horse for the speed of light, a cloud of dust to the hearty high old silver, the Lone Ranger. The freezing was the first great industry in the western United States. During the early years, the ranchers were faced with the problem of getting their herds to market. But when the railroad pushed its way westward, firms of drovers sprung up who bought cattle from the ranchers for the drive northward and sold them at Wichita. The trail they followed was beset with dangers. Hostile Indians and outlaws attacked the herds, and it was in this country that the famous masked rider of the plains met his most exciting adventures. 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. Matt Duncan was a manager of a firm of drovers with headquarters in Prairie Mesa. As our story opens, he had reached a decision and confided in his wife, Sarah, and his best friend, the rancher Ezra Slocum. Matt, you've got to change your mind. You can't go through with this. Ezra, I've got to. Fiddlesticks. You don't know such things. I'm sorry, but you know what the doc said. What's he know about it? Just take it easy for a spell, and you'll be seen again as good as ever. Ain't that so, Sarah? Well, I, I really don't know, Ezra, but I don't think Matt should resign. I've told him so myself. No, Ezra, Sarah, there's no use talking. When a man loses his sight, he's done for. If I stayed on, I'd just be crowding out a better man. And as far as the cash goes, well, Sarah and me are well enough fixed. That ain't the point. No. You've been the head of the company ever since the folks hereabouts bunched their cash and started it. You're savvy the business backwards and forwards, and you're trusted, which I'd say counts most of all. Why shouldn't I be trusted? Man don't cheat his friends. There's plenty do. What do you mean by that, Ezra? I ain't saying. It wasn't a dig at Richmond, was it? What if it was? You wouldn't pay no attention. He's a good man. Richmond was just a wrangler when he started with me. Got to be top hand, then one of my trail foremen, and now he's just as capable of handling the business as I am. And he ain't going blind. I'd rather he was. Now, now, is that anything to say? Blast it all, Matt, you look here. Yeah? Us fellas that really own the company are just ranchers. Ain't one of us ever took a herd of our own to market. And if we had, we wouldn't know how to go about getting the right kind of prices when we was there. All we'd done was put our cash in the company and trust the fellas that run it to run it honest. And if they didn't, the company'd likely go bust before we'd find it out. All right, Ezra. Just for the sake of argument. Suppose Richmond ain't honest. How do you figure he'd go about cheating you? That's just it. I don't know. That's the point I'm making. I ain't well enough acquainted with the business. You're an old fraud. You're partial to me because we've always been friends. And you never cut into Richmond because he's got ambitions. I think an up-and-coming fella'd be just the kind you'd want. Oh, what's the use? I told you before he was wasting your time. Can't you talk to the old legit, Sarah? He's never listened to me, Ezra. Too doggone stubborn to listen to anybody. I wouldn't say nothing if I was you, Ezra. Leastwise. I'm not always going around boring trouble. I'm done arguing with you, Matt. Good. But let me tell you something. When ain't you? All right, laugh. But if you resign, as sure as shooting, Richmond'll get your place. He's been soft-soaping everybody that's invested in the company with just that thing in mind. And if he does get your job, look out. If there was a dozen honest ways to make a profit to just one crooked one, he'd pick the crooked one every time. However, Matt, convinced that his failing eyesight made it impossible for him to hold his post, kept to his resolve, and a month later, Richmond was installed in his place. The new appointment was interesting to others as well as to those whose money was involved. So you say Richmond has taken Matt's place, huh, Tonto? Oh, Matt Wright. Isn't Richmond the fellow we met a year or two back just this side of Wichita? Not him. He was one of Matt's foremen at the time. He was just finishing a drive. Oh. I remember him rather well. There was some talk about him at the time. If I recall it correctly, he'd put his savings into a small herd of two-year-olds and driven them along with the company's cattle. Hmm. And he sold his own cattle first and the company's cattle afterwards. Between the two sales, the market broke. Quite a few people suspected he sold his own stuff first because he had wind of what was going to happen. Ah. Perhaps you couldn't have called it strictly dishonest, but when you're drawing wages, you're supposed to look after the interests of the people who employ you before you do your own. Hmm. Crook? He might be. But if he is, it's not in the same way a rustler or highwayman is crooked. He wouldn't take their chances. He'd be more clever about it. Ah. Well, how do I? I may be doing