A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high old silver, the Lone Ranger. Hold-ups were frequent in the early days of the western United States. Every coach carried an armed guard, but one man was helpless against the outlaw bands, and it was not until the masked rider of the plane started his great fight for law and order that travel on the frontier trails became safe. Return with us now to those thrilling days when the West was young. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver! We're heading for the end of Cat Ranch! Donald's waiting on the trail ahead! How, Silver! Away! Three men sat at a dusty table in a tumbled-down shack. Gunny sacks were hung over the windows, and a lamp turned low, cast a narrow circle of light. The three men stared at one another until finally the eldest spoke and... Well, we've got to decide. Which one of us is going? Well, I don't know, Dutch. You, Jess? Well, I'd go, Dutch, only I was seen. They know me, and there's lawmen scattered around the whole district. I wouldn't have a chance in ten. Rhett? With the bad leg I got? What's the matter with you? Well, I wasn't seen, but I'm wanted for other things. They'd nab me just as soon as they'd nab Jess. Well, bless us. This ain't getting us no place here. One of us has got to go. If there was only someone, the law couldn't connect up with us if we could stand. Yeah, but there ain't so I talk about it. Well, what do you mean? I'll draw for it. Huh? Hand me that pack of cards. There you are. Now what? I'll deal a poker hand around. A low hand goes. No use arguing. There ain't no other way. Hey, Dick, come here. Huh? You see something move? Ain't that a light? See that second window, ain't it? Just a speck. It shows there's somebody there, don't it? Yeah. Are you scared? It's kind of lonesome. Oh, that's nothing but a coyote howling. Maybe we better go on to the next place, huh? What's the matter with you? Come on. Golly, I... Well, shucks, I'm going even a few ways. I'm so doggone hungry I can feel my stomach rubbing my backbone. And you're hungry, too. You just said you was. I'm awful hungry, but... Well, then, come on. You think they're going to bite you? It just looks like such a funny kind of place that... Ah, you are too scared. I ain't either. You are. All right, I'll show you. I'll ask if you'll ask. Then come on. We'll knock at the back door. I might have known I'd be the one to get stuck. Better get started. Are you just waiting? I'll go out to the bar and help you say a little. Red can stay. Who's that? Shut up, Blastier. You think it might be the sheriff? Whoever it is, they seem to know we're in here. If it's the law, this is the showdown. Get ready to blast your way out. Yeah. You going to open up? Just keep the door covered. Reach! What places? It's a pair of kids. All right, get them inside and close the door. Get in here, you. We never meant no harm. We just... Stand over there. But we... Go let you're told. Yes, sir. Who sent you kids here? Nobody, mister. Nobody, aren't we? You sure? We were just hungry. We seen the light here. We thought maybe you'd give us something to eat. What do you think? You sound to me like they're scared to be lying. Where do you young'uns live? No place. Now, tell the truth. Got to live somewheres. Who are your folks? We ain't got none. Roof's paw and mine both was killed in the water. We... We ain't got no other folks at all. Yeah? Well, you still ain't told us where you live. Around here someplace? Uh-uh. We... We come from down Illinois way. From... From Kincaid. Don't sound straight to me. If that's where you're from, how'd you get away out here? Somebody bring you? You got cash? Nobody brung us, mister. And we ain't got no cash neither. We hiked it. The whole way? Yes, sir. How'd you eat? Old folks give us vittles. Most times we work for them. We'd be mighty glad to chop some wood or do something for you folks if it happened you had some vittles to spare. Well, I'll be a slick-eared maverick. You ever hear the beat? Yeah, believe them, Dutch. Sure. Why not? You ever see such a mangy-looking pair before? If they ever had any kind of folks at all, they'd never get to looking like that. I don't know. What do I do with them? We didn't mean to bother you none. We'll be on our way. We don't want to... Jerks, what's your hurry? You're hungry? Hang around. Sit down. