Fiery horse for the speed of light, the cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-yo, Silver, the Lone Ranger. The Indian companion Tonto, the masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. The stories of his strength and courage, his daring and resourcefulness, have come down to us through the generations. And nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice. 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 heading for Coffin' Corners. Help, Silver. Away. Coffin' Corners was a tiny, dusty town like dozens of others in the west. Just a few shacks clustered around a waterhole where two trails met. There was a little general store that never did much business. Lige Perkins, owner of the store, should have been sour and crabby. But instead, Lige was always looking out toward the distant peaks of the Bison Range, and he was always singing a song. With my banjo on my knee, rained all night the day I left. Yep, those Bison Range mountains sure do look pretty this time of day. Sparkle like gold. Yes, sir. Someday they'll find gold. At least I hope they do. Sun shone so hot I froze to death, Susanna, don't you cry. I... Well, all ready for business. If there's anybody to sell to. Sir, I reckon coming into the shade tells you a usually keen eyesight. I'm a customer, and so's my partner here. My name is Weldon, Colonel Weldon, sir. His name is Jason. Say howdy to Mr. Perkins, Jason. Howdy. Howdy, gents. Howdy. Be glad to sell you anything. Food, feed, and firearms. Take your choice. I got clothes, too, but they're might old, and I can see you gentlemen are well-dressed. Well-dressed? I can see you've got a keen sense of humor, sir. We're as ragged as the tag end of the Confederate Army after Appomattox. But we will be well-dressed mighty soon, yes, sir. We'll have more money than John Sutter. More money than... All gone, Colonel, you shut up. I will not shut up, Jim. I won't be a farty to us. My mind's made up. I say no. I say yes. Well, it's mine, and I say no. Nobody else for us. Nonsense, Jason. It's gold enough for three, gold enough for a dozen. All we need is grub supplies. Now you've done it. Now you've done it. You blatted it right out. Gore. Did you say gold? There, you see? Da, dog, gone, dog, gone. Mister, I mean, Colonel, if you're a mite short of cash to buy supplies and such like, I'll be more than glad to grub-stake it. Oh, no, no, no. We ain't interested. Jason, once for all, hush your mouth. Mr. Perkins, you're a gentleman, sir. A true gentleman. Yes, we have found a gold mine. It's up in the bison range. Mark my words, sir, it'll be bigger than the mother load. We haven't worked the mine yet, but here, look. Here's one of the nuggets we picked up at the foot of the cliff. Gold? I ask you as an expert, did you ever see a likelier piece of gold ore in your natural life? I don't. No, sir, you never did, never. Because that's the best specimen of gold ore ever came to light. Why, Jason, I'll make millions, sir, millions. Oh, we would only now. Colonel, nothing's gone wrong, has it? Lack of a few paltry dollars. Eh? Just a few hundred dollars to buy supplies so we can go up there and start work and get the gold out. And we haven't got the money. To think that I, Colonel Weldon, formerly owner of 600 miles of, I mean, 600 acres of land of Kentucky worth thousands of dollars. Now I'm reduced to... Colonel, I'll advance you the supplies. You would? Yes, sir. Why, I've grub-staked hundreds of gold prospectors. Hundreds of them. I'll be more than glad to do the same thing for you and your partner. We'll give you a share in the mine, of course, Mr. Perkins. That's usual when someone grub-stakes prospectors. We'll give you a full third in the mine. No. No, we'd better not. Better not? Well, Colonel... But suppose we're mistaken. Suppose there's no gold there at all. Well, you got this nugget as proof. Yes, but that might be a loose nugget that rolled down from somewhere else. No, Mr. Perkins, I wouldn't want to take your generous offer and then have you... Now, but, Colonel, I insist. I have grub-staked before, and I'm willing to do it again. I'll give you 300 worth of supplies. 