feet of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-ho silver, the Lone Ranger. His faithful Indian companion Tonto, the mask rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. His daring and his 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, from the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver, the Lone Ranger rides again. The darkness was broken only by the vague light of a new moon. The small house on the Derrick ranch was barely visible to the two men who left their horses at Ground Hitch while they made a stealthy advance. Now if we can just get by that dog. I don't know why Ross Derrick keeps such a murdering critter. You don't know? I'll tell you why he keeps it, Abe. He's an account of gents like us. Where do you reckon the dog's at? I don't know. He's a plenty smart dog, Jake. Yeah, I know. If it wasn't for that dog, we'd have a cinch. There he is. Come on, get to the horse. Yornery critter. That's Derrick. Hit the saddle and grab him. Dave and Jake. Let us in, Steve. We've got to tell you what happened. Come in. I'm waiting to hear from you. We're lucky to be here, Steve. Yeah? Did you get to Ross Derrick's place? We got there. And got out in a hurry. That dog, the yornery critter. Oh, shut up, Abe, and let Jake tell me. Did you get the map from Ross Derrick? Well... Well, answer me. Did you get the map? No. What? You didn't get it. Why, you're worthless... Now, wait a minute, Steve. There ain't a man alive can get to Ross Derrick's house while that dog's on the job. Two big, overgrown louts like you. A total of 400 pounds of men backed by six guns. And you're chased away by 100 pounds of dogs. With that dog. Find a blazing. Just shoot the dog. Steve, did you ever try to shoot a bolt of lightning that was coming towards you? We fired twice, but then... When that dog's coming, it ain't healthy to waste the time for aiming. If we took time to fire again, we wouldn't have made our horses. I want Ross Derrick's map. What's so all-fired important about that map? I told Jake about it. It shows where there's a gold strike, Abe. It's set up so it'd be easy to find the gold once you got to the right town. Well, then why don't Ross Derrick get the gold? He sure needs it. Well, the name of the town ain't mentioned on the map. You don't even know what county the town's in. Oh. He's holding the map till his half-brother comes back from the east. His brother knows how to read the map. But, Steve, what good's the map to you? I know the name of the town. Oh. If I had the map, I'd get to that gold stick and stake a claim. Well, no wonder you're willing to perish to get the map for you. Well, you'll have to make another try. Not me, no siree. Not for any amount. Not while that dog's on guard at Derrick's house. The same goes for me. Now, wait a minute, boys. The money off ain't enough anyhow. Why don't you go steal that map your own self? Because Derrick knows me. He knows I want that map, too. I've got to have an alibi to win the map to take him. You get that dog out of the way and we'll get the map. That's right. Get rid of that dog. All right. I got an idea. You leave things till tomorrow. I'll get that dog out of your way. Tomorrow night, you can make another try. Dan Reed and Tonto were camped in a small woods not far from Ross Derrick's ranch. They'd been aroused from sleep by gunfire and they waited, listening, but heard no further disturbance. They were just dozing off again when the horses showed signs of restfulness. You awake? Uh-huh. Something's been disturbing the horses. Yeah, me know. Now, wait, Dan. Listen close. Maybe it's the people who fired those shots. Wait. I heard something. Ah, it's animals. Should I throw some brush on the fire to make more light? Wait. Sound like dog. A dog? But why would a dog be... There, dog. I see it. Oh, him hurt. Here, fella. Come here, boy. What's the trouble with your paw? Well, golly, Tonto, he sure is a fine-looking dog. Oh. He's hurt his front paw. Look how he holds it. Oh, me take a look. Maybe help him. He seems to know that you'll help him. See how he looks at you? Ah. He must belong to someone near here. He's had fine treatment. His fur's like silk. Oh, here's trouble. He'll step on horseshoe nails. Oh, golly, the poor fella. Me take it out. No wonder he wouldn't put his foot down. I wonder if you want something