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 come the thundering hoopbeats of the great horse Silver. The lone ranger rides again. Come on, Silver. Let's go, big fellow. I am Silver. Away! Jeremy Ward operated a freight line across the most dangerous land in the west. Many trips have been interrupted by outlaws in the badlands between Ward Station and the town of Jamesville. Several drivers have been killed. Old Hobie Martin had escaped with his life, but crippling wounds had entered his career as a driver. For the past year, Hobie had worked in the cafe each evening while he lived with Jeremy Ward and Ward's 10-year-old grandson in the combined home and office at the edge of town. A warm afternoon found old Hobie seated on the porch, telling one of his exciting stories to the wide-eyed boy. Hobie wasn't concerned with the truth. There I was. Just me against 10 killers. They knew I didn't have a six-gun. When they seen that my rifle was busted, they knew there was nothing to keep them from closing in on me. Those critters rode in from three directions. I expected to have it. Oh, it's Grandpa again. See anything of a rider heading this way, Hobie? No. That messenger should be here. I'm watching for him, Jeremy. I promise I'll let you know as soon as he shows up. You keep busting in the story Hobie's telling Grandpa. Yeah, this is four times. He ain't gonna fetch that messenger no sooner by coming out here every 10 minutes. The story's about the Lone Ranger. I want to hear the rest of it. Bobby, this messenger's a heap more important than one of Hobie's yarns. Jeremy, what makes him so all-fired important? I declare you act like a broodhead. He's coming from Virginia City, Hobie. Rodney Farnsworth is sending him. Farnsworth? Yeah, I guess that'll tell you how important he is. Ain't Farnsworth the man that's aimed to sell about a million dollars' worth of jewelry? Have you heard about that? Sure. Everyone in town has heard about him. Oh, confound it. Well, why? What's the matter, Jeremy? Why in thunder didn't Farnsworth keep it a secret? And it's true? Well, there isn't a million dollars' worth, but there's a mighty tiny fortune in jewels. Finish that story, will you, Hobie? Yeah, just a minute, Bobby. Why is he selling that stuff, Jeremy? Ain't he the richest man between here and the Gold Coast? He's going into a big railroad deal and needs all the cash he can get. Well, I expect there's people in San Francisco with the cash to buy them things. He couldn't get full value for them there. No? That's why he's shipping them to a broker. He's... You mean he's sending them jewels across the country? Yep. Oh, gone. I sure would hate to be the one that's responsible for him. I tell you... Jeremy, you don't mean that that there messenger... Are you finally savvy why I'm anxious about that messenger? Jeremy, we ain't going to handle him, are we? Why in tarnation do you think I'm in business? But the risk... Bondsworth will pay for the risk. Is that messenger to fetch the jewels? No, no, it won't be. As I understand it, he's to bring me a confidential letter. It'll tell me how the jewels will come here, when they'll come, and how I'm to send them east, and when. Oh. You keep your eye open. Let me know when you see someone coming. I'll be inside. Yeah. All right. Now then, let me see. Where was I, Bobby? Your rifle was smashed and the ten outlaws were closing in on you. Oh, yes. He was riding hard from three directions. I expected a bullet to finish me most any second. Then all of a sudden, I heard a voice ring out over them outlaws' horses. I heard someone shouting, Aye-oh, silver! Oh, golly. I look up, and here comes a white horse racing toward me like grease lightning. I never see such speed. It was the Lone Ranger, wasn't it? He comes in with a gun in each hand, spitting bullets toward them outlaws. Well, sir, it was over before he could say Jack Robinson. Half a dozen of the crooks was knocked to the ground unconscious and the rest skedaddled. And the Lone Ranger saved your life, eh, Hobie? Sure did. Golly. Oh, hey. Here comes the messenger. Hobie, he's riding a white horse. Yep, so he is. I'll tell you Grandpa he's here. Maybe it's the Lone Ranger. Oh, that's the messenger from Virginia City. Oh, I guess you're right. He isn't mad. You stay right here in the porch, Bobbie. All