A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty house, Silver, the Lone Ranger. With his faithful 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 in the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse, Silver, the Lone Ranger rides again! Come on, Silver! Hurry, big fellow! It was late in the afternoon when Lieutenant Quincy entered the private office of his commanding officer at Fort Nelson. Lieutenant Quincy reporting, sir. Oh, yes. It is, Lieutenant. Thank you, sir. Now, you'll notice that these papers are tissue. I'll roll them into a tight, slender packet and wrap it in oil silk. Yes, sir. Now, I won't explain why these documents must reach Fort Apache quickly and secretly. But I will tell you this much. Your part of the job is to deliver them safely to a man in Clemens, Texas. He'll carry on from there. Who is the man? How'll I know him? He'll identify himself. You'll know him because he wears a black mask and rides a white stallion. Mask? You mean he's an outlaw? Oh, decidedly not. He has served the army many times in the past. You can trust him completely. Yes, sir. The only part I can't understand is why I... Why, you can't go to Fort Apache yourself? Well, yes. I mean, why can't... The reason is this. Some very powerful and unscrupulous men would give a lot to know the contents of that packet. As yet, they're unaware of its existence. Now, by changing couriers, I hope to keep it a secret. I understand. Good. Now, here are your orders. You'll travel by stagecoach. To all purposes, you're no more than an officer on leave. Just seeing the country. Yes, sir. Take the westbound stage when it stops here tomorrow morning and... Wait a minute. What's wrong, Colonel? I've sworn I heard a board creak. Someone standing outside the door. I guess I was mistaken. Well, do you understand your assignment, Lieutenant? I'm sure I do, sir. One more thing. Under no circumstances give the packets to anyone except the mask and the black mask. If an emergency arises, hide the packet or destroy it. Is that clear? You can depend on me, sir. I hope so. This is a very important job. Good luck, Lieutenant. On his ranch near Buena Vista, Pop Hendricks wasn't exactly surprised when all the horse wranglers and ranch hands demanded a showdown. It was something he'd been expecting for over a week. Well, why don't some of you varmints speak up? What's the trouble? Have you all swallowed your tongues? Shorty, you're pint-sized and bald-headed, but you're still a foreman of this crew. Start talking. Yeah, Shorty. Go ahead. You tell him, Shorty. Well, it's like this, Pop. Me and the boys have decided to quit. We can't stand this place any longer. What? You dead, blasted critters going to leave me with a horse ranch to run single-handed this time of year? You can't do it. It's treason. It's mutiny. Now, you wait a minute. You know what the trouble is just as well as we do. There hasn't been a bite of decent grub around here for almost a month ever since a Chinese cook pulled out to California. Oh, it's a grub that's riling here. Grub? Ha! Mule fodder would be a better name for the fiddles we've had to eat lately. Well, I'll admit the food ain't been exactly first-rate. Been doing all the cooking myself. Yeah, maybe the hogs could eat it. We can't. Well, so we've decided to draw our pay and light out. That's all, and that's final. Now, wait. Wait, Dad, blasted. Give me a chance to finish what I was saying. I'm as sick of eating poor grub as you are. I tried to hire a new cook. Didn't have no luck in Buena Vista, so advertise for one. Advertise? In the Missouri paper. Figured if there weren't any cooks in Texas, we'd bring one from back east. Got an answer, too. What do you mean? Right here. Letter came two days ago. I wasn't going to mention it till he got here, but seeing as you gents are on the prod, I'll read it to you. All right. It says, uh, dear Mr. Hendricks, I am applying for the job as cook on your western ranch. I've been cooking at a boarding house here in St. Joe. My specialty is Huckleberry Pie. Uh, Huckleberry Pie. P.S. Send Coach Fair, and I'll come at once. Signed R.C. Potts. Well, there. Now maybe you