feet of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty, hi-oh, silver, the Lone Ranger. Faithful Indian companion Tonto, the mask 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 and the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse, silver, the Lone Ranger rides again. Dan Reed, nephew of the Lone Ranger, had completed a year of schooling. When the term ended, he remained at school for a few days to say goodbye to his many friends and classmates. Finally, as the time drew near for him to leave, he knocked at the door of Major Hamilton's office. Come in. What? Dan Reed. Yes, sir. I'm going to be leaving in a few minutes, and I came in to say goodbye, sir. Well, I was hoping you'd remember. Thank you, sir. You know, Dan, this is the only part of my job that I don't like. What's that? Well, seeing the boys leave. I hope you're planning on coming back next year. Oh, sure. I mean, yes, sir. I like it here. Good. That's the best recommendation any school can have, being liked. I didn't do so good in some of my studies, though. History and English were all right, I guess, but mathematics was tougher. I mean, I didn't... Dan, I know exactly how you feel, because I used to feel the same way about mathematics when I was your age. Oh, did you? I hated it. And then, I think it was during my second year in a school just like this one, I learned to like the subject. Gee. The science of mathematics, Dan, is exact. Everything must be in its proper place, or you won't get the right answer. I know, but I just don't... In fact, that's a pretty good general rule for living. You can never mistake the difference between good and bad as long as everything's in its place. Then the answer's bound to be right. I guess I don't quite understand. Well, as you grow older, you'll find that there's more good than bad in the world. Very few men are wholly bad. They're just out of place. Gee. I never thought of it that way. There's a young poet back east who'll someday be known the world over. His name is Walt Whitman. He said the same thing in one sentence when he wrote, nothing out of its place is good and nothing in its place is bad. Nothing out of its place is good and nothing in its place is bad. Say, I'll remember that. Oh, tell me, Dan. Is the loan... Well, is your uncle calling for you here? No, I had a letter from him yesterday. I'm going to ride south and meet him and Tano about sundown tonight. Rising south, huh? I have another friend who... Say, how'd you like to have some company in part of your trip? Oh, fine. I don't know how far he's going, but... Wait. He's right in the next room. I'll call him. Tom, right here, Major. Dan. This is Tom Porter. Dan Reed. Hello, Dan. Hi, Tom. Tom used to be a student here several years ago. Majored in pharmacy, didn't you, Tom? That's right. But when he graduated, he decided to raise cattle instead of opening a drugstore. Gee. I'm trying to combine the two things, Major. You know the reason for my trip up here. And I'm sure you'll be successful, Tom. I wanted you and Dan to know each other because you're both riding in the same direction. In a ranch house several hundred miles to the southwest, a large, heavy-featured man paced the floor nervously. John Hoyt wasn't accustomed to waiting. It annoyed him. Slim. Yeah? It's funny we haven't heard from that gunslinger friend of yours. Are you sure you'll do the job? I've told you a million times, John. Stop worrying. Rio Carson is one hombre who never misses. And he won't miss this time. It's been over a week, and we don't know whether he's seen that... California's quite a piece from here. Rio had to ride out there, and he's got to ride back. Give him time. He might not recognize Porter. He's never seen him. Didn't I give Rio a first-class description? Besides, Tom Porter's riding the only all-white horse this side of Montana. Rio can't miss that. I hope not. The only thing to do is wait. I suppose so. Well, if we can make good use of the time, did you skin more steers and use the hides in that range over near Stratton? Red and me dragged hides over ten acres of it last night. Good. Now, if Rio Carson just keeps that pill-rolling Tom Porter away from here for another month... I'll keep him away. I'll give the odds that Rio's tracking down that critter right now. Here's a creek, Dan. We'd better stop and water the horses. Sure. Oh, oh, Victor. Oh, boy. Hey, not so fast, Victor. There's plenty of time. I say it's getting late. I've got to turn west. Where are you meeting your friends, Dan? At the foot of Peyton Ridge. It isn't far from here. I wish I was that near home. There's plenty of miles between here and Blue Bonnet, Texas. Golly, yeah. Tom, do you mind telling me what Major Hamilton meant when he said you were raising cattle instead of opening a drugstore? Oh, of course not. That was just the Major's little joke. You see, when I went to school out here, I studied pharmacy, but, well, for the last two years, I've had a little ranch down in Texas. Oh, it sounds great. It was, until the trouble started last month. Rustlers? Worse than