right. Hey, Jeremy! He's coming! Jeremy! Hey, son. Is this Jeremy Ward's place? Yes, sir. He's my grandpa. Good. What's your horse's name? That one. I call him Chief. If he was mine, I'd call him Silver. Like the Lone Ranger, eh? Do you know the Lone Ranger? Uh, I don't think there is any such man. I figure he's sort of a legend that sprung up in this country. Oh, you're wrong. Hobie's seen him. You don't say. My, my. Is, uh, Jeremy Ward inside? Yes, sir. Hobie's gone to get him. There he is now. Come in. Come on into the office. I've been waiting for you. You keep an eye on the horse, huh, son? You bet I will. Want to tie your horse? Nope. He'll stay there as long as the reins touch the ground. Sorry. Kept her waiting. All right. Golly. I wonder if silver's like this. Hello there, chief old boy. See, I won't hurt you. I just want to scratch your neck. I'd sure call you silver. Silver old boy. Now stand still, silver. I'll put the reins over your head where they belong. There. I wonder if I can get to that saddle. Steady, silver. There. There. Golly. This is a fine saddle. I owe silver. I owe silver. Away. A horse. Bobby. It's Bobby. The horse is running away. Come back. That horse is wild. Hang on, Bobby. Hang on. Don't fall. It's a runaway. Come back here. We got to get after him. Bobby, get horses. I'll get him. I'll help you. Let me follow the horse. Bobby made a brave effort to stay in the saddle. The stirrups were out of reach, but he clung to the horn of the saddle. He tried to shout, but his words were choked back for the rushing wind. Pitching wildly, swaying crazily from side to side, he managed to stay on board for several minutes. Then his fingers became numb. His frenzied grip on the horse's mane relaxed. He was pitched off to fall in a thicket beside the trail. He lay there motionless while the messenger's horse continued along the trail toward Virginia City. When Bobby regained consciousness, he heard men's voices. They were concealed from view by the dense undergrowth between the trail and the place where the boy had fallen. But the voices were distinct. And I know you'll keep the letter locked up in his safe, see? You're sure about that, huh, Baxter? Where else would Jeremy Ward lock anything up? You've got to get that letter slick. Yeah. I take all the risks. You're better at getting into a safe than I am. Yeah, don't worry. Old Hobie will be blamed. But when Ward learns that the letter's gone, he'll tell Farnsworth about it. Plans for the shipping the jewels will be changed. Uh-uh. No? There'll be cash in that safe. Take the cash as well as the letter, see? Yeah. Make a copy of the letter so we'll know when and how the jewels are to be shipped. Then put the ewers and the letter and the money under the pillow on Hobie Martin's bed. That's in the back room of Ward's place. Yeah. Then we'll wait for Hobie to show up in the cafe. He goes there every night. We start a ruckus and Hobie gets shot. Oh. Killed? Yeah. When Ward goes over his stuff, he finds the letter and the cash under the pillow. He figures that Hobie stole the cash and got the letter with it, see? Oh, yeah. Hobie being dead can't deny it. That's it. Ward will figure that Hobie's the only one that's seen the letter. There won't be any reason to change the plans. I ain't got to hand it to you, Baxter. You sure got things worked out. You might have known I had something pretty big in mind when I sent word for you to meet me, eh? Yeah, but I didn't think it was this big. Have any trouble getting here? No. Saw the gents we've been talking about, though. Jeremy Ward and the Hobie? Mm-hmm. Another man. They were riding hard. Figured they were chasing a runaway horse that passed me a little earlier. Did they see you? No, I pulled off the trail and let them pass. Well, let's shove on and look things over. We gotta figure a good time to get into Ward safe. Get up there. Get up. Come on. Dirty crook. I've got to get away from here. In a week and days, Hobie tried to stand. He clutched the bushes for support. As he gained his feet, fierce pain shot from his ankle. It was more than he could endure. Unconscious for the second time, the brave lad slumped to the ground. It was sunset when Hobie again opened his eyes. He found himself in a woodland camp near a small stream. Before he could speak, he