varmints will simmer down and wait for Mr. Potts to get here. Huckleberry Pie. Early the next morning in Red Rock Canyon near Clemens in Buena Vista, the Lone Ranger and Tonto pull their horses to a halt. Oh, sir. We'll make camp here, Tonto. Just off the main trail. We'll be able to spot the stage when it comes through this afternoon. Ah. And we'll follow it into Clemens. I want to get that message from the army lieutenant and head west as soon as possible. Message plenty important? I think so, Tonto. According to a letter I received from the colonel at Fort Mason. It's a packet containing affidavits. Ah, Tonto not savvy. Well, documents which give the names and proof of guilt of certain men who have been shipping guns and whiskey to an Indian reservation in Arizona. Oh. For that kind of proof, the commanding officer at Fort Apache can order some arrests. Oh. Tonto think as long as we near Pop Hendrick's ranch, maybe we stop and see him. No, not this time, Tonto. Although I'd like to see Pop. Our job from the army comes first. Ah. Meanwhile, in the back room of a saloon in Buena Vista, a heavyset man known as Duke Shelley waited impatiently for Mel Jetson. Hi, Duke. Glad to see you. Glad to see you. I've been cooling my heels in this place ever since your telegram got here. Where have you been? Listen, for the past two days and nights, I've been sweating leather all the way from Fort Mason. What are you beefing about? All right, all right. What'd you find out? Plenty. I don't know how they did it, but the army must have been checking up on you. And those wagons that head for Fort Apache every month carrying flour and bacon on top with whiskey and guns underneath. Yeah, they can't prove it. Yeah, don't be too sure. An army lieutenant is on a stagecoach heading this way right now. He's carrying papers that can put both of us behind bars for life, if we're lucky. How do you know? Heard it with my own ears at Fort Mason. What's more, he's going to hand those papers to a gent in Clemens who will take them on to Fort Apache. Yeah. Who's he? I don't know. Some jasper wears a mask. Huh. Guess the army must be using owl hoots now. An army lieutenant coming in on the stage. No reason why we can't meet him in Red Rock Canyon before he reaches Clemens. Yeah, that's what I figured. He'll be so anxious to meet somebody wearing a mask. I ain't got a couple of bandanas. Good. My saddle horse is outside. Let's get a move on. Lieutenant Quincy had met several ladies in his life. But the stagecoach ride from Fort Mason to Clemens offered his first encounter with a poetess. She was a blonde and far from slender. In fact, her generous bulk completely filled one seat of the coach. A tiny pink parasol which she twirled constantly was as confusing as her poetry. Some like the north. Some like the south. Some say east is best. But I like the open spaces. The free, untrampled west. Isn't that beautiful, Lieutenant? I wrote it myself. Is that so? There are lots more verses. The second one goes like this. Oh, give me the tangy scent of the Zane. Oh, pardon me. I noticed the side curtain there isn't doing a very good job of keeping the sun out of your eyes. If you'll allow me to hold your parasol, I'll shield you. Oh, thank you, Lieutenant. Here. But be careful. The handle's loose. It keeps coming off. I can manage. There. Now, how's that? Well, it keeps the sun out. But if you hold it that way, you're turning your back to me. Don't you want to hear the other verses of my poetry? Maybe later. After the sun's gone down. You're only riding as far as Clemens, aren't you? I wonder what time we'll get there. Before dark. Oh, you. Hold it. Oh. Here. Right here at the bottom of this grade ought to be a good spot to waylay it. Sure. Plenty of room and a side trail for our getaway. What time is it? It must be almost two o'clock. Then the stage is due to top that rise any minute now. Steady there. You ground hitch the nags over there. Yeah. Say, wait a minute. Give me one of those bandanas. Didn't you say the lieutenant expects to meet somebody wearing a mask? Yeah, yeah. Well, put one on yourself. Don't forget to keep your gun handy. Sometimes these army hombres get nervous and start to sling lead. Lead them. Two to one ain't bad odds, Duke. Steady, Silver. How about it, Tonto? That is out of the coach. Well, me not think. Now, me see it now. Clouded us plenty far off. Good. We'll ride this upper trail in that direction for a while and drop down and follow the coach. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scout. Oh, kind Lieutenant. It must be very awkward holding the parasol that way. Not at all. I'd much rather do this than listen to you. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Oh, why are we stopping here? There isn't even a town. Maybe the driver's just resting the horses. All right, folks. Keep quiet and you won't get hurt. Oh, mask bandits. It's a hold up. What the... I'd better be... That's right, lady. This ain't no ordinary hold up. Mel, you got that driver coming? Yeah, and you'll stay that way. Good. Get the dirt, Lieutenant. You're the one I want to see. Now, listen. You can't get away with... Get your hand away from that gun. Get a lady of your umbrella and climb out. You picked a bad time for money. Army payday isn't until next week. Money's not what I want and you know it. You're carrying a small packet. Hand it over. I... I don't know what you mean. Quit stalling. Hand it over. You made a mistake. I'm not carrying a packet of any kind. I'm going to count ten. And if you don't hand it over before I finish, I'll be searching a dead soldier. Oh! One. Two. Three. They just stopped. Ah! No reason for it to... It's a hold up. Ah! Buster, silver, custer! Let's go! Eight. Nine. How about it, soldier? If you want to kill me to get something I haven't got, go ahead. Let's just... Look! Hey, what the... A couple of... Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! As the Lone Ranger and Tonto dismounted, advanced toward the outlaws with their guns blazing, they realized that Lieutenant Quincy's life was in even greater danger than had been a moment before. Watch your fire, Tonto. Using the Lieutenant as a shield. Now, let me see that. Oh! Oh! You're hit. No, me not. Not too. I need you to rest there. Hey, this boy. Stay behind the soldier. We can run for it now. Get to the horses. See the mass armory is stopped by his engine farm. Outlaws and more outlaws. I'm getting out of here. Get up, you, Kennedy! They're going to the stage. Now, there's a chance to run for the horses. Come on! Now, wait a minute. I'm going to make sure that I'm... Here, Tonto. There you go. Easy. Oh, that'll be all right, Tino Soppy. Oh, look, just Gray's head. That's one thing to be thankful for. I thought for a minute you were hurt bad. Where, Crook? Then get away. That's all right. The important thing is you and that soldier over there. I'm afraid he's shot in the back. Lieutenant, easy. Man who wears the black mask. You must be the one... Yes, I was supposed to meet you in Claremont's. I tried to make it sooner, but it wasn't soon enough. I... Who were those men who held you up? Do you know? Never saw them before. Somehow they must have found out about the package you're carrying. They didn't get it, did they? No. No, but it's gone. Gone? What do you mean, Lieutenant? When they stopped the stage, I... I... Tino Soppy. He's dead, Tonto. Plenty bad. Yes. But take the body into Clemens. I'll send a telegram to his colonel at Fort Mason. Ah. Crook kill him to get papers to him carry? That must have been the reason. But I'm sure they didn't find them. And I... Oh, wait a minute. There's nothing in these pockets. If Crook not get them, where'd they go? Evidently, he hid them in the coat somewhere. They've got to find and deliver that packet, Tonto. Now it's more important than ever. The way Sam Becker's popping leather, I'll bet he didn't even stop in Clemens. You figure Mr. Potts, the cook, will be on this stage? Sure he will. Unless he took the coach fare I sent him and bamboos. Oh, boy. Oh, boy. Well, you trying to win a race with yourself? Where's the sheriff? Well, like as not, he's playing checkers over in Paxton's store. Why? Anything wrong? Just a hold-up, that's all. Hold-up? Where? Other side of Clemens. Two hombres with bandanas over