for the speed of life, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-oh silver, the Lone Ranger. Sat tensely on their horses, concealed by the sage rice which fringed the mountain trail. Between their low-pulled hat brims and the handkerchief which disguised their faces, their eyes glittered with anticipation as they watched a stagecoach racing toward them along the winding path. Then they slid their six guns from their holsters and primed them for sudden death. Won't be long now, Blackie. Not the way Pop Collier's driving them horses. You'd think the old coot would have more sense than to run a six-in-hand through the mountains at that speed. He'd be liable to break his neck. Yeah, I wish he would. Then it'd be a cinch to take the gold. But that hombre's traveled this trail too long. He knows every bend, rock, and hump in it. Not this trip, Blackie. You're right, Colt. This time he's due for a surprise. If them boulders we blast on the trail don't stop him, why, nothing will. They'll stop him. That ornery old maverick's given us a slip once too often. But with the road blocked, he can't get away. I don't know. There's still some space between the edge of the trail and that tree. Don't be a fool. That gap's too small for the stage. If he tries to squeeze through that, he'll crash for sure. We'll soon know. Here he comes. Come on. We'll cut in on him from behind. Get up there. Get up, boy. Hey, Colt. The stage ain't stopping. It's heading for that gap. The old fool, he'll never make it. Rain up. He's gonna crash. Oh, boy. Oh, there. Some sights in my time, Blackie, but never wanted to beat that. Yeah. Oh, the old man sure had plenty of nerve. Suppose he's still alive? He is. He must be made of iron. Come on. Let's get the gold. Get up, boy. Come on. Get on him. Boom. My hand. He drilled me. The old cuss. He's got more lives than a cat. He's barricaded behind the stage, Blackie. We haven't got a chance. Yeah, doggone him. He ain't keeping the gold from us this time. Come on. Let's clear out of here. Get up, boy. Come on. Ben Mallory, district superintendent of the Overland Express stage line, sat behind his office desk and shrewdly surveyed the two youths who stood before him. They were Paul and Tad Collier, the veteran driver's sons. So you think he can handle a six in hand, huh? Yes, sir. We know he can. Kind of young, ain't you? Takes plenty of muscle and a cool head to handle an Overland stage. Them horses have a mind of their own, you know. There's no telling who'll be waiting on the trail to waylaid. I can handle the horses, Mr. Mallory. Paul taught me how to drive. No highwayman better step in front of the stage I am guarding because Paul taught me how to shoot. Your pa was one of the best stage drivers the Overland ever had. He was the best dad, a man of the head, too. Pop Collier could be alive today if he wanted to. All he had to do when he saw the road was blocked was to stop and surrender the gold. Paul always said he'd die sooner than surrender to outlaws any freight he was toting. Your pa was a man of his word, son. It was a crash that killed him and he tried to escape them by risking a run between the boulders and a tree. When we got to him, he was still alive, sitting guard over a case of gold with a six-gun in his hand. He went down fighting, didn't he, Mr. Mallory? He sure did, son. Told me he nicked one of the crooks in the hand and hurt the other one called Blackie. Well, someday we'll catch up with them coyotes. And when we do... That's one reason why Paul and me want to share the driver's seat of one of your stagecoaches, Mr. Mallory. Maybe we'll meet up with... Pa's killers. Mm-hmm. I see. You can depend on us, and I always hope we carry on where he left off. How does your ma feel about it? She's all for it. She... She was mighty proud of Pa. Oh, I don't wonder. Handling an overland stage is a big responsibility, kids. You carry a lot of valuable cargo. Sometimes gold, sometimes silver. And along the worst stretch of wilderness that ever invited highwaymen. We'll be ready for them. In wet weather, the trail is slippery in most places and downright dangerous in some. And the streams you have to afford are flooded. We know the risks. And whatever happens, you can't stop. You keep going. Day and night, rain or heat, outlaws or Indians, the stage must get through. Our stage will get through. You better