Fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty, hi-yo, silver, the Lone Ranger. Around the campfire in the early days of the western United States, stories were told of the masked rider of the plains. His strength and courage, his daring and resourcefulness, made him the greatest champion of justice the West ever knew. It was he more than any other man who brought law and order to a lawless frontier. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver! We're on the trail of outlaws! It was Dottie Grant's singing that made Ike Tuttle's cafe the most popular in town. But one night, after she had finished, the girl was tired, but she went up to Ike and... Uh, Mr. Tuttle, there's something I want to tell you. By and by, Dottie, by and by. I'm busy now. But I can't wait. I... I wanted to tell you that... that I'm quitting here. You're what? I'm quitting my job. Ma wants me to, and I... Well, I guess I'll be mighty glad to quit. Now, see you here, Dottie. You can't quit on me. I won't stand for it. But I've got to, Mr. Tuttle. My brother's riding the Pony Express now, and with him fetching in some money, Ma's made me promise to quit working here. Oh. So my place ain't good enough for you to work in, is that it? It isn't that, Mr. Tuttle. It's as good as any cafe. Ma figures that with your brother a pony rider, you're too highfalutin' to be singing for a living, huh? He was mighty grateful to get the job when you first come here. Please, Mr. Tuttle. I took you in when you didn't have a square meal. I paid you every Saturday. Now you're being an ungrateful little... Mr. Tuttle, you know that I earned every penny you paid me. And your business is more than double since I came here. So now you're leaving. Well, I won't stand for it. You go on. Get to work. I've worked long past the regular time already, Mr. Tuttle. And if you'll pay me for land... Pay you? I'll pay you nothing. You leaving will hurt my business. I ought to sue you for it. You can't leave. Well, if that's how you feel, I'll go. Just because that no-good brother of yours has finally found a job. Don't you call my brother names. I'll call him whatever I doggone please. Fresh young squirt he is. Thinks he's mighty important now that he's riding a Pony Express. Well, if you go and get... Go on, get out. You owe me two dollars for the week's work here. You try and get it. Oh, I... I didn't think anyone could be as cheap as that I tuttle. Now clear out of here. Just one minute. You mind your own business, stranger? You owe this girl a week's pay. None of your affair. If you do, you give it to her. Oh, stranger, I don't want no trouble. There'll be no trouble. Tuttle will pay what he owes her. I'll be. Well, all right. Take your money. There it is. Now go on and clear out. When your brother loses that job of his, he will come back here begging me for your job back. Buck won't lose his job. He'll be the best pony rider on the whole chain. You'll see. Yes, I'll see. And so will you. Goodbye, Mr. Tuttle. And thanks. Thanks, mister, for helping me. You're welcome. Good luck to your brother. I'm grateful. That's what she is. Just doggone ungrateful. And she'll see. You lose a lot of trade without your star attraction, won't you, Tuttle? You mind your own affairs. I don't need no advice or suggestions from strangers. Don't need your business, neither. So clear out. You never had any business for me, Tuttle. I'll show her. I'll have her back here inside of two weeks' time. I'll show her. We'll have to get our supply of food somewhere else, Tuttle. What matter in there? I didn't like the methods of the man who runs it. Oh. I don't like the expression on his face, either. He wants to get his singer back. And before he can do that, he has to make her brother lose his job. Where go now? Oh, I'll go to another cafe and get the things we need. It'll be easy while I'm disguised, not wearing the mask. They look on me as a traveler just passing through town. Oh. I wonder what Tuttle had in his mind. He's an ugly sort when he doesn't have his own way. What do you think him do? I don't know. It's a matter of both pride and money with him. His cafe business will fall off a lot without that girl to sing. His pride is hurt by having her leave. I wonder just how far he'd go to get her to come back. What we do? I think we'll spend a little time here in San Pedro, Kimisabe. There may be things worth watching. Not only the girl in Tuttle, but the brother of the girl. She said his name was Buck. The following day, Dottie Grant and her mother welcomed Buck home after his first trip as a pony rider. Hiya, Dot! Buck! Oh, he's here. Come on. Oh, Buck. Hi, Mom. My