him an injustice. After all, the men whose cash is in the company must trust him. Well, they wouldn't have made him general manager. That's right. Well, nevertheless... What you think? It might be a good idea to keep in mind. We'll be coming back through this district in a few months. When we do, it wouldn't hurt to make a few inquiries. Ah. People will know more about him after he's been in charge for a while. Ah. And if we're going to reach camp before nightfall, we'd better hurry. Come on, old fella. Get him up, scum. Come on, Silver. Come on. It was a week later that Richmond made a business appointment with two ranchers. His home was set as the place for the meeting. And when he opened the door for the two men... Are you on time, Richmond? Well, sure. Come in, come in. Here, help yourselves to chase. You alone here? You needn't worry about that, Bixby. Good. Well, you sent for us, we're here. We can't stay for long, so if you've got a proposition to make, how about getting down to business? Well, gents. You recollect once I told you if I was ever made manager of the company, I'd have a way for the three of us to make some extra cash? We ain't forgot. Why do you think we're here? Well, now I'm manager. All right. What's the rest of it? I'm manager of a company that ain't sent less than a dozen herds up the Chisholm Trail in any one season during the past six years. We know all that. This year I'm figuring to send even more. Maybe I'll make up 15 or 20 herds. Yeah? Now that's a heap of beef. Enough when you figure an average of 3,500 critters in each herd. What's that got to do with me and Bixby? Well, you've both got big outfits. You have? I'm in charge of all the buying. Fact is, I figure to do as much of it personal as I can. So I thought there weren't no good reason why I can't buy a good share of them critters from you two. We've always found buyers easy enough. Not buyers like me. No? You understand all this is just between the three of us, don't you? We don't talk. Go on, get on with it. Sure. What I had in mind was something like this. Suppose for every critter I bought from you fellas, I paid something over the prevailing price. With all the orders I can give you, that amount of plenty. Then we'd split the extra between us 50-50. It couldn't be done. Why not? Well, it just couldn't, that's all. Well, that shows how much you know about it. There's a half dozen ways of doing it. I might say I'm paying you a premium because your range has always been free of Texas fever. Some parts north of here, you know, they won't let herds through unless they got clean bills of health. A steer that ain't been infected ought to call for more. You said there was a half dozen ways. That's just one. Well, I might buy yearlings from you and enter them on the books as two year olds. You could get away with that? Sure, why not? I keep the books, don't I? Who's going to check on me? Go on. Well, when I said a half dozen ways, maybe I stretched it some. I could always pay you for steers a grade above what you actually delivered. Yeah, that'd be the simplest anyhow. The season's time would clean up. Well, maybe that'd work for a while, but not for always. Who gives a hoot? We'd make it fast while we was making it, wouldn't we? Yeah. And I ain't so sure anybody could do anything about it even if they caught on. You can't jail a fellow for making a mistake in judgment, you know. They could if they proved we'd give you some of that cash back. Let him try it. I'll speak frank, Richman. The idea sounds all right. I can see what we do real well for ourselves. But how about the company? Just how long do you think it'll last with buying like that? Long enough. But I don't think... I ain't got no cash in it anyhow. The most I'd be out to be a job and a salary. How soon are you going to start making up your herds? In about two weeks. Well, come on, Bixby. Uh-huh. You gotta be getting along. Hey, wait. You ain't said yet whether it's a deal or not. Three-eight fools, Richman. What do you mean? Cash is cash, however you get it. Of course it's a deal. Good night. Not long after this conversation, the business of preparing trail herds for the road was actively begun. Richman earned much favorable comment by the personal interest he displayed in the purchase of cattle from the ranchers. And few noticed that Austin and Bixby did a business with a firm which the size of their holdings did not warrant. Ezra Slocum was one of these few, however. And one day he stopped Richman and two companions on the trail outside Prairie Mesa. Boo. Boo there. Boo by. Boo there. Hi there, Richman. Hold on. I want to talk to you. Boo. Boo. Boo. Boo. Boo. What do you want? I want to know why you ain't been out to my place yet. Yeah? Why? Ain't you figuring on buying any of my cattle? Why should I? I've all sold to the country. When Matt was manager. Well, what's that got to do with it? You and him was friends. We ain't. You mean you ain't buying any of my critters? If you have to know, that's just what I mean. I