heard the low voice of a man who sat beside him. Now, take it easy, son. You've had a bad fall. Who are you? Come over here, Tato. He's awake. You're masked. He'd take a look at head wound. Tato's nearly as good as a doctor. Oh. Him got bad bumps. Oh. Oh, that hurt, huh? I thought it was my ankle. Your ankle's badly sprained. It's not too bad. Two or three days, you'll be all right. Where am I? We found you near the trail. Did you get tossed off your horse? Yes, but where am I now? A few hundred yards from where you fell. We needed water, so we brought you here. Now I remember. You two were talking. Oh, so you heard us. We thought you were unconscious. You bet I heard you. Hold on. I know all about your plan. Oh, no, no. Now you not get up yet. You can't keep me here, you murderers. Steady, son. You see, you're not strong enough to get up yet. You. Why did you call us murderers? I heard you do planning to kill my friend and rob grandpa. Who is your grandpa? I won't tell you. What's your name? I won't tell you a thing. I'll get away from here somehow. Listen to me a minute. Why should I? Because you made a mistake. I know what I heard. You couldn't possibly have heard anything that would justify calling us murderers. From the time we found you, we've talked only about your injuries. I heard you talking before you found me. Is that wrong? It's not wrong and I'll prove it. One of you is called Slick and the other Baxter. You met on the trail from Virginia City. You didn't think I was conscious once before, did you? Slick? Baxter? Oh, we not on trail at all. We come from north. Just a minute. Those men you heard talking, Slick and Baxter, did they sound like us? I don't remember. Tell us who you are. Now listen to me, son. It's important. Unconscious game. I know. They've got to find out who this boy is. You heard what he said? Uh-huh. He heard him. Men called Slick and Baxter are planning murder. They've got to win this lad's confidence and find out who he is before it's too late to act. 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, after the messenger's horse had been captured and found riderless, there had been a long and fruitless search for Bobby. At sunset, the messenger had ridden west while Jeremy went into town to get help in the search for his nephew. He returned to the house where Hobie had been waiting. Anyone been here, Hobie? No. What'd the sheriff say, Jeremy? He's put two of his best men on the tracks of that horse. Did you tell him he'd already followed the tracks? Yep. But he said that the boy had to leave the saddle somewheres just a case of finding where and following his tracks. And I sure hope the sheriff's men can cut sign better than me did. I hope they move fast. It'll soon be dark. You going out again? No. Sheriff said I'd better stay here or his men could find me. Oh. Well, better make sure the safe is locked. And I saw you lock it after you put that letter away, Jeremy. Hey, did you open this window? Me? No, I ain't been in the office. Funny, I thought I'd shut it. That's what I thought. How soon are you going to town, Hobie? I hadn't figured on going in at all. Not with Bobby missing. You may as well go. There's nothing you can do here. But I hate to leave you here alone. I don't mind being alone. You've got your job to do. I reckon so. As darkness gathered over the Lone Ranger's camp, Hobie lay in a coma. From time to time, his lips moved. His voice was barely audible. Gotta help. The masked man leaned closer, trying to catch a word that would tell something about the boy or the plot he feared. Son, can you hear me? Maybe we take boy to town. I don't know, Tonto. He's too ill to be moved. But he and the white are trying to speak. Silver. Silver? Silver, old boy. Lone Ranger. Where's the Lone Ranger? You, sonny. How him, no? Can you hear me, son? Bobby said no more. He lay motionless and silent. The minutes dragged heavily while the masked man and Tonto watched the lad's pale face in the flickering light of a small, well-concealed fire. Presently, the eyelids moved. Tonto. Tonto, I think he's regaining consciousness. It looked that way. No, we'd only learned something about him. You gotta, gotta get help. You have help. We're here to help you, son. Can you understand what I'm saying? Who are you? Now listen to me before you try to speak. You