to eat. Now, me wash foot, then put medicine on. I wish we could keep him with us. Him belong to someone, Dan. Maybe we could tie him here until the Lone Ranger comes with us. Um, we tie him for tonight. In morning, maybe we see who owns the dog. Now, Dan, you get water. Me wash paw. Ross Derrick was concerned when his big dog failed to return after taking off in pursuit of the prowlers. Though he called and whistled in the darkness, there was no response. When morning came, his daughter, Anne, shared in the worry about the missing dog. She sat sad and silent on the porch of the house. Presently, she heard a familiar bark. She looked up quickly and her face lighted. Oh, Sandy. There's an Indian and a boy riding back of him. They must have found him. Or vice versa. Oh, Sandy. Sandy, where have you been? There now, boy. We know you're glad to be home. Well, little fella, we thought you'd been shot. What happened to your car, Sandy? There is. Maybe one of those horsemen can tell us. Is that your dog? Yes, it is. His name is Sandy. Where did you find him? He came to our camp last night. He had a horseshoe nail in his paw. Oh, Sandy. Poor fella. Must have stepped on him when he went after those prowlers. The prowlers come here? Yes, they were after them. They were sneaking around the house. We heard some gunshots. They fired at our dog before they hightailed. I blazed away with my rifle, but it was too dark to take aim. I'm mighty obliged to you two for taking care of the dog. That's all right. We enjoyed his company. He sure is a fine dog. Best ever. He won't make friends with many people. I guess you two must be top-notch gents. Will you stay here for time? Well, we got a long way to go. Can't you come inside and have some breakfast or something? No, thanks, miss. We want to meet a friend of ours who's coming along the trail from the east. Suit yourself. Oh, my name is Ross Derrick, and this is my daughter, Ann. If you ever need friends, just call on me. Thanks, Mr. Derrick. This is Tano, and my name's Dan Reed. Mighty glad to know you. Same here. Oh. And don't forget what I told you about calling on me. We won't. Thanks for taking care of Sandy. We were glad to. Goodbye. Bye. Adios. Come on. Get him up. Come. Aren't they nice people, Dad? First rate, Ann. Nice-looking Indian. Nice-looking boy, too. Oh, Sandy, what are you snarling about? Oh, Dad, look over that way. Oh, no wonder you're bristling, Sandy. We've got company that none of us has any use for. Steve Brennan. I'd better get the chain on the door. Come here, boy. Come here. Stop. Stop ignoring it. Why is Steve Brennan coming here, Dad? I thought you told him to stay away. I did. Ho, ho, ho. What do you want here, Brennan? That dog cleaned up? Yes. I'll shoot him if he makes a lunch at me. You'd better have business here, Brennan. You ain't welcome on my ranch. I've got business all right, Derek. It deals with the laws of the range. I guess you know the laws as well as I do. I sure do. What about it? What's to be done when a dog kills another man's sheep? You can get that information from the sheriff. I did. I wondered if you knew the answer. Shut up, you curse. Don't you talk like that to Sandy. What about a dog that kills sheep? The law says he has to be shot. Ain't that right? That's the law. Well, here's an order from the sheriff. Calling on you to enforce the law, Derek. What? An order. Your dog got on my range last night and killed six sheep. That's a downright run. I don't believe it. I don't give a hang whether you believe it or not. The dog was seen, not only by me, but by some friends of mine. We gave the sheriff our story and he issued a court order. Why, you ornery. Sandy wouldn't do that. There was a couple of men trying to sneak up to my house last night, Brennan. I wonder if this ain't a frame-up to get the dog out of the way so that it'd be more successful next time. I ain't here to argue about it, Derek. Here's the order. We got the morning to carry it out. If the dog ain't dead by tomorrow, the sheriff will come here and do the shooting himself. Oh, no. No, Mr. Brennan. Please don't make Dad shoot our dog. Sorry. But you can't do it. There's a mistake. I know there's a mistake. Sandy wouldn't kill sheep. I got eyewitnesses that say he did. They ain't telling the truth. The sheriff was convinced. You probably got the