sakes are alive, but you look gay and happy. Stand back and let me look at you. Oh, I couldn't change that much in the time I've been away, Ma. But you have. I do declare you've grown a full aim since the last time I saw you. Oh, it's just because I'm holding my head up high. Oh, you silly goose. But tell me, son. Have you had any terrible dangers? Oh, of course not. It's great to ride the mail. Have the Redskins bothered you some? Ah, just a couple of times they took pot shots at me. But they didn't even come close. Why, everyone knows what it would mean to interfere with the mails. Oh, I brought some money for you, Moms. Oh, bless you. That wasn't necessary. Sure it was. We don't want Dottie singing in Ike Tuttle's place, do we? I left him, Buck. Oh, it's good you did. That's one of the things I wanted to ask about. You left, huh? Uh-huh. Well, see that you stay away. No more singing for you, sis. How long can you stay, Buck? Just a few minutes. I'll pack away some grub and then I'll have to leave. Oh, so soon? Yep. Oh, I hope you don't get any real dangerous trips, Buck. You seem so young to be out on your own, riding them fast horses and responsible for the mail and all. Shucks, there's nothing to it. There's just one bad stretch in the whole route. Oh, there is a bad stretch? Oh, nothing to worry about, though, Ma. Where is it? Oh, it's that part of the trail through the Deadwood Forest. Where's that? The east of here, near Bear Lake. The lake's most all surrounded by a forest that was hit by blight or something. Nothing but dead trees there. Someone ought to set fire to it and clean it out. Well, you be careful, Buck. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you. Ma, I'm sure going to be dying of starvation right soon if I... Oh, she's alive. I clean forgot. You stay here now and I'll put you something to eat right away. It'll take but a few minutes. All right, Ma. I'll be here. You... You sure you haven't had trouble, Buck? Nothing to worry about. Why, Dot? I... I just wondered, that's all. You've got something on your mind, sis. Out with it. No, no, I... I'm just a fool to worry. Please forget it. Hey, look here. How'd Tuttle take it when you left him? Well... Was he ugly about it? Well, he... Was he? Tell me the truth, Dotty. Look, Buck, please don't get all excited about Ike Tuttle. Don't even think about it. If that all recus... You've got to be careful, though. I... I didn't like the way he acted. About you, I mean. About me? I've been worried about it ever since I left. He knows that there isn't any other job you can get. He knows that if you lose your job as a pony rider, it... It'll mean that I'll have to go back to work for him. Hmm. So please watch out. Tuttle can't hurt me. Well, I... I don't see what he could do to you, but just the same, you've got to be awful careful. I know how clever Tuttle is when he starts making plans. He needn't try any of his tricks, I... Oh. Who's that, you suppose? You sit still, sis. I'll see who it is. Why, Mr. Peters! Oh, hello, Buck. Just dropped in to say hello. Dotty, this here's Mr. Peters. He's the district supervisor that got me the job. Glad to know you, Miss Dotty. Oh, wait. We're sure mighty proud of having a pony rider in the family, Mr. Peters. And I guess you're the man we've got to thank for it. We're always on the lookout for honest young men with a lot of nerve. Sit down, won't you? Hey, Ma, come in here a minute. In a minute. You'll have a bite to eat with us, won't you? Well, no, Buck. I have to get along in just a minute. Just thought I'd stop by and see how you like the job now that you've got it. Oh, I wouldn't swap places with any man alive. Good enough. You called me, Buck. Ma! This is Mr. Peters. I told you about him. Oh, Mr. Peters, I'm right glad to know you. How do you do, ma'am? I'm right glad you're here, Mr. Peters, because there's one thing that's been worrying me no end. Well, I'd be downright pleased with the chance to relieve you of any worry. Well, I hear that there's a lot of risk in the work that Buck is doing. Well, there's risk in anything. Pony riding's the same as cattle raising or farming. Well, there's risk in living. Oh, I mean those terrible, savage Indians and the highwaymen that want to rob the mail and all. Oh, those aren't the risks, ma'am. I don't think a pony rider has to worry too much about those things. No? Oh, I'm sure glad to hear that. I told you, Ma'am. Now, there's one danger, though. Oh. A pony rider has a mighty responsible job. He carries mail that's valuable and mail that must go through. Uh, the biggest enemy of a pony rider is the pony rider himself. Huh? Well, what