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. What's your handle? My name's Roof. Roof Plunkett. Yeah? He's Dick Sloan. Roof and Dick, eh? A roof, I reckon we can scrape up something for you and your par to chew on. Yes, take a look at... That's you, Loco. I know what I'm doing. But you can't... They said they was willing to work for their grub, didn't they? Ain't that right? Oh, sure, mister. We'd be real glad to. Even to go run an errand? We wouldn't mind. Then maybe you can. Yeah. Just forget about saddling up. I reckon we found a better way. The Endicott Ranch was only a few miles from the shack. The bunkhouse was dark and deserted. But the main house was ablaze with light. Two horsemen rode toward it across the open prairie. That's the place, Tonto. We won't have to watch out for the crew. They joined the sheriff in combing the countryside for those fellows who held up the stage this afternoon. Ma Endicott and her daughter are the only ones there. Why, them acts are strange. I don't know. That's why I asked you to return with me. Uh-huh. When I stopped there to buy supplies, Ma Endicott saw my mask and thought me one of the road agents. Oh. She was frightened. But not because she thought me an outlaw. Oh. Me not savvy. More. She and her daughter acted as though they'd expected me. That heaps strange. I may be wrong. They wouldn't talk after they'd learned I was really there only for supplies. They'd said enough beforehand to indicate something belonging to them had been with the stage loot. Uh-huh. They said enough to indicate it might have been a letter. A letter they didn't want to fall into the wrong hands. Oh. I think they were ready to pay for its return. Believe me, one of the stage robbers come to make them pay. Why them do that? Your guess would be as good as mine, Tonto. Certainly both Mrs. Endicott and her daughter are law-abiding. They've made a success of the ranch. They're respected by everyone. There is one possibility. Uh-huh. What's that? Something that just occurred to me. Something I've just remembered about them. The more I think of it, the more I believe it's a thing they fear. What you... I'll explain later. I'd want to make certain before I spoke of it. There's a fence ahead, Kimosabe. This way. Come on, boy. Get him up, Tonto. We'd better not take the horses too close to the house, Tonto. Uh-huh. We'd better stop over... Look. What? They're horsemen. Close of a horse. Oh, scout. Oh. Oh. One man, Tonto. Two men. No. Oh. Two boys riding double. That right. They're heading for the Endicott place. Hmm. Pull over behind the corral, Tonto. We'll stay out of sight. Come on, Silver. Get him up, scout. Inside the ranch house, Mrs. Endicott and her daughter Betsy had been talking with Sheriff Quinn and his deputy, Sim Slade. The lawman was preparing to leave and... Well, we was just inquiring, ma'am. Them stage robbers must be somewhere in the neighborhood. They ain't had time to get far away yet. And when we heard there'd been a masked fellow seen leaving here... He weren't one of them, Sheriff, I'm sure. Seems funny he'd pay for the grub you gave him if he was. Just the same, I'd kind of like to put some questions to that hombre. We'll keep an eye out for him. Weren't you going to ask these folks something else, Sheriff? Oh, yeah. Something else? Oh, nothing particular, Miss Betsy. But them fellas you sent to join the posse, they were saying some things. What things? Well, they seemed to have the notion that when you heard about the stage being robbed, you acted like maybe something of yours was stolen at the same time. You wasn't expecting anything but stage, was you? Oh, nothing. Oh, no, nothing. I thought it was foolish. You'd have reported it if there'd have been anything. Well, good evening to you. Come along, Sim. We still got work to do. Yeah. And ma'am, don't you fret too much about things. What do you mean, Sheriff? Nothing. We'll look for that masked fellow's trail and... Who could that be? I'll get it, Lord. Is this the anycar place, ma'am? Sure it is. What you boys want? Well, we was told to give you this here note, ma'am. Oh. What is it, ma'am? What is it? Who gave you boys this? Quick, who gave it to you? Why, so... Oh, we don't rightly know them, ma'am. It was just some fellows that live in that place about three miles east of here. What's that? You kids mean they own place just south of the trail? Uh-huh. There ain't nothing wrong, is there, mister? We have. Ain't nobody lived in that place for the past two years. How many fellows was there? What'd they look like? Oh, we ain't done nothing we shouldn't. Honest, we... Well, I asked it. Quit sniveling and answer up. There was three of them. Three. Ma'am, what's that their note say? That's my business. I'm sorry. I'll have to ask you to show it to me. If there was three of them and