that. Anthrax. Anthrax? Isn't that some kind of disease that cattle have? Just about the worst thing that can happen to a herd. It spreads like wildfire. Gee, what can you do? I mean, is there any way to cure it? It was nothing until about a year ago. Oh, then a Frenchman, Louis Pasteur, over in Paris, discovered a vaccine. What's that? A serum that acts as a preventive against anthrax. Golly, do you have some of it? That's where my knowledge of pharmacy comes in handy. I can make the vaccine, but in order to use it, I need syringes and other instruments. So I rode up here and borrowed them from the school laboratory. Gee, then when you get home, you can stop anthrax from spreading. That's what I hope to do. It'll help all the other ranches down there as well as myself. That's enough, boy. All right, Victor. Dan, I've sure enjoyed riding with you. If you ever come down Texas' way, drop in and see me. Thanks, I will. So long. Get up there, boy. Bye, Tom. Well, Victor, Lone Ranger and Tonto can't be far from here. We'd better... Wait a minute, there's somebody coming. Whoa, whoa, you critter. Hi. Reach. Get him high, kid. Hey, if this is a holdup, you're out of luck. I'm not carrying any money. I know what you're carrying. We'll take care of that later. But I haven't got... Shut up. Keep reaching till I see whether you're packing a shooting iron. I guess you ain't. All right, put him down. I was just trying to tell you that I... Hey, I know you. I've seen your picture. Tacked on the wall of some sheriff's office? Smart kid. You're Rio Carson, aren't you? Listen, Porter. What you know or don't know ain't gonna make any difference. Porter. That's not my name. Yeah? Yeah, they told me you were a slick hombre. Used to go to some kind of a school, didn't you? I just came from there. That's good enough for me. And lying won't help you none. Porter. You and me are gonna do some riding. You head out first. I'll follow you. Several hours later, in a trail-side camp a few miles to the west, the lone ranger listened anxiously for the sound of approaching hoof beats. There. That sounds like Tonto now. We had a quick trip. We found out about... Oh, scum, ho, fella, ho. Ho, fella, ho. Tonto, what'd you find out? Me go to school. Talked to head man there. Him say, Dan, leave early today. Right after noontime. And he should have been here long ago. Unless he's had an accident or someone has... I wonder if anyone was riding with him. Me ask that question. Man say, Dan ride away from school with a young fella named Tom Porter. Porter? Oh. I've never heard of him. Here, Silver. What'd we do, Kemosabe? I'm worried, Tonto. Dan should have met us here long ago unless something beyond his control has prevented it. That's right, sir, the big fella. Fortunately, there's a full moon tonight. The bike trail between here and the school. Go over every inch of the ground. Come on, Silver. Get him up, scum. It was shortly after sunrise on the following morning that Rio Carson called a halt. Then he forced Dan to help him prepare a well-hidden camp. We'll stow away some grub, Porter. Then I'll have to throw a hobble on your hands and feet while we get some sleep. That's all right with me, Rio. See, I hate to mention it again, but my name's not Porter. You've gone through my saddlebags and clothes, and even that won't convince you you're wrong. Yeah. I guess you threw away the medical gadgets, or you didn't bring them. What kind of gadgets do you mean? Stop lying. Hoyt told me you had to... Where's Hoyt? None of your business. You don't know him. Maybe I know more than you think, Rio. Listen. One offside move out of you, and I'll have to... Don't worry. I won't cause any trouble or try to get away. You've just made a mistake, and you don't know it. Outside of that, I like you. Hmm? Like me? Sure. I've met a lot of outlaws, and you're better than most of them. You're out of place. That's why you're an outlaw. What do you mean, out of place? Well, the difference between good and bad. If you were doing right, you'd be in place. That don't make sense. Yes, it does. Nothing out of its place is good, and nothing in its place is bad. See what I mean? No. That stuff must be book learning. I never had much of it. Well, maybe someday. Say, Rio, do you mind if I go over and look at Victor? Left-eye and shoe is loose, and I'm afraid he's picked up a stone. Oh, go ahead. As long as you don't get out of sight. Thanks. Never saw a kid worry about his caillus like you. You stopped about ten times on the trail last night to look at that shoe. Oh, just trying to be careful, that's all. Oh, hold on. Hold on. Easy, steady. Hold on. Not a single sign so far, Taro. Oh, not bad. Well, we'll backtrack again. We might as well water the horses here at the creek before we do it. Kimisabe. What is it? Look. See cross, sticks, and stone at the sight of trail. Yes. Why, it's a song. You know, that Indian sign. Sticks mean trouble. Stones mean follow trail. And then point to east. You're right, Taro. But I can't think... A long time ago, me teach Dan signs. Kimisabe. And he thinks that... So do I. We're heading east. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scout. For two days and nights, the lone ranger and Tonto followed a trail marked every five or six miles in Indian fashion, with one large and one small stone. Many times, they lost track of the markers. Then, valuable hours were lost until they found another one and regained the trail. On the morning of the third day, Tonto's keen eyes spotted a new sign. Oh, Scout. Hold on. Easy, big fella back. Look. Smoke from campfire. It's only a short distance. Silly, big fella. We'll leave the horses here. Come on. Give a bird call, Tonto. We'll tell him who's with him. Keep your gun ready, Tonto. Come on. The curtain falls on the first act of our lone ranger story. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue our story. The lone ranger and Tonto walk slowly up the heavily wooded slope surrounding Rio Carson's camp. We don't know what we're liable to run into. Might be a good idea to split up. Get him up. You're covered, both of you. Behind that tree to the left. I've had you hombre spotted ever since you left your horses. I heard the kid give you the tip-off. And you know why we're here. Sure. A masked owl hoot and a redskin. I don't know what your tie-up is with young Porter, but neither of you is going to live long enough to tell me. You'll have to show yourself. At least show your gun before there's any killing. Sure, I'll... That's what you think. Oh, you hit my gun. Now me get him. No, Tonto, wait. Listen. He's running away. Him not get far when they get... No. First, we've got to find Dan. The cat must be up ahead. Come on. Dan! Oh, God. I'm sure glad to see you. Hands and feet tied. I need to fix you now. Did you see the markers I left on the trail? That's the way we found you. Thanks, Tonto. I heard the shooting. How about Rio? Did he get away? Listen. That outlaw who shoot, him get way on horse. We trail him? Not right now. We've found Dan, and he's unhurt. That's the most important thing. Gee. Ever since this happened two days ago, Rio and I have been traveling at night and sleeping in the daytime. Who is he, Dan, and what did he want with you? It was a mistake. Oh? But now that you and Tonto have trailed me, I'm kind of glad it happened. Glad? What do you mean, Dan? It gave the real Tom Porter a chance to get home. It was mighty important, because he's found a way to keep cattle from getting anthrax. Good campfire here. We bring up horses, then fix breakfast. Not a bad idea, Tonto. We all need something to eat. I want to hear the rest of Dan's story. If it's what I think it is, we'll be heading for Texas, too. A week passed. Since his return from California, Tom Porter had worked hard to stop the spread of anthrax among his own and his neighbor's cattle. It was a difficult job, one that would have been impossible without the help and encouragement of Ruth Crane. No matter how many times I explain vaccination, how it'll stop the spread of anthrax, they think it's a scheme to poison their cattle. I know. I've talked to some of them. But they're not really to blame, Tommy. You know who's behind it. Sure. John Hoyt. The biggest rancher on the West Range. He's told all the others I'm nothing but a crack-brained fool, and they believe it. That's where I'm going now. Have you ever considered that maybe John Hoyt doesn't want to be convinced? Doesn't want to? What do you mean? None of his cows have developed anthrax. It's just luck. Might hit his herd any time. Of course. But in the meantime, John Hoyt is the only rancher in the village selling prime beef, and his prices go up every day. Where'd you get that idea? Oh, you've never met my father, Tom. I haven't seen him myself for over ten years. He travels all the time. Beef buyer for a Kansas City packing house. But he writes to me quite often. And he's mentioned things like this happening in other parts of the country. If I thought that John Hoyt would be crooked enough to... Now I know I'm going to see him. Better here, Slim. I want to talk to Rio alone. Anything you say, boss. The fact still remains you were hired for a job paid in advance in your bungalow. But hand over the money I paid for a job you didn't do... Oh, no. You're bucking the wrong dealer, Hoyt. I completed my bargain with you. I stopped a young kid on a white horse. If he was the wrong gent, it wasn't my fault. Then you won't return any thousand dollars I paid you? No. I didn't want this sneaking job in the first place. I never operate in this part of the country. I'm fading out, Prado. Nobody double-crosses me. You might stay around here for quite a while, Rio. Pulling that gun on me, huh? You dirty yellow version. Slim. Slim, come here. Yeah, boss. I've got him covered. Has the sheriff shown up yet? Sheriff? What's the idea? In case you forgot, Rio, you're a well-known outlaw with a price in your head. I'm turning you over to the law and collecting the bounty. Here he comes. Must be the sheriff now. All that dirty double-crossing frame-ups... Take one move and this gun starts blasting. So does mine. Boss. What's going on? Tom