400. Well, what do you think, Jason? We got to have supplies, Colonel. Keno, Mr. Perkins, sir, it's a deal. We'll allow you to grub-stake us. Sarah! Sarah, Sarah, I just grub-staked two gents who have the richest mine since King Solomon's. Sarah, when that gold starts pouring in, we'll... You sold our supplies for a share in another grub-stake. Now, Sarah, don't say it that way. You did, didn't you? Sure I did. Of all the hopeless calf-brained digits I ever... Lies, lies, you never learn, do you? Every time anybody runs out of supplies, all they have to do is come here to Coffin' Corners, give you a story about going looking for a mine, and you give them supplies on credit. It ain't credit, it's for a share in the mine. Have you ever gotten a cent back from any of those grub-stake deals? Oh, not so far, Sarah. But this particular one... This one, this one, that's all I ever hear. Lige, do you realize when we came here, we had $10,000 to put into a general store? What have we got now? I, I... Ain't calculated up for a while. We haven't got a cent, not a single cent. All that's left is this store and what's in it and those worthless grub-stake papers. Coffin' Corners. It's the name of this town, and it's a fine one for us. This here store is our coffin. You're nailing the lid shut with your notions about grub-stake. Now, now, Sarah. Oh, I know you mean well, but you're so soft-hearted, Lige. So soft-hearted. I'm positive the colonel will find gold there, Sarah. He seems such an honorable gent. Mr. Perkins, are you talking about a man who calls himself Colonel Weldon? What in thunder? A masked man! If you come to rob us, you're wasting your time, mister. We've got a bare cupboard and an empty cash drawer. Oh, no, we not come for that. We come to buy supply. And we pay cash. We're friends, ma'am. Pay no attention to my mask. I have my reasons for wearing it. And we're on the trail of two confidence men that are wanted by the sheriff of Warshoe County. Your lawman? You might call us that. Tonto, will you order the horses? I'll buy what we need. Ah, Tonto do it. You silver. Count. You pardon. Perkins, as I came in, I heard you mention a colonel. I wonder if... What is it? Nothing wrong? The engine's name is Tonto. Why are you staring at me? Those horses outside. A white stallion and a paint. Why, Sarah, this here is the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger? Well, howdy and welcome. Mask man, it sure is an honor to have you here. But how come you rode into Coffin Corners in broad daylight? I always heard that you stayed away from towns while the sun was up. On account of that mask, I mean. There's no danger in Coffin Corners, Perkins. The only thing that's left in this town is your store. Yeah, reckon that's so. Worse luck for us. But to get back to what I heard before. You were talking about a colonel. Was his name Weldren? Why, yeah. Here's a reward poster from the Warshoe County Sheriff's Office. Read it. A reward poster? A confidence man wanted. Two men who call themselves Colonel Weldren and Jason are wanted for... for... Lige, is that their description? Yeah, exact. It's them, Sarah. I've been flim-flammed out of $400 worth of supplies. That's too bad, Perkins. They'll never get back to Warshoe County. I'll have them put in jail right here. You can't put them in jail here, Perkins. I can't? Why not, mister? Because they've committed no crime here. No crime? But what they just did to me... Isn't a crime. Didn't they give you a share in their mind? But they never had a mine. Grubstaking's a common practice. There's nothing illegal about it. You can't arrest them for that. Lige, the masked man's right. Why, those ordinary carpetbagging sidewinder... If I ever get my hands on them... How long ago were they here, Perkins? This morning. About six hours ago. I don't know what can be done exactly. However, if Tal and I can find them, maybe you'll get your supplies back. Now, suppose you sell us what we need. Afterwards, you can tell us which way they're headed, and we'll hit the trail after them. Agreed? Take the bright angel trail, mister. You and the engine ought to get them around Pine Ridge. Thanks. Adios, ma'am. Adios, Perkins. Come on, silver. Adios. Adios. Get it up, scum. Adios. Now, come back in the store, Sarah. Lige, where are you going? To get my gun belt and plenty of bullets. Lige, Perkins. What on earth come over you? Sarah, I'm going after those hombres who cheated me. As soon as I saddle my horse, I'm taking the Apache trail for Tomahawk. But, Lige, just a second. Do you mean to tell me those two