same coyote you sent here last night. You want to get rid of my dog so your sneaking gunslingers can get here. Derek, I didn't come here to discuss the sheriff's order. I'll see you again. Get up. You can't do it. He isn't a killer dog. He wouldn't hurt a sheep. I reckon he's got a bad name, Ann. The sheriff didn't take much convincing. But, you know that... Ann, here's what you've got to face. If I don't shoot Sandy, the sheriff will come and do it for you. I won't let him. I'm afraid you can't stop him, honey. It's the law. I don't care about the law. Maybe Sandy did go after Brennan sheep. He hates Brennan. All that pertains to him. He was fired on last night. That wouldn't help his good nature none. Do you think he really killed a sheep? Well, I... I don't know, Ann. I'm going to the house if you knew what I was saying. You're counting on me, aren't you, boy? I know you are. And I'm going to take you where no one can hurt you. That's what I'll do. I'll take you away from here. The same morning, Dan, Reed, and Tonto reined up in front of Derek's house. They found the rancher in a high pitch of excitement. We've got no time to talk to you right now. We've come from town. We've heard about you. Save it, Ann. I've got to call in my men. My daughter's gone away. Ann? Where'd she go? I don't know. She's gone and took the dog with her. Left a note for me. We heard about your dog. We came to tell you that we know he didn't kill sheep last night. You know it? Yes, he was with us all night. If he tangled with sheep before he came to our camp, we'd have known it. The sheriff's ordered him shot on what eyewitnesses said. Mr. Derek, why would anyone say they saw him kill sheep? It's not true. My girl went away and took him with her so he couldn't be shot. She's only 13. She don't know what dangers there are on the plane. I've got to get men out to follow her trail. Now, this might be a bad country for trails. I can only ride myself. Tonto, you can follow trails that no one else can see. Is that true? You bet it is. The ground is hard as a dovey house. I know I'll find tracks. Uh, will you go meet Masked Man, Dan? Yes. I'll ride each to meet him and you follow Anne's trail. If you will help me, I'll be everlastingly grateful. Uh, me go. Get him up, scout. I'll ride to meet the Masked Man. Come on, Victor. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger story. Before the next exciting scene, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. How to continue our story. The Lone Ranger had maintained a steady pace since breaking cap at dawn. It was nearly noon when he saw Dan Reed riding toward him. Oh, Silver, easy. Steady big fella. Oh, Charlie, I'm glad I met you. Where's Tonto? He's following a trail. What kind of a trail? He's trying to find Ann Derrick and a dog. Ann Derrick? Ross Derrick's daughter? Yes, you know. I know who he is. I have a message for him. What about the girl and the dog? Are you on the way to Derrick's ranch? Yes? Oh. What happened to Ann and the dog? Well, when Tonto and I stopped in town, we heard a lot of talk about the dog. He was accused of killing some sheep that belonged to a man named Steve Brennan. The law says that a dog that kills sheep must be shot. Yes, I know. Mr. Brennan had some men who swore they'd seen the dog killing sheep. The sheriff issued an order for the dog to be shot, but those witnesses weren't telling the truth. How do you know? When Derrick's dog didn't kill any sheep last night, he was with Tonto and me. Go on, Dan. We rode back to Derrick's ranch to tell him, and he was mighty excited. His daughter had run away and taken the dog with her. She left a note saying she'd done it so the dog couldn't be shot. Tonto's trying to find her? Yes. Derrick had already sent his ranch hands out to look for the girl. He was just about to go on the trail himself, but Tonto persuaded him to wait at the house while he followed the trail. Is Derrick at the house now? He was when I left. Then we'll go there. Come on, Silver. Come on, Victor. The Lone Ranger and Dan Reed raced back to Derrick's place. Within a short time, they arrived at the house. They found old Mr. Derrick, preparing to leave the ranch to help in the hunt for his daughter, Ann. The Lone Ranger had already formed a plan in his mind, and it was part of this plan to have Derrick stay at the ranch