do you mean, Mr. Peters? Just that. I'm not worried about you, Buck. I reckon you'll think a good long time before you sell out the government and the mail service. Sell out? I mean, well, just this. Sometimes men would like to steal the government mail. It's pretty hard to do that if the pony rider's honest. They might try to bribe a man. Now, I'd like to see them try that with me. By ginger, if they did, I'd fix them. No, we aren't worried about you, Buck. Well, I'll be going along now. I've got a couple of errands to do around town, and then I'll want to get on my way before sunup. You needn't worry that I'll sell out, Mr. Peters. Having met your folks, Buck, I'm not worried. The lone ranger and his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, stayed close to Tuttle's Cafe. And they were on their guard when a hard-faced stranger entered the place. A few minutes later, Tuttle and the stranger were seated at a corner table and... You see for yourself what's happened there, Bart. My business has fallen almost to nothing. Well, Tuttle, you should know that no one ever came here for liking you. Never mind your smart remarks, Bart. Just pay attention to what I tell you. You said you had a scheme for me to make some cash. I have. I've got to have that girl back here singing or I'll go broke. I hear she won't come back. She will if her brother loses his job. It's likely he'll lose it, though. Or is it? It's likely he will. If you do what you're told and don't muddle things. I can handle most everything myself. But there's one thing I need you for. Go ahead, Tuttle. I'm fixing a story about Buck being bribed to lose a male. Well, I want him to come in here with a story about being robbed. He'll deny it when he's charged with losing the male on purpose and claim he don't know nothing about it. But when bribe money's found on him, he'll be jailed. I reckon my part is to do the robbing, huh? Just so. Why don't you let me shoot him? That'd put a stop to his earning cash. Yeah. That happened. Every one would take up a collection for his maw. I got a disgrace that he didn't have him jailed. Then I don't need cash for him defending him and get back to work. I'll go over the plans with you later. You see, that Peters has just come in. I'll have a talk with him. Howdy, Peters. Just a man I wanted to see. You wanted to see me? What about, Tuttle? Well, you know how it is when men get to drinking. Sometimes they say things they wouldn't say when they're sober. What's that to do with me? I reckon it has to do with you and the talk deals with robbing the Pony Express, don't it? What do you mean? Oh, if you're being sore about it, I won't say no more. I only thought... Speak up, Tuttle. There ain't any too much to say. I'm just slipping the warning to you. Don't trust your new rider too far. Who? Grant. Buck Grant? That's all I got to say. If you're accusing him, Tuttle, tell the rest and be quick about it. Come on now. All right, all right. Let go of me now, talk. Stop talking. You think Buck Grant's such a swell fella. I'll tell you a few things and prove I'm right. 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. When Buck was ready to start out, he was surprised to find that Peters was still in town and waiting for him at the express office. I hope nothing's gone wrong, Mr. Peters. Oh, nothing's gone wrong yet, Grant. I'm going to stay around here for a few days, though, and check on things. Maybe you'll be here when I get back again. Maybe I will. Gee, that'll be swell. You'll have to try more's cooking then. Here comes the last rider. Right on time. I'll see you in a couple of days. I'll be here. The pony rider raced in on the foam-flected horse. Buck was already in the saddle, and the light mail bags were transferred to his mount. A moment later, and he was on his way. Get up. Get up. Get up. Well, Peters, there he goes. Oh, you here, huh, Tuttle? Step over here. Don't do for the station men to hear what I say. Tuttle, I'd just as soon not hear anything more out of you. Oh, is that so? I think you're lying. I heard a few things about you. Yeah? You'd like to see Grant thrown out of a job so his sister would go back to work for you, wouldn't you? I reckon she'd have to do plenty of asking before I'd hire her back after the way she left me flat. Oh. Suit yourself. If you want to trust young Grant to turn down a nice hunk of money for himself and fetch a meal back here in a couple of days, go right ahead, Peters. I passed on what I heard, and you can do what you like about it. I'm doing what I like about it. Help, Robert, Steve! What's that? Stand back. What? He's stealing mail sacks. Stop