crooks took the Apache trail? Sure they did. I saw them. But you sent the lone ranger and Tonto the other way. They took the bright angel trail to Pine Ridge. I did that deliberate, Sarah. Lige. I aim to get those skunks myself, that's why. What? You mean you sent them the wrong way just so you... Sarah, you heard the masked man. He said the colonel and Jason can't be arrested for what they did to me. But they cheated me, and I'll make them pay. And I aim to do it my way, myself. Lige, you certainly have changed. He used to be so happy, always singing, and now... Sarah, I've been a worm. But now the worm is turning. When I meet up with those two crooks and Tomahawk, I'm going to pay them off in bullets. Don't wait up for me. I know they'll kill him, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Lige just wouldn't listen to me. What's that? A horse? Is that you, Lige? No, Miss Perkins. It's Tonto and I. The lone ranger. We go to Pine Ridge. But men not there, so we come back. Lige must have gotten his directions mixed. Miss Perkins, we... Ma'am, you're crying. What's wrong? Lige misdirected you deliberate. Those cheats didn't go to Pine Ridge. They took the Apache Trail, not the Bright Angel. They're heading for Tomahawk. And Lige is after them. Oh, why him do that? He plans to settle a fight himself. With guns? He took his gun belt with him. Oh, Kimo's hobby. Him not got chance. Weldon, him plenty good shot. Lige never pulled a trigger in anger all his life. I'll never see him again. We'll do what we can. What's that? Our horses are still fresh. They can beat anything on four feet. Aren't that right? Silver and Scout, get to Tomahawk like flying eagle. Mr. Engine, you mean you'll try to save Lige? We got there in time. Keep a prayer on your lips, ma'am. Come on, Toto. The Apache Trail. I'll pray, mister. I'll pray every single minute. Get him up. Come. Yes, sir, Jason. We've fleeced him proper. You might call it Jason and the Golden Fleece. Plus me, of course. Huh? Never mind, Jason. You aren't up on your mythology. Just a little private jest, that's all. Shall we have another drink? Oh, I don't know why not. But we sold Perkins' supplies for $400, Colonel. Colonel? Colonel, that's rich. I reckon I'm pretty smooth at turning on that poverty-stricken southern gentleman talk, aren't I? 600 acres in old Kentucky, sir. Lost everything in the war. You see before you're a broken and beaten man who... And you see before you're a cheated man, Colonel. Dog, my cat. Perkins. Yeah. I've been to every cafe in Tomahawk. I knew I'd run into you sooner or later. We're going to shoot it out right now. Just reach for your guns. Very well, Mr. Perkins. You've asked for it, and I'll give you satisfaction. But there's no need to spoil this wooden floor here. We'll adjourn to the street and start at once. Mr. Perkins, you're going to die with your boots on. 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. There was a bright moon over the main street of Tomahawk. Word of the gun battles spread like wildfire, and every cafe and hotel emptied as men poured out to line the street. Now what's it about? Sheriff, this already cheated me. I'm calling him on it. The moon gives me a clear eye on both of you. Seems I recognize you. Aren't you Lodge Perkins from over Coffin Cornerway? Yep. And this other gent. I saw him a stranger in this town. Yeah, so I see. Is there law in this town against gunfights? I'm sorry to say there isn't. I hope we get it someday, but right now there isn't much... If you step aside, Sheriff, this man and I will finish our business. All right. But I'll stick around just to make certain this gunfight is conducted fair and square. Now you go down past the Blue Sky Hotel, Savvy. I'm on my way, sir. Perkins, you go up beyond the church. Yes, sir, Sheriff. You start walking down the street toward each other and start firing as soon as you've got a mind to it. Yes, sir. And I'll make certain nobody shoots before you both get to the appointed places. Now, everybody, clear the way. Clear the way. All right. Stand where you are. You, Perkins. I hear you, Sheriff. You're past the church. Turn around. You there. I'm where I should be. Turn around. Keno, now you're facing each other. Now keep your guns in the holsters. Any time after I give you the word and you start walking, you can draw and shoot the suit yourself. Understood? I