don't savvy. Why not? We ain't got no use for scrubs. What's that? You heard me. You call my steers scrubs? They are. That's a lie. Careful. I'll tell you why you ain't buying for me. Yeah? You're too doggone busy getting your beef from Austin and Bixby. You've been spending enough time with them fellas to be in cahoots with them. And I'm wondering why. That reminds me. Huh? You've been doing quite a bit of that kind of talking around and about. Looks to me like you're trying to start trouble. Why don't you take a tip? Cut it out. I ain't to say nothing about how a company is run that I got cash invested in. If you owned the whole shebang outright, you still couldn't tell me who to do business with. I thunder somebody off. You're going to stop the talk you've been spreading? Not for you or anybody like you. Maybe you ought to be taught I don't stand for troublemakers. Just how would you set to go about it? Like to know? I'm always interested in how polecats do things. Spike. Yeah, boss? Ezra says he's interested. Suppose you and Woody show him a few things. I get you, boss. Come on, Woody. This will be good. Hey, what are you up to? Get out of that shop. Hey, let go. Work him over, boys. Anything you say, boss. Hey, Ezra, look. What? Oh, Spike, that was a good one. How'd you like it, mister? You dirty loader. Don't knock him out, boys. That'll be too easy on him. Cut him up some. Get up on your feet. You dirty skunks. You army coyotes. You rock. What's going on here? You there. You're the fellow I saw knock down this man. All right. Tied it. Oh, it's this. Brother. Don't hit me. Don't hit me. Don't hit me. Don't hit me. Don't slap, brother. I warned you. On your way. Come on, Woody. Get going. This will keep your movie. Look at them curse, I tell it. You heard, Ezra? Nothing so bad. It wasn't cured by the sight of what you'd done to them. You'd better be getting back to town. Stranger, who are you? Never mind that, Ezra. But we'll meet again. Come on, Tonto. Get him up, Scout. I'll steal my hallway. 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, Ezra told the story of his encounter with Richmond and the Masked Man to his old friend, Matt Duncan. Don't go, Matt. I'd give anything if you'd have been there. The way the Masked Man and that red-skinned part of his manhandled them hoodlums was a sight to see. I wish I'd been there. You'd have laughed at the look on Richmond's face. Oh, Matt, I guess I'm just an old idget like you always said. I was forgetting about your eyes. You know I'm not touchy, Ezra. How are they now? Getting better? Worse. Oh, that's a doggone shame. I'd say you're sitting about three feet from me. That's right? Uh-huh. Well, I can't even make out your face. You mean that? No, I can't, Ezra. It's worse than the last time you called on me. No, but I reckon I'll finish out the rest of my life just an old has-been. You're talking foolish. And I still say I'd rather you was running the cattle company even without being able to see than that skunk they got now. I was wrong about Richmond, Ezra. So you've finally come to admit it. I don't see how I could have come to misjudge a man so. You never could see anybody's faults less than you stumble over them. I even recommend him for my job when I resign. And didn't I give you the devil for it? I wish I'd had sense to listen. You've been talking to the others with Cash and the company, haven't you? Uh-huh. What do they say? Turn to get him any, are they? Huh? With that smooth line of talk he can hand out when he wants to. He's got them wound around his finger just like he used to have you. That's too bad. I could put it stronger. There ought to be something that could be done to get him out. There is. Who is it? Matt, look there by the window. Oh, I'm always forgetting. Who is it? That mask man I was telling you about. I said there is something that can be done, Matt. Ezra, who is this man? I don't know. I can't tell for his mask. Then... But he's again Richmond. So that's all a recommender needs with me. What business is this of yours? I think Richmond's out to defraud the owners of the cattle company. That don't answer my question. You think I have something to gain by fighting him? That wouldn't concern you if you didn't. Because of my mask. Ezra said you wore one. I do. But I'm not an outlaw. No need to string us. We're going to turn you in. I've told you the truth. Oh, Matt, what's the difference whether he's an outlaw or not? You can listen to what he's got to say, can't you? Well... Take back your old position. Me? Yes. Wait. I'm blind. Well, what if you are? But what good's a blind man in a job like that? You can find dozens of men who can be trusted to grade and buy cattle. You can find a score of competent trail foremen. But men with the knowledge to direct them are few and far between. But I... Doggone, Matt, if I know how to put it, that's just what I'd have said. You can't put too high a value on your site. But its loss certainly doesn't mean your use has ended. Just as good as ended. Yes. Well, go