they was on the old Megan place, then it looks doggone suspicious. Now, let me see that paper. This note was addressed to my mother. And you haven't any right to read it without her permission. You got anything to hide? Don't act so foolish. It ain't nothing. You're just making a mountain out of a molehill. And if you aim to go after them robbers, you better be going. Ma'am, I ain't leaving until I see what's writ there. If you ain't got nothing to hide, you'll hand it over Peaceable. If you have got something to hide, then it's my bounding duty to find out what. You can't. Hold me still, Betsy. Sheriff, I'm standing on my right. This note is mine. You don't get it. Hand it over. I said it over. And I said hand it over. Sim. Hey, what's the... Who fired that shot? The lamp. The lamp's busted. Get another lamp. Where's another lamp? I'll find one. Hurry up. Come along, Betsy. Just a minute. It's dark in here. Here's the lamp. They got a match here. Now then, what happened here anyhow? What? The note. Somebody took that note. No. It was in my pocket. I put it there and it's gone. Well, I'll be... Who took it? Did you take it, Sheriff? One of you must have. There weren't nobody else in here. It weren't me. No, me either, ma'am. It has to be one of you. I thought I heard the door close, ma'am. You did? Listen. Silver. Silver. That's what that masked fella called his horse. Then it was him. He shot out the lamp. He'd come in here when it was dark. He's got that note. If he has, then he's the varmint we gotta catch. Come on. See him after him. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger story. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue our story. The sheriff joined his posse, but no trace of the masked man was found. In the meantime, Mrs. Endicott and her daughter prepared a hearty meal for young Ruth Plunkett and Dick Sloan. Poor young'uns. Eat hearty now. There's enough in despair. Here, Dick. Have some more potatoes. Gee, thanks, but... But honest, I'm so full I can't hardly eat another bite. Me neither. Betsy, you go fix up the spare room. They can sleep in there for the night. All right, love. Yeah. You mean we can stay here tonight? Of course you can. Longer if you want to. Well, there's enough work to be done around the place that you boys can help at. It'll be a home for you. Oh, golly. That'd be fine, ma'am. I don't know how we can thank you, ma'am. Sure, forget it. Don't want no thanks. Uh, who's that horse belonged to you rode up here? Oh, them fellers give it to us to ride. Well, we can put the coyotes in the corral. Sheriff will decide what to do with it. Now if you... Grat it. This sheriff again, I'll be bound. You boys stay right there in the kitchen. If he's here to pester you tonight, I'll send him on his way. Yes, ma'am. I'm coming, I'm coming. Now, sheriff, have you... The masked man. Step out here and close the door. You almost had me thinking you weren't one of them stage robbers. I'm not. Then why'd you take that note? Why'd you shoot out the lightning? If I hadn't, the sheriff would have seen what was written there. Would you have wanted that? Huh? He knew there was something wrong and he meant to find out what. Mrs. Endicott, what if he'd learned the letter addressed to you that was stolen from the stage was from your husband. Oh. Written from a penitentiary in the east. Although your husband is supposed to be dead. Oh, please. Not so loud. There's no one to hear us. How do you know all this if you weren't one of them that robbed the stage? You forget that information was in the note the stage robbers sent you. Why'd you come back here? You want money to keep still? You want to... I don't want money. I want to help you. But you took the... The men who hold that letter want money from you. The note they sent for those boys demanded $2,000. I'll pay it. I can't have folks know. What if you do pay? They promised to give back the letter from Josh. They know its contents. Even if they returned the letter, they could tell what they had read there. It'd be easy for anyone interested to check and learn the truth. Oh. The note you received told how much cash those fellows wanted and contained instructions how to deliver that cash after you'd drawn it from the bank. Yes, but... Do as the note told you. Get the money. See that it's in small bills as they asked. Leave the cash at the place they specified. It said to leave it right again the bottom of Red Rock. Do that. You have my word. Your money will not only be returned, but no one will learn your secret who doesn't know it already. Why should I do like