understand. Just give the word, Sheriff. All right. Start walking. Here I come, Weldon. Any time you start, I'll finish it, Perkins. Time to get so close I can't miss. Every step, reach your near your grave. You can't scare me. Time to get... Come on, Sylvia. Hey! What in places? Who's that rider? Hey! Perkins, you're coming with me. Hey, Massman, out of the way. Me and Weldon. There'll be no gun plan. I'm taking you out of town. Let me down. Come on, Sylvia. Out of town. Come on, boys. Why didn't you shoot Perkins when you had the chance, Jason? The chance didn't come. I had to wait till somebody brought a gun, didn't I? There were plenty of shots. Sure, but all from that mass man. Oh, well. At least we're rid of Perkins. We'll be gone from here in a few hours. I wonder who that mask rider was. I don't know. I never saw him before. Didn't get a good look as it was. He was in and out like card sharp's fingers. Now, where, Mr. Perkins? Where lies Perkins? Huh? What do you want, Injun? Me right, he part. Where lies Perkins? You mean the Perkins who runs the general store at Coffin Corners? Huh? That him. Me bring good news. Him on big gold strike. What? Huh? Grump stuck there. Stay clean. Other men die. All belong to Perkins. Me come to tell them. Here, here, here. Come on, now. Come on. Tell us about it. Let's have the whole story. Sure. Good for Perkins. It's about time he had some luck. Tell us about it, Injun. Come on, Injun. Come on, Injun. Come on, Injun. Come on, Injun. Oh. Oh. Oh. There's nothing more to tell. Too bad Perkins, him not here. Me right, plenty hard. You better head for Coffin Corners, Injun. Oh, me too tired. Me go in morning. Me gas good nose, wait till then, huh? Ha, ha, ha. Yes, yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Now, we got out without being noticed, Jason. Come with me. What's this all about? Come along. We'll have to move fast. Now, listen, Jason. We move fast enough, we can get that gold mine for ourselves. Huh? I figured it all out inside. The Indian gave the location. 600 yards due south of Eagle Rock near Buffalo Pass. You know it. Sure, I could go there blindfolded. That's up in the Bison Range. We've been there plenty of times. But we can't just walk in and take the gold. Oh, no, Jason. No, indeed. You know me. We'll do this legal. You loco. Oh, far from it, Jason, my boy. Far from it. But Perkins owns it. Yes, yes, he does. Owns it completely. You heard the Indian say his partners were dead. But remember this, Jason. Perkins doesn't know about it. Huh? He hasn't been told yet. And the Indian isn't leaving to tell him until the morning. Oh, I'm still not clear. Jason, sometimes I wonder if you're as dumb as you appear to be. Look, Perkins has grub-staked hundreds of prospectors, hasn't he? Why, sure. That's why he was such an easy mark for us. And he still will be, my boy. He still will be. Don't you see? Perkins has all those hundreds of grub-stakes. He never realized a thing on one of them. Now, in addition to the money we got when we sold those supplies, we have a lot more cashed away. We're leaving to get that money, Jason. Then we're riding to Coffin Corners to talk to Perkins. As soon as he sees you, he'll reach for a gun. Now, you know me better than that. I'm a smooth talker, Jason. You'll wait and see. When I talk to Perkins, butter won't melt in my mouth. That's you, sir. Lodge, it's sure good to see you so happy again. I never thought I would. I was a pretty big fool yesterday, sir. Masked man saved my life, I reckon. I'm eternally grateful to him. So am I, Sarah. So am I. And you're so cheerful. Oh, you mean that swindle I fell for yesterday? I thought that was the final straw, Lodge. That Colonel Weldron and the other. Yeah, you sure are a couple of coyotes. Oh, well, no sense crying over spilled milk. You mean you've finally learned your lesson? From now on, Sarah, I tend strictly to business. Yes, sirree, strictly to business. No. Why, Sarah. Oh, shucks. It's just because I'm so happy. I'm not crying. I reckon we'll make out all right after all. We sure will, Sarah. Say, hadn't you better get back to the kitchen? Those biscuits might... Gracious, I clean for God. Sure, sure. And remember the Red River Valley. And, oh, morning, gents. Something I can... Well, I'll be... Now, just a minute, Perkins. Hold your horse. Let go. If I get my hands on my