uptown some evening after the men have been paid off for the season. You'll find the cafes filled with cowboys. With men whose work develops the keenest sight in the world. And all of them working for 30 a month and found... And I couldn't hold down one of their jobs. You didn't attempt their work even when you were active. Is the president of a railroad expected to handle a throttle on one of his engines? No. Of course, sight is valuable. But experience and ability are even more valuable. You choose leaders not for their sight, but their insight. Stranger, you hit the nail right on the head. I've resigned. Richmond's manager. I couldn't just walk in, take my old job back, even if I decided it was the thing to do. Could you have it if Richmond were discharged? Well, uh... Matt, you couldn't you know it. They'd have you back like a shot. Richmond ain't been discharged. From what Ezra's telling me before you showed up, don't look like he will be. Prove that he's dishonest and that'll take care of itself. I don't know that he is. And if he is, how is it to be proved? If I manage that, will you pick up your work where you left off? You and Ezra both talk like you figured I didn't want the job. My gosh. If I thought I could still handle it, I'd grab it like a streak. Ezra. Huh? How many men own an interest in the company? About a dozen. Why? All local men, aren't they? Sure. You have an occasional meeting to discuss policy and receive the report of the management, don't you? Uh-huh, but then... When will the next meeting be held? First of the month. But what's that got to... You will attend? I always do. But why are you asking all these questions? You'll see the reason later. Could you take Matt with you to the next meeting? Well, I should smile. Then take him. You'll go, Matt? Why? Because you'll regret it if you don't. That's all that's safe to tell you now. Well, all right. I'll be there. Fine. You can start planning to take back your old position. Hey, wait. Here, Silver. Hey there, stranger. I'm Silver. Away. Gone. Who could he be, Ezra? Search me. But if there could be two such fellas to once, I'd say he was the Lone Ranger. Oh, hold there, Silver. Oh, boy. Steady there. Steady. Taddle. He here. Call, Scout. Here, Scout. Hurry. Where do we go? Remember that young homesteader we saved from the sheepmen? Ah. Me member. He told us if he could be used to help someone else as we helped him, never to hesitate to call on him. Ah. We're calling on him now, and we must be back before the first of the month. Let's go. Get him up, Scout. Come on, Silver. Come on. Three weeks went by. Then, late in the afternoon, on the first day of the new month, Bixby rode to the ranch house of Austin, his friend and neighbor. Oh, afternoon, Bixby. Austin, what's wrong? Hey, wrong? Someone around? No one's here but me. What's the matter? That's what I'm here to find out. Say, are you loco or is it me? There ain't nothing wrong that I know of, except that I've been looking for some good saddle stock and can't find any. That ain't bothering you, is it? My thunder, if that blasted engine got me all stirred up over nothing. What engine? I don't know. I've never seen him before. What'd he tell you? Just that I should see you. There's something going wrong, and I should get here pronto. He didn't mean something had gone wrong on our D with Richmond, did he? That's what I took him to mean. All I can see is, if it has, you know as much about it as I do. That's funny. I think somebody's just having some fun with you, Bixby. Yeah, well, it ain't no joke. Who besides Richmond is supposed to know we've made a deal with him? Say, that's something, too. Does engine know about it? Well, it'd be hard to say. I thought he did. Maybe I was just sort of jumping to conclusions because it was on my mind. Most likely did. Who's that? Hey. What is this? One of them's massing. And by gravy, that Redskin's with them. Yeah? Here they come. Get in there. Blaster, you needn't shove me. Try to put up a fight again, and you'll get worse. Say, what is this? Do you recognize this man? Never seen him before. You, Bixby? I don't know him, but what's he? What I expected. Richmond chose a man you didn't know, so that he could be sure of him. Just a second. You better start explaining what this means. Now let Jake explain. Is that this fellow? Right. Well, Jake, do you talk, or do you want some more of the medicine you got before? Don't hit me. Quick. Not with it. The boss will kill me. The harm's done anyway. Tyler and I already know the truth. Talk, and we'll give you a chance to skip before Richmond can lay his hands on you. This can't work for Richmond? He'll tell you about it himself. I'm one of his foremen. Go on. Look, fellas, it weren't my idea. If I hadn't said I was willing to do it, the boss would have fired me. I needed the cash. Gosh, I... Do what? Say, I was in with you. In with us? Tell him the whole thing, Jake. Explain about the meeting tonight. What Richmond's up against. How he's schemed to get out