their faces. Then two other varmints rode up. One of them masked and the other a redskin. Well, I'll be... More lead flying than I ever saw before. They killed one of my passengers. Young soldier. Shot him down in cold blood. Come on, let's tell the sheriff. Yeah. God gone. How do you like that, Pop? You send for a cook and before he gets here, some old hoots shoot him. He didn't say anything about a cook being shot. Said it was a soldier. I wonder if one of you gentlemen can tell me where I can find Mr. Herschel Hendricks. Hendricks? Why, Pop, here's my... That's my handle, ma'am. What can I do for you? Well, you advertised in the paper for a cook. Sure I did. And a gent named Potts wrote me that he was taking the job. But he never showed up. Oh, you're mistaken, Mr. Hendricks. My name is Potts. Well, how do you... Your... Oh, no, no. The letter I got was signed by R.C. Potts. That's my name. Rosebud Clarabelle Potts. Rosebud Clarabelle Potts. Oh, no. Are you really a cook, ma'am? The one that specializes in huckleberry pie? Yes, of course. Oh, I just love the West. I'm so glad I came. Well, I'm not. Miss Rosebud Potts, you'd better figure on catching the next stage back to Missouri. There's never been a female set foot in my ranch. Maybe you're forgetting, Pop. Me and the boys want grub. Good grub. Yeah, like huckleberry pie. I... Pardon? Oh, well, all right, Rosebud. Long as you're here, you might as well come out to the ranch and start to work. Oh, thank you, Mr. Hendricks. Bathed in romantic mystery, the wild plains roll away. A cowboy takes me by the hand and whispers, sweetheart, stay. Oh, what in the tarnation of you... Isn't it beautiful? I made it up myself just now. A cowboy takes me by the hand. Oh, Mr. Hendricks. You shut up, you bald-headed little runt. Oh, dear. Did I say something wrong? And I sure hope you can cook. Come on, we'll ride the buckboard. Returning to their camp that night, the Lone Ranger and Tonto were still baffled by the disappearance of the papers Lieutenant Quincy had carried before he was killed. Oh, hold on. Easy. Easy now. I can't understand it, Tonto. The manager of the stage line, Buena Vista, let you search the coach, didn't he? Ah, and he looked plenty good. Not find anything in coach. Lieutenant Quincy must have realized what those men wanted. When he was held up, he got rid of the papers some way. How and where? Ah. There was another passenger, a woman. But he wouldn't have given anything that valuable to her. Well, me ask questions in Buena Vista. Find out woman who ride in coach, she knew cook at Pop Hendrick's ranch. Is that so? We'll head over there tomorrow, Tonto, and talk to her. I'm sure if we can locate that packet, the names it contains will give us a lead to the men who did this shooting. Well, Duke, what do we do now? Huh. A couple of freebootin' owl who torn in and grab what we're looking for. Yeah, I don't think so. What do you mean? If that lieutenant was carrying anything, they got it. Didn't we just finish sneaking in that barn, going over that stagecoach with a fine tooth comb? Yeah, but the whole thing don't make sense. Why would a masked hombre be carrying papers for the army in the first place? I told you what I heard the colonel say back in Fort Mason. The soldier had no way of knowing that it... Wait. Gone loco. There was a woman riding with him. A fat woman. Sure, but that don't mean nothing. She went out to Pop Hendrick's place. She's a cook. We'll wait till all of old man Hendrick's punchers are working tomorrow. And then we'll have a little talk with his new cook. Fortunately, Rosebud was wholly unaware of the part she played in the plans of Duke Shelley and Mel Jetson. Long before daybreak on the following morning, she'd been busy in the cookhouse of Pop Hendrick's ranch. Pop discovered every man who worked for him waiting impatiently a short distance away. What are you warties doing around here? Is breakfast ready yet? Well, Rosebud said she'd let us know when it was on the table. Made us wait over here. Wait? You mean to say a full-grown bunch of galoots like you let a female tell you what to do? Oh, get away from what's coming out of that