were talking about a horse named Silver. Silver? We're not outlaws, lad. We're going to help you fight the outlaws. My horse is named Silver. Silver? You're the Lone Ranger? He's getting stronger, Tonto. Let me prove that I'm telling the truth. A horse named Silver. He's waiting. Now, who are you? My name is Bob. Bob Ward. Bob Ward? Your grandfather's Jeremy Ward. Yes. They're gonna rob him. Bobby, you overheard men talking. Remember? Yes. I remember. Now, I've got to know everything that those men said. Jeremy Ward had been pacing the floor impatiently while he waited in a slender hope that one of the sheriff's men would bring word of his grandson. He heard a horse rain up at the rear of his home. Why are they stopping in back? He waited, listening, then started toward the rear. Now, right curious. He opened the door to Hobie's room, then fell back in surprise. Hey, what's it? Mask. Bobby sent me. Bobby, where is he? What's happened to him? Tell me. What do you know about the boy? He's going to be all right. But where is he? He's in my camp. He had a bad fall. There was a slight concussion. I thought it better to keep him in camp until morning. Where's your camp? Why couldn't we find tracks? Steady, Ward. There's very little time. Hobie Martin's life is at stake. What? Look at this. Money. No, I mean this. A letter. Where did you get that money? The letter's more important. It's from Rodney Farnsworth. Here, see for yourself. Where did you get that? It was beneath a pillow on Hobie Martin's bed. No, I don't believe it. Not Hobie. Give me that letter. Now, wait. That letter was in my safe. Both the letter and the money were taken from your safe. But Hobie would... Do you know a man named Baxter? I never heard of him. Or anyone who was called Slick? No, no. I want to know about... They're the ones who stole this letter. They put it under Hobie's pillow so he'd get the blame. But in the name of mercy, who are you? I can wait. They've got to find Baxter and Slick before they murder Hobie Martin. Now, wait. That letter, don't take it. Take the money if you want, but leave the letter. I'll need the letter as well as the money. Get the sheriff and keep me in the cafe. Oh, wait a minute. Listen to me. I'll let my horse come back. I'll go out this way. But tell me who you are. What should I tell the sheriff? Wait. Come back a minute. Baxter and the man called Slick stood just outside the cafe. They glanced through the doors long enough to make sure that old Hobie was at his usual table near the rear. You saw him, didn't you, Slick? Yeah, I saw the old galoot. What's he do in the cafe? He keeps the account books and makes change. Sometimes he waits on tables when things are busy. Oh. I'll go in and start talking to him, see? We've been over this scheme. They're going over it again? So you don't make no mistake. I'll go in and start talking to him. You come along and bump into him, see? Yeah, and then you get sore about it. That's right. We start an argument. We both draw guns. You shoot out the ceiling light and I shoot Hobie Martin, see? Yeah, I know, I know. Now, come on, let's get it over with. Go on in and start talking to Martin. Yeah, the range boss told me to go on and get it over. Have you seen the range boss? Who do you think you are, anyhow? The range boss. Evening. Eh? Oh, good evening, stranger. What can I do for you? Your name's Martin, ain't it? Right. You help out at the ward station, don't you? Well, from time to time I help out. Most generally, I just live there. Why? Well, I wanted some information about freighting my goods, see? Yeah? Yeah. Hey, what's the matter with you? Can't you see where you're going? Who says I can't? Why have you got to stick your foot out and back like that? You're trying to trip me on purpose? Me? Trying to trip you? Why, you be sutted. That'll do. Don't you call me no name. Now, Chance. You shut up. As for you, I'll call you what I want. Oh, you will, huh? You heard me. You tried to trip me on purpose. That's a lie. Listen, when a man calls me a liar, he better be ready to back it with lead. Who says I ain't ready? Chance, Chance, no gunplay in here. Sit down. This is a personal matter. But you can't come... I said sit down. As for you, you side-wise clumsy... Go for that gun. I dare you to. You dare me, huh? I did? The men that