him. He's going out the back of the shack. Don't make me use this gun. Stand right where you are. You'll hang for this. I doubt it. Stop him. I'll sell the way away. Shoot. Where'd he come from? Who was that man? I don't know. He was in here when I come in after putting the horse in the shed. Was there anything in those mail sacks he took? No. No, they was empty. But the ID's the same. He stole from the government. Uh-huh. So he did. Well, do something, Mr. Peters. Get a posse. Get after him. Well, let's wait a while, Hank. Maybe the mail sacks will turn up without sending out a posse. Jumping, juniper. Ain't you mad about it? Why, sure, sure I'm mad about it. He shouldn't scare you like that, Hank. I'll bet you almost felt the bullets from his gun, huh? The lone ranger raced out of town and across the plains until he reached a small woods where Tonto was waiting. I have the mail pouches, Tether. Not good. It's going to take the hardest kind of travel for a horse's kimosabe. Those crooks will plan to stop young Grant in Deadwood Forest. Not right. That means I must stop him east of here when he's on his way back. Then I've got to follow him to this point and outrun him between here and town. You catch up to pony rider horse? Tether, we can't expect too much of Silver. That's why I'm going to leave him here with you. I'll take your horse. Silver faster than Scout. I know. I'll save Silver for the last part of the trip. You camp right here. I'll want Silver well-rested and ready for the fastest run he's ever made. Ah. Now you ride Scout, huh? Yes. Come on, Scout! As Buck Grant neared Deadwood Forest on his return trip, a masked man cut in from the side of the trail and... Come on, Scout! What the... Grant, rain up! I want to speak to you! Mask! Get along there! Get along! Rain up! I must speak to you! Get back or I'll start shooting! You can't hit a mark at that speed! Can't, huh? No! Rain up and listen to me! Get back, I tell you! Stop! I'll feel that! Go that bridle! Let go! Hold it! Oh, boy! You do life in jail! This is United States mail! That's why I'm interested! Now listen to me! You dare touch this mail, you'll pay for it with your life! Will you listen? Do you want your sister to go back and dance and sing at Tuttle's place? Don't you mention my sister! Well, that's where she's going if you don't listen to me! Take these sacks! I'll take the mail! I'll see you dead first! I'd better take that gun! You'll only make trouble with it! See here, you try that! That's better! Now take these punches and get on your way! You're going to be stopped again, but don't say that I have the mail! This mail is going through! Come on, Scout! Or faster! On the Lone Ranger raced at top speed, urging the tiring paint toward the west! Come on, boy! Come on! At last he reached the woods where Tuttle waited with the great horse, Silver. Scout had done his parhand. Take Scout, Tuttle! Rest him! I'll join you later on! I want to make sure everything turns out as it should! You've got mail? Right here! Throw these pouches on, Silver! Ah, me take it! It's up to you now, Silver, old fellow! You're racing against the best! Hail, Silver! Like Tuttle and Bart, waited just outside the express office in town, then. You sure you can count on them parts of yours? Being as they don't get paid off till they've done the job, I reckon I can. They'll likely find a plenty that's worth their while to them in the mail sacks. They don't get all that. That's mine. They get just what I agreed to pay them. That's your worry, Bart. Long as they take the mail, that's all I care about. How about getting the cash on Grant? Ain't gonna have no trouble putting it in his pocket. I'll put it there right after he gets to the station and before he can tell about being robbed. If you don't prove that he's been bribed, you won't get nowhere with your scheme. I'll prove it. Don't you worry. I reckon I'll mosey over toward the station. I see Dot and her maw there already. Luck to you. I won't even need luck. That's how this thing has been worked out. It can't miss. See you later. Hi there, Miss Dotty. Good afternoon, Mr. Tuttle. Now, now, Miss Dot, you needn't be holding a grudge again, me. I'm sorry I spoke up quick-like when you left working for me. Your apology is accepted, Mr. Tuttle. There. Now, I'm not glad there's no more hard feelings. None at all, ma'am. Fact is, any time I can do anything for you or Miss Dotty or your son Buck, I'd be glad to do it. There's only one thing you can do for us and that's to leave us alone. Oh, now, Miss Dotty. You didn't think I'm going back to work for you, Mr. Tuttle, because I'm not. What are you doing