will. Just give us the chance. It's heart-breaking, back-breaking work, lads. But there's one feeling you'll never forget. That's when you make your first run and know the lonesomeness and the troubles of the trail. And then watch them sick, struggling, straining horses, pulling to Sutter's Mill where you'll turn over your reins to the next man. Ah, you feel you've done something. And by heaven, you will have. Then you will give Ted and me a chance. You'll get the chance, lads. Report to me Monday. We'll be here, won't we, Paul? You won't be sorry, Mr. Mallory. We're going to be the best driver and guard the Overland ever had in these parts. If you're half as good as your par, you'll be plenty good enough for me. Can you handle them, Paul? Can you control them horses clear into town? I'm sure I can. Am I almost ready to drive a stage by myself, Pete? It's most ready. Well, I should smile. You handle them critters most as good as your par. How about me, Pete? Am I good enough now to be a guard? Well, you show me, Ted. All right. Wait a minute now. There. See that rattler over there? Yeah. Well, don't, don't, if you didn't drill them clean as a whistle. A few days after Paul and Tad Collier began a regular run with the Overland stage as full-fledged driver and guard, a boy astride an all-white coat sought shelter from a hard-driving rain. He was Dan Reed, nephew of the Lone Ranger. There's the light in those woods up ahead, Victor. Must be coming from a cabin. Maybe we'll find shelter there till the storm blows over. Kind of a funny place for anybody to live, though. Getting away in the trees like that. Unless outlaws are hiding out there. Well, I guess there's only one way to find out. Come on, Victor, boy. Come on, get up there. Oh, Victor, rain up there, boy. Oh, oh. We're pretty close to the cabin. Reckon I'd better investigate on foot before we... That's funny. We're standing in front of the cabin, completely saddled. Yeah, quiet, boy. We don't want to be seen just yet. Well, there's a window open. Let's see what sort they are. I tell you, Blackie, this time we can't miss. Yeah, that's what you said the last time we waylaid the stage. We didn't get the gold. This is different. Pop Collier ain't handling the run now, just his kids. They ought to make it a cinch for us to grab the freight. Well, guess again. I heard one of them kids is a dead shot. You ain't heard my plan. I'm listening. And Paul and Ted Collier will be making the run from Sutter's Mill to Rocky Point this afternoon. With a cargo consistent wholly of gold. Colt, we can't tackle that stage. Why not? Because a full cargo of gold is too heavy for us. We need more men to carry it off. And I'm not trusting more than just the two of us. That's where my plan comes in, Blackie. What do you mean? I figured I'd make the kids freight that gold where we wanted to go. Huh. Just for the asking, huh? Or do you figure it out, got them? Neither. I figured out smart them. How? Kids' ma lives in Rocky Point. They're mighty fond of the old lady. Reckon they'd do most anything to prevent anything from happening to her. You mean, kidnap the old lady? Why not? We can make the kids drive us and the gold wherever we want to go. Yeah. Maybe you got something after all. It's as tight as a drum, I tell you. We'll make a fortune out of that hall. Hey, wait a minute. What happens after? When the kids and them all return to town? They'll set the law on us. Who said anything about their returning to town? Yeah. That's the ticket. We've already got a noose waiting for us for Pop Collier's death. So why not take care of the whole family? They can't hang us more than once. They'll have to catch us first, Blackie. Bend an ear. Oh, I've got to move out of here fast. Steady, boy. Come on, Victor. We've got to get to the Lone Ranger. Come on, boy. Get up. Sometime later, the Lone Ranger and Tonto camped in an arroyo a few miles from Sutter's Mill to listen to the staccato beat of approaching hoops. Someone's in a mighty big hurry, Tonto. Ah. Maybe him have trouble. Need help? Perhaps. Whatever it is, it must be important or he wouldn't race his horse in the slippery mud. Oh, rainy, but plenty dangerous. Make mist, too. Can't see. No, I... I wonder. What do you think? Dan's been gone a long time, Kimo Sabe. Might be. Come on, Victor! It is Dan. Ah. Maybe him find trouble. In a plenty big