you tell me to? Not as I tell you. As the men have told you on that note, you seem to have little choice. But the cash, if it's took from them, they'll talk anyhow. Even if they ain't got the letter no more, they can always tell what was in it. I... Your daughter's coming. But you... There's no time to talk now. Remember, you have no choice. Wait. Yep. Come on, Silver. Come on, Pumbo. Who was that? I thought I heard someone say Silver's. Never mind, Betsy. Maybe... Maybe we're going to have help. But it don't make no difference. Tomorrow we go to the bank. Leaving the ranch house, the masked man rejoined Tonto. Oh, Silver. Oh, oh, oh. What's her say? I didn't attempt to convince her I was on her side, Tonto. It wasn't necessary. I simply wanted to make certain she carried out the instructions she received. Oh. And I believe she'll get the cash and leave it at Red Rock if she was instructed. And what do? Well, the money will be bait for our trap. It means the capture of those stage robbers. But how keep them from talk? They can talk, Tonto. They can tell everything that letter contained. Ah. But it'll do them no good for a reason they don't know. Back to camp, Tonto. Get them up, Scal. Come on, Silver. Dutch and his two companions had slipped through the lines of the posse under cover of the night and were hidden in the wild country near Red Rock, a well-known landmark of the district. They had made a cold camp. And there they remained for the rest of the night and the whole of the following day. Finally, just at dusk. Yes. Yes. You said a little horses. Right. Going after that cash. You figure it'll be there by now, Dutch? If it ain't, it won't never be. She knows what we told her. She's had time of plenty to get the cash out of the bank and put it where we said. You don't sound like you're worrying much about us walking into a trap. The law has searched out that district. It won't be around unless it has reason. Yeah, that's just what I mean. Eh? Less it has reason. What's to stop Ma Endicott from telling the law she put the cash at Red Rock? Then what's to stop the law from laying for us there and nabbing us when we get it? She ain't no fool. Now, what do you mean? She knows we read that letter from Josh, don't she? Otherwise, how'd we know he wrote it from the pen? Well, say we took the cash, she got the letter, then the law stepped into jailers. That's what I was thinking of. Will I finish? Josh, all right, we can still tell what was in the letter, can't we? Maybe we wouldn't have proof, but it wouldn't take folks around here long to check on it. And her secret would be out just the same. In other words, she's got to see that we get safe away in order to be safe herself, huh? Just so. I never thought of it that way before. Well, that's the way it is. That's why I say I ain't scared of no trap. It'll be just as bad for her as for us. Tell her, settle. Good. Let's hit leather. 30 minutes to Red Rock, fellas, and 2,000 richer when we get there. Get up here. Mrs. Endicott and her daughter, having left the cash at the base of Red Rock, according to their instructions, were returning to their home and... We'll go back tomorrow, Ma? Uh-huh. And what if they just took the cash but didn't leave the letter? What'll we do then? No use thinking of that, child. Anyhow, they wouldn't have anything to gain by it. If they tricked us this time, they'd know doggone well, we wouldn't trust them another time. Wouldn't do no good for them to ask for another payment. We just can't let folks know about Pa. Oh, for the best. That's all we can do. I suppose. Ma. Huh? You see them? Horses. Great day. What do we do? What do we say if... Now, don't get excited, child. I reckon we got as good a ride as anybody to be out riding. We don't have to tell nothing. If it's the sheriff, just keep your mouth tight closed and say nothing. Come on, Silver. Ma. It ain't the sheriff. It's the masked man. Under the race. Hold on there. Oh, whoa, boy. Whoa. The red skin with him. Oh, close. Come on. Come on. Oh. What do you want? We're heading for Red Rock. What? The posse's on our trail. We've left a trail easy to follow. No. You can't head for Red Rock. That letter... Tonto and I are going to get those crooks and hold them until the posse arrives. You spoil everything. They'll talk. Wait. Come on, Silver. Get enough, Scouts. Come back. You'll just spoil things. Please wait. We can't let them do it, Betsy. We can't. What do we do? Follow after. That boy. That boy. That boy. Get up. Get up. When they arrived at Red Rock, Dutch, Jess, and Rhett dismounted quickly and started looking