of it. Everything. You mean the meeting in town of the fellas that own the cattle company? Yes. It's just a regular meeting. On the surface. But they know about how Richmond paid you fellas for grades of cattle you never delivered. And how he fixed the books to try and hide it. And how you split the extra cash between you. What's that? Well, they don't know it for sure. They suspicion it. And tonight they're going to make the boss give an account. No. You've just heard part of it, Bixby. All right. Tell them the rest. The boss schemed to make it look as though he didn't have nothing to do with it. Oh. Well, that's... That's where I was supposed to come in. He was going to claim he paid you in good faith. But it was me that accepted delivery and you fellas bribed it. Bribed me to take scrubs and yearlings. Reporting you delivered prime steer. Hey, that polecat. Is this the truth? Would you think I'd tell it and have him gunning for me if it wasn't? Bixby, the whole game's going smash. Stranger, what's your stake in there, Jake? Perhaps I thought you'd be grateful to be told what's going on. Grateful? You name what you want, you can have it. Well, what'll we do, Austin? Clear out? Leave our spread behind us. Don't talk like a fool. We can't. We'll have to face the music. By the time we get to town, the meeting will be well underway. It'll bust us to square things. Uh-huh, but we can squam with Richmond without it costing us what Red said. Come on, we'll hit the leather. Several hours later in town, Richmond smiled upon the group that had gathered in his office. Gents, it makes me feel doggone good to know you're pleased with the way I've run the company since I've took over Matt's job. Maybe the rest of them are your low-down foreflusher, but I ain't. Please! Ezra, do you have to be all the time trying to start trouble? Why don't you keep shut for once? Go on, Richmond. Don't mind him. The rest of us are for you, even if Ezra ain't. Well, thanks, bud. Well, as I was saying, we've started out in great shape. We already have six herds on the way to Wichita. Tomorrow, the seventh will start. I think I can safely say that by the time we have our next meeting, I'll be able to tell you that we... Don't you fellas believe a word he's told. It's a low-down coyote. It was him at the thought of the scheme, and he got 50 cents out of every dollar was told from the company. No, Boston, fix me. Don't you think you was going to make us a goat, you're double-dealing skunk? If we go to jail, you'll be sitting right beside us. Oh, wait, please. Hey, quiet down, everybody. This sounds like something worth hearing. Fellas, it's a mistake. They don't know what they're talking about. If you'll just excuse us for a second... Oh, no, you don't. Let's have the rest of it. But I swear... You ain't going to get out of it now. Richmond, these men have made some statements and called for clearing out. But they're local. They don't know that... You don't mean to say you didn't give Jake cash to take the blame for you? Jake! Jake, who's he? You know him. One of your trail foremen. I've got no foreman named Jake. Huh? You have. No. But we thought... Bixby, they tricked us. That mass fella and the engine tricked us. Come on, let's get out of here. Oh, no. No, you don't. Get back inside. Hey, you. Back. You're wondering what these fellas have been up to? I can tell you. Richmond's been overpaying them for their cattle, using company funds, and sharing the profits with them. No, no. That's not true. Shut up. How do you know this? Coming to Prairie Mesa, we passed a trail herd made up of Austin and Bixby cattle. We wondered why Richmond was sending such poor beef up the trail. When we inquired, we learned they were supposed to be selling them prime two, three, and four-year-old stuff. The rest was obvious. That's why them crooks took their stairs clear over to Rapid River to make delivery. Richmond claimed it was because it was easier to hold the critters for Graydon where there was plenty of water. But he just didn't want us to see them. Right. But I don't savvy how you got them to come here and spill the beans. It seems to me... Well, I used a young homesteader, a friend of ours. He pretended to be one of Richmond's foremen. His story convinced Austin and Bixby they were being sold out, and they rushed here to implicate Richmond. You fools. How is we to know? To get us any act they put on, you'd have been fooled, too. Out slick it by a mask, man. Men. Hold these fellas till the sheriff can get here. Uh, just a second. Fellas, it looks to me like we'll be needing somebody to take Richmond's place. But if you all feel like I do, we can get him right now. Who? He's sitting right there. Matt Duncan. What? Matt. Would you take the job again? Every last one of us is sorry you ever quit. Sure, I'll take it. That mass fella kind of woke me up. It's true, I can't see. But I'll be blasted if I lay down on the job for a measly reason like that. The show you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