hurry. Ho, Victor. Ho, boy. Ho. What is it, Dan? What's happened? Nothing yet. But something will unless we get to Rocky Point before the outlaws do. What outlaws? The man who laid the boulder trap for the stage driver who was killed. Pop Collier? Yeah, that's the one. I heard them talking about it in the cabin in the woods. They're going to kidnap Miss Collier. Are you sure? Yes, sir. Then they'll be able to hold up the stagecoach driven by her sons and make them surrender the gold in order to save her life. Oh, crooks got plenty smart skiing. Battle of the horses, Tonto. We'll have to ride fast to overtake the outlaws before they reach Rocky Point. Uh-huh. We ride like wind. Crooks between us and town. Them got plenty big stars. It helped me break camp, Dan. You bet. Oh, golly. I hope we can save Mrs. Collier. The outlaws plan to kill her later. And her sons, too. Let's hope the old lady's home. Come on. Lucky she lives on the edge of town. We can sneak her back to the cabin without being seen. Yeah. Nobody'd think you're looking for under the hay in that wagon we stole. Button up. Here's the door. I'll knock. Hey, wait a minute. Where's the glove you wear on that hand? Huh? Oh, guess I must have forgotten. Put it in my pocket. Someday you'll forget once too often, Colt, and find a noose around your neck. It ain't that dangerous. No. Oh, everybody knows Pop Collier nicked a hand of one of the men who trapped him. And if they ever get a gander at that hand of yours with two fingers, Mrs. Yeah, nobody can tell when I wear this glove. Mrs. And fingers are stuffed with cotton. Then why don't you wear it? I'm wearing it now, ain't I? Cut the gab we got a job to do. Yes? What can I do for you? Uh, we'd like to speak with you a minute, ma'am. Well, Glory B, go ahead. When tarnation's stopping you? Well, you don't say, of you. But we got to say is best set inside. Yeah. You see, we got a message for you from your sons. Paul and Ted? Why, they're in Sutter's Mill getting ready for the run to Rocky Point. Well, we know it. We left Sutter's Mill ourselves this morning so as we could deliver the message before the stage arrives. Well, what is it? Land's sake, speak up. Cat got your tongues? Well, if we could just step inside. Oh, all right, all right. Come on in. Glory B. Blackie, never saw so much fuss made over a message in all my born days. Close the door, Blackie. Blackie? That's the name of one of the men who murdered my husband. You don't say. There, there were two of them, just like there are two of you. Maybe we're the same two, ma'am. Then you are the killers. I can see it in your eyes. Here, let me go. No, you don't. No, I'll... A little quieter till we're ready to silence her for keeps. 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 to continue our story. It was some time later when the Lone Ranger, Tonto, and Dan reined in their mounds and raced up the path to Mrs. Collier's house. I hope we got here before the outlaws. No one, man, sir. Yeah, we'll try the door. It's unlocked. Come on. Mrs. Collier. Mrs. Collier. Are you home? Gosh, she doesn't answer. Disposed, maybe we're... Oh, you look here. Signs of a struggle. Golly, will you look at this. What is it, Dan? A man's glove. Hey, two of the fingers are stuffed with cotton. That's plenty strange. Pop Collier told the sheriff he shot one of the outlaws in the hand. It looks as if you were right about the two you overheard being the killers, Dan. Ah, that explained missing fingers. Can you find your way back to that cabin? I'm sure I can. Good. Come on. What me do? You're going with Dan, Kimo Sabe. Unless I'm greatly mistaken, you'll find Mrs. Collier in the outlaws' hideout. Aren't you coming with us? Pretty big fella. No, no, Dan. I'll ride ahead and intercept the stage. That way we're bound to meet up with the killers. That's right. We'll join forces later. Adios. Come on, Silver. Get them out. Come on, Victor. Come on, Silver. Hooray. Two men crouched on the bar of a tree which overhung the mountain pass. Through the leafy branches which concealed them, they watched the approach of the overland stage. Ready, Blackie? Yeah. We'll jump when it passes directly underneath us. You take care of Ted and I'll handle Paul. Here it comes. Outlaws. I'll get a ball. Whoa, there. Whoa. Pull a ball. Whoa. Reach around, Drillian. You low-down crooks. He knocked the gun out of my hand, Colt. Grab