here, Tuttle? Long ways from your cafe, ain't it? I got a right to be here, ain't I? Oh, can't stop you if you want to stay here. Maybe I'm expecting mail on the Pony Express. Maybe something with a right important letter with cash draft and a New York bank in it. Mighty important to me and I'd hate to lose it. Oh, I don't think you'll lose it if it's in the mail. You still figure Grant's on a level, huh? We'll see. What's that he said? Why, Tuttle here has an idea that your son is going to turn out dishonest. Why, you ornery, slinking, loose-tongued polecat. I wouldn't say a lot of things. You might have to take back, Miss Grant. I'll never take back anything to call you if you hint that Buck's crooked. Suit yourself, ma'am. Oh, uh, by the way, Peters, there's a sheriff over yonder. I told him to stick around and not go too far from here. Why? You, uh, might want him to make an arrest. What the... There, I've heard about all I can stand from you. Slap me, huh? Why, you hot-tempered little... Now, that'll do, Tuttle. You had that coming. All right. And if I had that coming, Buck Grant's got jail coming as sure as I'm standing here. You ornery. I heard what I heard. I told you I had something on the Pony Express. Well, I heard plans to rob that Pony Express. It was all fixed to pay $200 in gold to Buck Grant for letting himself be robbed. That's a lie. We'll see about that. Need be, I can produce a friend of mine who heard the same thing I did. He's over there right now. The Pony Rider's coming. Look. There he is, Ma. There comes Buck. Fetch out the relief. Bring out the new horse and rider. Coming right out. Get along there, son. There's two riders. There's one on a white horse riding with Buck. Why, so there is. You better have a look at them mail sacks, Peters. I will. You needn't worry, Tuttle. Hi there, Buck. Hi. Here's the mail. Now, hold on. We're going to delay the mail for a minute. Wow, what a trip I had, Mr. Peters. Who's the masked man? Oh, Mr. Peters, this is a friend of mine. Uh-huh. He stole their mail sacks from the station. That's right. I'll pay for it, Mr. Peters. What about the mail? What about it? I'm checking it, Tuttle. You just try and say that it was stolen, Grant. We know all about your scheme. What's that, Tuttle? You've been bribed. We know all about it. You're all set to lie and say that you was held up and robbed. And all the time you got cash in your pocket is a bribe. Now, did I say I was robbed? You hadn't better. Whatever gave you the notion I was held up and robbed? Them sacks are all right, aren't they, Mr. Peters? They are. The seals are not broken. What? And there is no mail mark for this town, Tuttle. Maybe the letter you want will come on the next mail. You mean to say you wasn't robbed? No, I wasn't robbed. What made you think I was? Search him. See if there ain't bribe money in his pocket. You try and search me. My thunder, I... Tuttle. What? By any chance did you plan to have him robbed and then put money in his pocket to make it look as if he'd been bribed? Now, wait. I don't savvy this. Who are you? Just a friend of Buck's. You did slip money in his pocket. You'll have to admit it in order to get it back. Now, hold on. There's something wrong here. I don't see why you're so confused, Tuttle. The mail's here, safe and sound, just as I knew it would be. What I heard, I tell you... Are you holding this mail up all day? No, no. Get it going. I mean, get it headed west. There you are. You got your pouches, sonny. Get up there. Come on, boys. Get up. Well, Tuttle, have you any more to say? I, uh... Look. That is... Look. I found gold in my pocket. Buck. Where'd that money come from? Gosh, I... That gold is... What do you know about it, Tuttle? Well, uh... My part over yonder heard about a bribe. He's the one that... Well, I never heard about a bribe. And if this cash is in my pocket, I reckon it's mine till someone proves it ain't. You claim the money, Tuttle? No. But it's a bribe. I heard... Well, my pal... Grant. Did anyone hand you a bribe? No. All right. I was stopped. But all the crooks got was some empty mail pouches. That masked man took the full ones and gave me the empties. And after some armies had taken the empties, the masked man returned the full ones to me. Now, this cash owed for the pouches he borrowed, I, uh... I reckon I can pay for it out of this money I found in my pocket. We still heard about... Tuttle! Buck's word to me as to how a thing happens is worth the word of a dozen like you and your part over there. I reckon the two of you are washed up for a long time to come. You have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