Porter. It was Rio, there. You talk too much, cowpuncher. Here, you. Give me that gun. Oh, you don't. Get away, you. What's the idea of banging that puncher on the head with this gun? Give me that gun. John Hoyt told me this afternoon that I'd find him. Evening, Sheriff. What's this? Tom Porter. Why, there's Hoyt. He's dead. Dead? Did you do this, Porter? Of course I didn't. I just wrote up a minute ago and found this man. You can see who's holding the shooting iron, Sheriff. I didn't kill John Hoyt. Then who did? I don't know. When this man here struck the punch there, I disarmed him. Mighty thin story, Sheriff. Yes, it is. I don't know who you are, but your face is familiar. Just a friend of John Hoyt's. So until I find out who did do this killing, I'm arresting you both for murder. Late the following afternoon, in a well-hidden camp not far from town, Dan Reed reported to the Lone Ranger. Meanwhile, two men had been locked in a jail cell for almost 24 hours. The strain of it was beginning to tell on young Tom Porter. Rio Carson appeared calm and unworried. Well, what are you doing now? Nothing much, kid. Just writing my name on the wall here. I always do it. Every time I'm in jail. Sort of like leaving your calling card. Yeah. Yeah. How do you like that? See? Rio Carson. Six times in a row. It's all right, I guess. You make nice big capital R's and capital C's. I'd like it a lot better if you'd tell the truth so I could get out of here. Oh, wait a minute, kid. We're both accused of the same killing. And when the sheriff walked in, you were holding the gun. Because I had to take it away from you. That's your story. Why should I stretch a rope for gunning a skunk like John Hoyt? I didn't do it. Sorry. I'm looking out for myself, kid. You've got your story and I've got mine. Here comes the sheriff. Better keep your trap shut. Rio, there's a redskin here with a note for you. Who is your letter from? A lawyer? Oh, just a friend of mine. You saw me send an answer by the same engine that brought it. Rio, I'm going to ask you once more. Won't you tell the truth? Let me ask you a question. Suppose I did confess the killing. You got out. What would you do? Do? Why, I guess I wouldn't do anything different than I have been doing. Keep on helping the ranchers fight anthrax. Maybe later on I'd get married. But a freebooting outlaw like you wouldn't be interested in that. You got a girl? The best in the world. She lives in Stratton, the next little town east of here. Yeah. I guess some of these dance hall girls are mighty pretty. Ruth's no dance hall girl. She's nice. Ruth, eh? What's her last name? Ruth Crane. There's no use talking about her. A lead-slinging gun wolf like you has never known that kind of a girl. Well, maybe not. You think she likes you? I'm sure of it. They'll all be over if a judge decides that I... I guess if you married Ruth, you'd be in your place. Wouldn't you, kid? That'd be good. In my place? What do you mean? Nothing. Just thinking. I guess the kid was right. Sometime before the wind-up, you've got to find your place. I've got an idea. If I shake this cell door and the sheriff comes back here, I can yell for water. He might open up and we could both make a run for it. I don't want to break jail. Besides, he'd shoot us down before we ever got out of here. Yeah. Come here. I want to show you something. What do you want? I hated to do it, kid. But you've got your place and I've got mine. Hey, sheriff. Sheriff. What's the trouble? The kid. He fainted or something. Maybe he needs a doctor. No, wait. I'll look at him first. Maybe all he needs... Thanks, sheriff. Opening the door. What the... Stop! I'll shoot! What are you waiting for? It was the craziest thing I ever heard of. Carson knocked me out. The sheriff was armed, so Rio didn't have a chance. Seems almost like he wanted to die. I'm sorry. Oh, Tom, I forgot to tell you. A letter came from my father this morning. Wait. Here it is. I'll read it to you. Dear Ruth, I'm glad to hear about the boy you're going to marry. If you love him, I'm sure he's all right. Sorry I can't be there for the wedding. I'm going away on a long trip. May heaven bless you, Ruth. Love from your father, Richard Crane. Gee, it's too bad he won't be here when we... Ruth, let me see that letter. Why, of course, Tom. You can read it. You say your father's name is Richard Crane? It sits right there at the bottom of the letter. Can't you see it? Yes, but I've seen that capital R and capital C someplace before. Richard Crane, Rio Carson. Both names have the same initials. What are you saying, Tom? Nothing. I guess I just realized that outlaws aren't all bad. That outlaws aren't all bad? When did you get this letter? Early this morning. An Indian brought it. An Indian? It was an Indian who Dan Reed told me about. I can't understand you, Tom. You're talking so strangely. That's the way I feel. Everything's turned out right for us, Ruth. But I can't help wondering just how much Dan Reed and the Lone Ranger knew about it. What you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated. Thank you.