it. I got it, Blackie. No, you haven't. I've got them covered, Paul. Hey. Did you hear what this one is called? Blackie. It's the name of one of the outlaws who killed Paul. That's not all. Take a look at the other one's hand. Remember, Paul said he nicked one of them there. We've met up with them already. The men who killed him. The yellow-livered skunks. I don't mind to drill them right now. Yeah, not so fast, kid. First, you better listen to what we've got to say. Anything you have to say, you can say to the sheriff. We're taking you to a hang noose. Yeah, do that, and you'll never see your ma again. What do you mean? Tell them, Colt. Your ma's a prisoner, kid. Tied and gagged where you'll never find her. Why are you dirty? She ain't been harmed. She won't be, providing you do what we say. Don't, and she'll die of starvation and thirst. What do you want us to do? Drive the stage where we tell you to. And no tricks. They mean to take the gold from us, Ted. Oh, that's right smart of you. Now pick up them reins and start moving. Branch off the trail at the slope. We're heading south. Yeah, me and Blackie are signing on as passengers. Play along with us, kid, and you'll be able to take your ma home with you. Live and well. Might even give you some of the gold to boot. You snakes. You won't get away with this. We'll be the judge of that. You two just follow orders. The order is, shut up and drive. Get up there. Get up there. Ready, boys, steady. Ho, ho. Wagon tracks going off the road. Looks like the outlaws got to the stage before we did, big fella. Come on, Silver. We're heading south. Miles more in this direction, kid. Then we'll turn. Is that where you're holding, Ma? Yeah, you'll find out about your ma after you've taken us where we want to go. Just keep driving. It's risky business driving the stage through this country. It's nothing but wilderness, tangles, sagebrush, and poisonous water. Another county heard from. Ted's right. It's dangerous for the horses. If one of them falls and breaks a leg, we'll be marooned without food or anything. Keep driving and shut up. Use that whip a little. Get these horses moving. I reckon you two don't know this country very well. If you did, you wouldn't risk overtaxing the horses. We'll overtax them. Yeah, give me that whip. Get some speed out of these coyuses if it kills them. Say if you don't stop whipping those horses. Shut up, kid. You're forgetting what might happen to your ma. You fool. If anything happens to those horses, we'll be trapped in this wilderness. Won't that be too bad? Lay on the whip, lackey. Hey, who's that coming? He's beating you two. It's your own game. Don't be so flippant, Ted. If we don't get this gold back to camp, you and your brother will be the ones who suffer. Give him the reins, Blackie. We'll drill the masked man while the stage keeps going. That's what you want? He blasted me. Shot my gun away. Pull up those horses. Whoa, whoa, horses. Whoa, pull up there. Whoa. Keep your hands up, all of you. Now, see here, stranger. This is a stick-up. Try here. Why have you left the trail? Well, I like it. He's a hold-up man. Get him. Not so fast. Now, shoot. Oh, my arm. Want some more gunplay? Hold on. Up your gun. I will. Don't shoot again. Oh, my arm's busted. Put that stage back on the trail. For a masked man? You'd go a long way to save the life of your mother, wouldn't you, Collier? What? You know? Yes. Is Ma all right? Where is she? If you want to see her again, you better turn on this mask opera and listen to us. Maybe you don't savvy the situation, stranger. How much do you know? I know these men kidnapped your mother in the hope you'd take the gold on this stage where they wanted you to. Oh, yeah. It happened that their hideout is known. Then Ma's safe? My friends have gone to get her. Yeah? Being as you're so smart, maybe you can guess where the old woman is. Someone's been hit. Your friends will tell you that she ain't where you think she is. We'll see about that when you two are landed in jail. I'll drive ahead. I'll ride alongside. Mister, if something happens to Ma because of this... Get going. Me and Ted will get you. Get along there. Come on. Get up. Get up there. As the stage, with the masked man riding alongside, drew near the town, Dan Reed approached, riding hard. Right up, Collier! Whoa, whoa, whoa. Donald sent me to meet you. What is