house and await development. But Derrick was determined to leave in spite of all persuasion, especially since he distrusted the masked man before him. He glared at the Lone Ranger and spoke vehement. I won't stand here and do nothing. Derrick, listen to me. You can trust the masked man, Mr. Derrick. But my daughter... Tonto can follow the trail if anyone can, and I'm going to follow Tonto's trail. But how can you... Now listen to me a minute. No, I can't trust anyone. For all I know, all of you are working with Brennan. Derrick, your brother trusted me. What's that? What's that about my brother? He gave me a message for you. You're to meet him next week and stake your claim. Meet him? Where... Where am I to meet him? In Custerville. He said you'd be able to find your gold if you started in Custerville. So that... That's the starting point. From there, you can follow the map. Oh, you know about that. I told you that your brother trusted me. Now will you wait here at the house? You'll go help Tonto? At once. You bring back my daughter and you can have everything I've got. Wait here, Dan. Right. Come on, Silver. The ground over which Ann Derrick guided her small horse was baked hard by the sun. While she traveled neither fast nor far, her trail was an almost impossible one to follow. Tonto lost it many times and precious minutes slipped by while he scrutinized the ground to find the barely perceptible hoof mark. It was late afternoon when a lone ranger joined his Indian fan. Two rode side by side to the trail's amnes. Oh, sir, oh, sir. Oh, sir, oh, sir. Hey, big fella. Quiet, Sandy. Me follow trail. But that masked man... Your father is worried, Ann. Who are you? I hope to be a friend. And him good friend. Then you can help me. Help me get away. We can't travel fast because of Sandy's paw. It hurts him to run. We're going to help, Ann, but not by taking you away. We're going back to your home. Oh, no. Sandy will be shot. I think we can prevent that. But you can't. It's the sheriff's order. If Dad doesn't kill Sandy, the sheriff will. Not if we can prove that Sandy is innocent of the charge against him. No one can prove that. Steve Brennan framed him. Steve Brennan has witnesses. He'll do anything to get Sandy out of the way. Why does he want to get your dog out of the way? So he can get it, Dad. Dad has a map and Brennan wants it. Oh, yes, the map. Uh-huh. And he can't get it while Sandy's on guard. But Sandy isn't on guard now. No. And in taking Sandy away, you've played into Brennan's hands. But if he was at the ranch, he'd be shot. Your father knows that the dog is innocent. He won't shoot him. There's an order from the sheriff. If Dad doesn't shoot him, the sheriff will. Not if Sandy has proved innocent. If Brennan learns that you've taken the dog away, he'll move fast. But I... We've got to move just as fast. Toto, bring the girl and her dog to the ranch. Stop on the way and get the sheriff. Oh, no. I'll ride ahead, city becullo. Oh, build it. The long ranger raced ahead toward the Derrick ranch, leaving Toto to follow with Ann and the dog. Meanwhile, Steve Brennan, accompanied by his two henchmen, Jake and Abe, set out for the Derrick ranch. Brennan had heard about Ann Derrick running away with the dog, and he decided the time was ripe to get the map from Ross Derrick, which Jake and Abe had failed to get the night before. Soon, the three men reigned up in front of the Derrick ranch house. I hope you're right about that dog. You don't hear the dog barking, do you, Jake? No, but you never hear him last night, either. Not till we got close to the house. Well, the dog's gone, Abe. You can count on it. Yeah. Derrick's daughter ran away with the dog. I hope the one who told you that knew what he was talking about. I reckon he did. Come on. They're waiting for the sheriff to shoot the dog. Why is it better? Well, all of Derrick's men are out hunting for the girl. She can talk to Derrick without interference. You sure he's there in the house? Yeah, I'm pretty sure. And if he's not, we'll wait for him. Let's try it back at the house. Tough luck for the critter. You got your guns ready for use? Just in case we need them? Yep. No sign of the dog yet. You needn't worry about that beast. Sort of different than last night, Abe. Plenty different. Now, look. When we get inside the house, I'll stand ready