cookhouse, Pop. She can give all the orders she likes. Wait, wait, wait a minute. It does smell kind of good. What do you think if she's cooking? Ham and eggs. Flap jacks. And fried potatoes with onions. And huckleberry pie. Pie for breakfast is my idea, a real grub. Pie. Come on, Shorty. Let's see how soon the grub will be ready. Morning, Rosebud. Good morning, Mr. Hendrick. Breakfast is almost ready. Good. The boys are standing over there in front of the bunkhouse sort of champing at the bit. So me and Shorty thought... I hope you'll like my cooking. I've made huckleberry pie and... That's all I want to know. Where's the dinner been? Oh, here it is. I'll go outside now and ring it. You won't have to ring any bell, Rosebud, because... Hey, wait a minute. Oh, dear. Am I doing something wrong? Don't ever stand in front of an open door when you ring a dinner bell. Them hungry hyenas over there are just like a passel of stampeding cattle. Here, Shorty. You ring it. Sure, let me have it. You better stand over here with me, Rosebud. Out of the way. Grub, grub! Come on, grub! Oh, dear me. What was that? Same thing I was warning you about. You see, there's... Why, Mr. Hendricks, what a lovely blue denim rug you have here in front of the door. Huh? It's strange I didn't notice that there. Oh, shucks. That ain't no rug. That's Shorty. He got pushed plumb flat. Here, get up, Shorty, and try that huckleberry pie. Oh, dear. Oh, they... They were too fast for me. Well, I mean, what... Right in there. Pitch in with the rest of them. Yeah. Oh, Mr. Hendricks, I do hope they'll like my cooking and that you'll like me, too. Oh, I love the West. I want to stay here forever. Well, uh... I... If the sounds they're making inside this cook shack are any sign, you've got a job for life. As cook. It was almost noon, and Rosebud was alone in the cookhouse when she heard the door open and close quickly. Is that you, Mr. Hendricks? I didn't think that... Oh. Take it easy now. Don't squeal, and you won't get hurt. You. Oh, you're the same man who... Take a look out the window, Mel. Anybody around? Uh, who's out working, and the old man must be up at the house. Good. Plenty of time for it. What do you want? That package the soldier gave you in the stagecoach. Where is it? I... I don't know what you mean. And if you come any closer, I... No need to reach me for that pink umbrella. It won't stop Lynn. Maybe not. But I won't let outlaws and murderers come in here and... Oh! Hey, grab her, Mel! I'll fix you. She's bringing that umbrella like... All right, I... Hey, what in car? Here they are, Tonto. Hey, men, well, let's take it. Dude, it's a master and an injured... Hey, what the... Oh, my arm! Got a slug right in my arm! You! Drop that gun or I'll let you do it. No, don't shoot anymore. You learn not to insult a woman, you... That's it, Rosebud! Give the varmint another crack with that umbers hole! Oh, that slug broke my arm! You're lucky. Get some rope, Tonto. Buy both of them up. Uh-huh. Say, who are these varmints anyway? What were they doing here, Rosebud? Oh, there's the man who held up the stagecoach yesterday. They murdered a lieutenant. And now they've... They've made me break my parasol. Yes, and evidently they didn't... Oh, wait a minute. Yeah, well... What's that? Came out of the broken handle of Rosebud's parasol. Oh, the lieutenant must have put it there before the outlaw killed him. Yes, and it's... Yes, I'm sure of it. Well, sure of what? The names of these men. Duke Shelley and Mel Jetson. They've been smuggling guns and whiskey into an Arizona Indian reservation. You. Isn't that the truth? You can't prove it. I don't think the army will have any trouble proving it. Pop, ask the sheriff to hold these men until he hears from Fort Apache, will you? Sure. Come on, Tonto. We've still got a long ride to make. Oh, wait. I can't figure out how... Well, I'll be... Hey, Pop! What's all the shooting for? And who's the master in the Indian I just saw leaving here? Well, it's a long story, Shorty. Hmm? Miley Long. All about the best cook in Texas. And a pink umbersole. Get him up. All you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