don't take a dare elite crow. I'll take a dare... You son of a... Oh! A mass man. There he is. He fired them shots. All of you, keep back. This is a matter for the sheriff to handle. As for you two, stand right where you are and don't make any fast moves. You drilled my hand. Your name, Baxter? And what if it is? Then you must be the one called Slick. What's the idea? What? Jeremy Ward is bringing the sheriff. Wait, wait, who blazes you? What are you doing here? Stranger, you can't come in here with two guns blazing like that. Stick around, fella. You might be needed as a witness. Witness to what? What's the idea, anyhow? Jeremy! Yep! Yeah, here's the sheriff. Show him the coyotes. Then twitch her the thiever and polecats. These are your men, Sheriff. Slick and Baxter. Now hold on. You got nothing against me. You got nothing against either of us, see? Oh, wait, what was they doing? Jeremy, they got into a row. They were jawing at each other and fast reaching the gunsmoke stage. Then the masked man fired from the door. We didn't shoot, see? We didn't shoot, so you got nothing against us, Sheriff. That's up to Jeremy Ward. Well, I thought maybe... Jeremy Ward charges them with robbery. That's a lie. Robbery, huh? Why, you can't prove... It's an important letter and a sum of money was stolen from Ward's safe. Isn't that right, Jeremy? Yeah. I can't say we did it. What's your proof? We may find the proof in your pocket. Like funds? Stand still. I'll see for myself. Sheriff, is that downright in something way to treat strangers in town? Yeah, what is this? Where'd you get all that money? Now hold on. Now wait a minute. There's something else here. Oh, no. No! A letter. That's my letter. That's the one. Doggone double-crossing pull cast. Now wait, listen to me. Let me talk. What about you, Baxter? Did you go with him when he broke in the Ward's safe? No, I didn't. He did it all by himself. Baxter, wait. Don't say no more. Why should I keep still? I didn't have no part in what you did. You figured to pull a double-cross, huh? Figured to keep the cash... No, Baxter. Slick put the cash in the letter beneath Hobie's pillow just as you told him to. Now let me talk. I don't know nothing about this. Baxter's already said that you broke into the safe. Now hold on. I said... You were going to let Slick take all the blame when you thought he double-crossed you, Baxter. I think the sheriff has heard enough to hold both of you for trial. I sure have. This is your property, Jeremy. Thanks. Thanks, mister. But my grandson... Bobby's going to be all right. I think you can bring him home in the morning. Well, Bobby, I never seen the like of it. That masked man snapped them two shots from the door of the cafe and both of them went straight to the mark. Golly, that was sure fine shooting, wasn't it, Hobie? It sure was. Are Slick and Baxter in jail now? Sure thing. We took him there last night before the masked man brought us to where you were sleeping. You're feeling all right, Bobby? I'm all right now, Grandpa. Well, I'll sit here in the porch with you for a moment. I sure feel relieved that the Farnsworth jewels are off my mind. Off your mind? How's that, Jeremy? I didn't tell no one, Hobie, but they've been hid in the office for the past week. They have? Yep. Instead of trusting to the safe where Crooks had looked for him, I hid him beneath the floor. That's why I was all fired worried. I was fit to be tied waiting for word as to how I was to ship him east. But are they gone now? Well, sure. I sent him out according to the instructions in the letter. That letter said that the man that was to take him to Jamesville would identify himself with a silver bullet. Uh-huh. He identified himself last night after he took us to Bobby. He left here with the jewels a little while ago. Oh, golly. He's just like I thought he'd be. Now, hold on. Horse called silver. That mask. Them silver bullets. Great day. Now, I savvy. That was the Lone Ranger. Hobie, didn't you know it? Well, I, uh... I thought you knew the Lone Ranger. You told me about the time he rescued you. Oh, Thunderation. That was just a whopper I made up for you, Bobby. From now on, you can tell the stories. You can tell me about the time the Lone Ranger helped you. You have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger, Incorporated.