to back my place. Let's write in and wrap them up. Is there any news? Dig him up, Derrick. Hey, you can't get it. Cover that one. Get him up, kid. Brandon, you want to... Save it, save it. Abe, close that door. Listen, if you think you can come in here... Save your breath. What do you want, Brennan? You know what I want. A map, huh? You guessed it. Finally mustered nerve enough to come yourself instead of sending a couple of your gunslingers, huh? Where is it, Derrick? You won't get away with it, Brennan. There's a witness who'll watch it. He'll get away with it. You'll either kill Dan and me after you get the map, huh? Nope. No, that won't be necessary because neither you nor the boy will talk. I won't, eh? Well, that's what you think. Now, if either of you talk, it won't hurt me because I can get men to swear that I wasn't near this place. More lying witnesses. And if you talk, your daughter will be the one to suffer. Savvy, now hand over the map and we'll clear out. What if I don't? You don't? You won't leave either you or that youngster alive. You can watch the boy go slow while you're waiting your turn. Don't let them bluff you, Mr. Derrick. No bluff, son. You'll find that out in just a couple of minutes. Tie his hand, right? Wait, wait a minute. I'll give you the map. Don't do it on my account. Who are you, Stan? They've got the top hand. You're showing sense, Derrick. Got it here in my wallet, I think. Yes. Now take it and get out. Oh, there's no hurry about getting out. What? You promised you'd clear out. Put the rope on the boy. Why, you dirty... Can't take chances. Just hold your hands back of you. And I won't have to get rough. I won't, then. I'll get rough. Give me the only... That'll do. Get back. Get him, pig. My shoulder. Do you want some of the same? No, no, no. Don't shoot. Don't shoot me. Drop the gun. I'll take that map. Good. I'll hear what he has to say. Thank goodness. I'll be here in a few minutes. That's Steve Brennan. He's the one that charged the dog with the killing of the sheep. Yes. And the pole cat has been trying to get this map away from me. My friend saw your dog killing sheep. You can't get away from that. Are these two your friends? They're probably the ones you sent here last night. And their word stands with the sheriff. That sounds like Tonto's horse. Now look out the window. Is my daughter... Yeah, hold the gun in the prison. I want to meet Tonto outside. The buzzard. I still have cards to... That means the life of your dog. Now, let us go and I won't press the charges against the dog for killing my sheep. You know those charges were false. Yes, but the sheriff believes my witnesses. You can't make much of a case against me anyway. Oh, stay here, Brad. Hold that dog. Outside, Derrickson. I asked you to wait until we finish a little business here. Acts as if he wanted to get at you, doesn't he? Hold him. Don't let him go. I got a wounded shoulder. Sandy knows that pair of snakes. He's fighting the leash to get at him. Let's have the truth. Did you see this dog killing sheep? Of course I did. Well, the dog has to be shot as a killer. He might as well be a real killer. Then tell the truth. Please, the dog kills sheep. No, no. We didn't see anything. How about you? I didn't see him kill no sheep. You told the sheriff you saw the killing. Steve Brennan made her say that. Then you lied to the sheriff? Yes, yes. That's all I need to know. Sheriff! You! I reckon that clears the dog of all charges, Derrick. Oh, Dad. Now you won't have to shoot, Sandy. Ann. Oh, honey. Don't you ever run away again. What's the charge against these three, Derrick? Well, they tried to steal a map from me. Jail them if you want, Sheriff. I don't care. You don't care? No, Ann and I are leaving here. We're going to meet my brother in Custerville and stake our gold mine. Sandy will go with us, won't he? You bet. Now, where's that... Hey, that masked man is gone. Well, I wish he'd never come in the first place. Oh, I wanted to talk to him. Dad, who was he? And when one man finds a runaway girl, saves the life of a dog, captures three crooks, and saves my gold claim, well, Ray, but one man could do all that. I reckon that masked man was a Lone Ranger. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger, Incorporated. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger, Incorporated.