for the packet of money. The sun had disappeared behind the horizon and was rapidly growing dark. Find it yet. Nothing on this side. Look good. Got to be here someplace. I know Doug going well. He wouldn't have... I got it. Take a look here. If this ain't it, I'll eat my chaps. Open it up. You found the cash? Yeah, we think so. We'll soon... Greenbacks. It's it. Should I count it? If they left the cash, they left all of it. Let's get out of here. Throw that cash in your saddlebag and we'll divvy up later. Yeah, but the letter... Oh, yeah. Here, Rhett. Take it and leave it where you found the cash. I'll do that. Hey, someone come. A masked man and a redskin. Come on, boy. Come on. Give your guns. Let them have it. Let, brother. We'll blast those guns right out of your hands. You can go to places. Oh, my hand. All right, get him. Drop the gun. All right, get away. Get back. Oh, you hit me. No, not hurt. You there. Drop that gun or take it. There's my gun. I'm finished. I ain't shooting. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Masked man, let him go. The posse is right behind us. They'll talk. They'll tell everything they know. You have nothing to fear. That's what you say. You think we ain't going to tell everything you're loco. How will you like it, ma'am? How will you like the folks around here knowing your husband's in jail? Oh, please. Well, that's just what's going to happen unless you talk these fellas into letting us go. And pronto. All right, the posse was right behind you. There's no time to waste. Please let him go. Please. You don't understand what this means to us. I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave this in my hands. But you can't. Besides, even if I wish to release them, it's too late. There's the posse. We've been seen. There, ma. I suppose it had to come out sometime anyhow. We'll just try to make the best of it. What's that fella, Tanner? I think he's getting ready to make a break for us. You can still. They've already done that. Never mind who I am. These are the men you want, the stage robbers. These fellas? Right. You want evidence? They still have a letter in their possession they stole from the stage. Find their hideout or go through their saddlebags and you'll find more. The three of you were under arrest. Yeah? And the letter the mask man told you about is from Josh Endicott. Josh Endicott, who was supposed to have died. Oh, no, please. I said I'd talk and I will. Died, eh? Well, for your information, right now he's sitting in a pen. And he's there for life. You told. What else do you expect? We give you a fair warning. It's your fault, masked man. You wouldn't let him go. You held him here for the posse. I believe the sheriff has something to say. You'd better listen to him before you blame me. What a hell of a thing. We didn't want his known sheriff. Now everybody... Ma'am, I kind of hate to say this, but the whole county's known the truth for quite a spell. Oh, that ain't so. Yes, ma'am, it is. We've known it almost from the first. But you couldn't have... Mrs. Endicott, these people are your good friends. You'd stop to think you'd have realized a secret like yours couldn't be kept for long. It was your pride that made you wish it a secret. Your friends, realizing that, never permitted you to learn they were acquainted with the facts. Ma, how can we face folks? Betsy, you too, ma'am. There ain't a one of us thinks the worst of you for it. The masked man's got it right. We are your friends. And nothing Josh ever done can change it. I could have told you this, Mrs. Endicott, but it wasn't my place. Moreover, I couldn't be sure that if you were told, you'd leave the money here. The necessity would have been gone. And Dutch, Jess, and Rhett might never have been captured. So that's the part you played in this stranger. It's you we got to thank for capturing these hombres. You can thank their ignorance. They hadn't been strangers to this part of the country. They'd have realized that letter was of no value. This is your fault, Dutch. You was the one that thought it was such a smart idea. Now, wait a minute. Of course, you didn't have sense enough to check on what you was doing. Listen to me. Quiet, you fellas. See them put the cuffs on them. Where's the masked fella in the engine? I want to... Hold still! Get him up, stop! There, they're coming out. But I wanted to thank them for what they've done. And sure. They never even waited for me to thank them, neither. You, Ma? For what? Betsy, for showing us we got friends to be proud of. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