gun... Perkins, please. We came back to ask your pardon. You... You come back to what? Yes, Mr. Perkins. You see before your two reformed characters. Two reformed... Well, one of us is local. I mean it. I mean it from the bottom of my heart, sir. So do I, Perkins. We own up. We cheated you, sir, and we've come back to make amends. Mr. Perkins, last night, after you left... Well, Jason and I went into the church in Tomahawk. Before we came out, we realized how wrong we'd been. Isn't that so, Jason? Yes, sir. It's a solemn truth. For a couple of gents as ornery as we used to be, Italian... Yes, yes, yes, of course. Perkins, we offer you the hand of friendship. Well, now that... Say, what about those supplies you swindled out of me? We're going to give you that money back, every bit of it. Well, I... I don't know what to say. Sir, will you ask your forgiveness? Well, well, I reckon I never was one to hold a grudge. If you say you were... Jason, Jason, you hear that, my boy? We've been forgiven. Mr. Perkins has reached into the bottom of his heart and found forgiveness there. Sir, here's your money. And what's more, Mr. Perkins, we're going to give you more money right here and now. We feel the only way to make full payment for the wrong we did is to do something for you. Uh... Cast your bread upon the water and it returns twofold. Yes, yes, that's it. Well put, Jason, my boy. Well put. We have more money for you, Mr. Perkins. Oh, I don't accept money for nothing. Oh, but we insist. If you refuse to accept the money alone, well, give us something in return. For example, sir, you have a lot of grub stick notes. Oh, they're all worthless. Oh, you can't be sure of that, Mr. Perkins. You can't be sure. Now, suppose we give you, say, $500 in return for one of those claims. Just spread them out on the table. We'll take our pick. That's fair enough, isn't it? Sarah! Sarah, get your bonnet on. We're taking a ride. I'm going to hitch up the buggy. A ride? But the store... We'll lock it up. We've got to celebrate, Sarah. I just took in $900 cash money. Look at my biscuits. Never mind your biscuits. Get your bonnet. Yes, sir, we'll take a ride. And I think we'll head up into the Bison Range. Up near Buffalo Pass and Eagle Rock. Mighty nice country up there. Mighty nice. Well, there's no gold here. Weldon, that Indian, got it wrong. This place hasn't even been worked. I don't understand it, Jason. You sure this is the place? No, it's the exact location. We've been took, Weldon. That claim you got from Perkins isn't worth a penny. Well, I'll be... And he got $900 cash from us, boy. Go right ahead, gents. Don't stop working the count of us. Come on, get up, boys. I reckon you were so busy digging, you didn't hear us right up, eh? You find any gold, Perkins? There never was any gold here. It was all a trick. Yeah, I guess it was. I was telling Sarah about it on the way up here. But you gents shouldn't mind. After all, you ought to be used to tricks. Oh, you are. Like, he's reaching for his guns. Oh, my hand. Somebody shot my hand. Oh, Silver, what my phone? Well, I'll be the best, man. You're not hurt. The guns were shot from your hands. Just keep your hands in the air and get on your horses. Weldon. Weldon, that Indian with the masked man. He's the one who was in Tomahawk last night. Ha, ha. Not right. You's plenty smart hombre, huh? You're not so smart now, huh? Ha, ha, ha. You get on horse pronto. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure. Where are you taking us? Sheriff of Warshow County wants you, man. Tomahawk and I are taking you to his jail. But it's not legal. I protest. You can't arrest us unless we're in the county where the crime is committed. That's right, Weldon. That's why we're taking you in. Huh? What's that? That's why we picked this particular claim. The ground you're standing on is Washoe County. Now get going. Uh-huh. You go. Go. Adios. Adios. Adios, masked man. Adios, Indian. Lodge. Lodge, did you see the look on those crew's faces? Standing right in Washoe County and they never knew it. Lodge, will you stop laughing and listen? Sure, I can't stop. I reckon I'll laugh every time I think of it. Yes, sir. For a couple of smart confidence men, those gents sure got the wool pulled over their eyes when they met up with the Lone Ranger. Yes, sir. You have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