it, Dan? We went to the cabin. Yes, he... There was no one there. Wait, not so loud. Yeah, you hear that? They didn't find you, Ma. Get your hands up. Cover him, Ted. I got him. Now you with a mask. You've done enough. We're going back where we came from. Ma's worth more than all the gold a dozen stages could tote. We're doing what these two told us to do. Oh, Ted, you won't find your mother that way. Can't you understand that when these crooks have what they want, they'll kill her? They won't let her live, just we're out of war for them. Oh, sure we will, Collier. We'll clear out of these parts. They won't risk their necks. Make them prove your mother's alive right now. Perhaps they've already killed her. Well, if that's the case... We know she won't live if we don't play along, Paul. Yeah, that's right. You start riding, mister, and take that kid along with you. We're playing this our own way. Get up there. We're leaving. Keep it your cover, mister. Make a move to follow us and it'll be your last. Let them go, then. Oh, golly, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did. Where's Tonto? He said he'd try to find a trail. Try to find where they took the lady. He started from the outlaws place? No. He headed for the Collier house. He said he'd start from there. I see. All right. Come on. Follow me, Dan. Come on, Silver. Oh, Silver, oh, Mark. Whoa, whoa. Easy. Tonto, are you having any success? Oh, it's slow work. Rain wash out tracks. Maybe take long time to follow trail. Where's Dan? He's coming. I wrote ahead. We can't risk the life of that woman. They've got to find her as soon as possible. The longer it takes, the harder it'll be to get those crooks. A fella take woman in wagon. Wagon got four horses. Plenty heavy. Four horses? Ah. Hideout all cleaned out. Everything gone. They mean to leave this part of the country. They loaded all their supplies in the wagon. They'll have that wagon waiting to carry the gold they plan to steal. That means that... Tonto. Never mind following that trail. Huh? We not go after woman? I think I know of a shortcut. Come on. All right. We'll be damned. Come on, Silver. Get him out of his car. How much farther do you want us to go? Just keep going. We'll tell you when you're there. Blackie, if you and Colt are figuring on a double... Oh, dry up. I ain't in the mood to listen. Yeah, you needn't complain, Colt. I'm the critter with a bullet in my arm. What's that shack ahead of us? That's where we're heading. That where Ma is? Yeah. There's one more job for you. You'll switch your cargo to our wagon, then we'll leave you. Drive her on to the rear. Our wagon's waiting there. Oh, no, boys. Hold steady. Where is she? Move the gold over first. We don't do a thing till you show us that Ma is all right. Yeah, hold on, then. Let me get out of the state. Ma is tied up. She's under the straw in that wagon of ours. You left her there? Why, you do... Let me get there. She's been hurt. We'll have a showdown right now. That's a fast, kid. Remember, we still got guns on you. I'll help you, Paul. Yeah. Ma. Here, get that gag out of her mouth. I'll cut the ropes. Ma, are you all right? Oh, son, thank goodness you came. I'm all right. Now then, move that gold and hurry it up. Son, don't do it. Don't touch it. The crooks, they won't let us live anyway. We can tell too much about them. They said they'd let us go. We said we'd return your ma. All right, we've done so. That squares it. Why are you... Paul. Coyote. Oh, you're hurt bad. No. That's just a start. Now, hop fast and we'll do some practice shooting. Oh, Blackie. Who fired that shot? Over there. Look. Come on, Sylvia. Why, it's a mass man, the white horse. And an Indian. Where'd he come from? How'd he find out... Stop that gun, Colt. How many of you get the same as Blackie? Don't shoot. I'll take him. Good work, Paul. I'll get Blackie. No, wait, wait. I'm helping. And stand still, you snake. Oh, Sylvia. Oh, boy. Oh, boy. Easy. Is she all right? Yes, but she wouldn't have been if you hadn't shown up. Can you take charge of them? If we have now, the both of them will hang. And Paul will be avenged after all. You bet he will, Ted. Stay with him, Tonto. I'll go back and meet Dan. Paul will be avenged, and so will the Overland Express. All right, big fella. Come on, Sylvia. I am Sylvia. All right. You have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
