Rides Black Star, reveals her past as the Masked Rider, shows exceptional horsemanship. ### [XXIII: The Fall of Balancing Rock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xxiii-the-fall-of-balancing-rock) Leaves with Venters, her escape marking the start of the chapter. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/bess - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters