Silver! A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high old Silver! The Lone Ranger! Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. 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 hoofbeats of the great horse Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again! Oh, Silver! Let's go, Victor! The stagecoach from the east rumbled along the rough trail toward the little western town of Benton. It was mid-afternoon, and the two young women passengers inside the coach showed signs of weariness from the heat and the roughness of the trip. One, a fluffy-haired blonde, turned to her dark-haired companion and spoke complainingly. I declare, Christina, if I thought we had much farther to go, I think I'd get out and walk. Honest to goodness, I would. Oh, stop complaining, Millie. The driver said we'd be in Benton in about an hour or so. Gee, I hope so. Say, just what did that lawyer tell you about the ranch and the letter he said? Practically nothing. All he wrote was that Uncle Ned had left the ranch to me, so I wrote him that I was coming out. That's all. I'm beginning to wonder why I let you talk me into coming with you, now that I've seen the country we came to. Stop thinking of trouble, Millie. I'm sure we'll be safe enough. And I know that after you've lived at the Bar-Rye ranch with me a while, you won't ever want to go back east again. Maybe. But you know very well, Chris, I'm not the outdoor type. Now, you're different, sort of. You seem to be able to get used to anything. Gee, I'll be glad when we get to Benton. Don't worry. We'll soon be there. And when we get to the ranch, you can take a good long rest. It won't be long now, Millie, so cheer up. Later that afternoon, a small group waited at the stage depot for the arrival of the stagecoast. We're sure to be here by now. It'll be coming soon, don't worry. Here comes the stage now. Now, see how it is. Don't you, she comes? Oh, oh, there. Oh, oh, skinny boy. Oh, there. Hi, Jay. Help me with the luggage, somebody. Come along, Millie. Yes, of course. I beg your pardon, ma'am. Are you Miss Christina Nelson? Yes, yes, I am. You must be Mr. Edwards. That's right, I am. Millie, Miss Laverne, this is Mr. Edwards. The lawyer sent the letter. Oh, glad to meet you, I'm sure. How do you do, miss? Now, if you young ladies will follow me, I'll take you to the buckboard. Then I'll come back for your luggage. I'm sure you want to go right out to the bar of Y. Rand. That's right, we do. Thank you for meeting us. The pleasure's all mine. Well, come along. We'll go to the buckboard. Goodness, the country along here is rather sparse and desolate. It sure don't remind me any of St. Louis, I'll say. You're a long way from St. Louis, Miss Laverne. That's something I already know, mister. The entrance to the bar of Y is just ahead. See the sign to the left? Gee, Chris, it does say the bar of Y range on that board. But look at the awful road going into it. Well, this doesn't look too promising, does it? We'll turn in here. Get up there. How far is this from Benton, Mr. Edwards? Only about three miles. Say, I see the house just ahead. I'll leave. Look at that. Oh, Millie. If I'd known what it was like, I'd never... In years, run down. Run down? Mister, you better take a second look. I declare it's positively the worst looking, spookiest looking place I ever did see. What about stars and ranch hands? Do you mean to say this is all there is to the bar Y? Well, I'm down right sorry to have to bring you out to such a place. Perhaps I should have warned you. But with hard work and paint and all that, it can be made quite livable. Well, this is all there is. This ranch house, the old barn, about 20 acres of land. Chris, what do we do? We can't stay here. Oh, you'll find the inside to be in a fair condition. I... I have to admit, this is quite a shock. Well, come along. Come on, Millie. And be careful of the porch steps. They're just a bit cheeky. I'll... I'll go in first. You certainly will if you expect me to go in. Oh, come on, Millie. We'll make the best of it. I brought out supplies this morning and I put oil in the lamps. Thank you for your trouble. Oh! What on earth is the matter? I saw something, something crawling. Oh, that's just a small lizard. It's harmless. Maybe it's harmless, but I didn't figure on living in a house with lizards. Chris, look at this awful furnace. Throw me in here. And we won't have any way to get to town when we want to either. I know. It doesn't seem possible that Uncle Ned lived in a place like this. Do you know what your uncle looked like? Yes. He sent me a tin type some time ago. Look here on this table. There's a picture of him. Yes. That is Uncle Ned's picture. What are we going to do, Chris? Mr. Edwards, I wish you had written me about the condition of this place. I had no idea what we were coming to. Too bad I didn't, I guess. But I'll tell you what. You tried for a while, and if you decide not to stay, just let me know. Perhaps I can find someone to take the place off your hands for, oh, couple thousand dollars. Let Mr. Edwards sell it to someone, Chris. Then we'll go back east. We'll think about it, Mr. Edwards. It may not be as easy as you think to find a buyer. Now, don't worry. Since I'm to blame for getting you out here, I'll take it off your hands myself if I can't find anyone else. Oh, I couldn't let you do that. Oh, I'll... I've managed to get rid of it later on somehow. Well, I'll go on back to town now. I hope you manage to make things comfortable. I'll drop by tomorrow. It was just before dawn when Millie was wakened by the crying of distant coyotes. Stop. What? What's the matter, Millie? Listen, that awful howling. Maybe... Maybe it's Indians. Chris, I'm scared. Calm down, Millie. That isn't Indians. And it's some animal or other quite far away from here. I don't care. I just can't stay in this place. I'll be a nervous rat. Oh, now, be sensible, Millie. I left the lamp burning so you wouldn't be frightened. I don't care. Chris, I'm getting out of here right now. And you have to come with me. Oh, but, Millie, I... I mean it. You have to come with me, Chris. We can walk to Benton as soon as it gets light. All right. We'll walk to town. And I'll sell the place to Mr. Edwards. I guess there's nothing else to do. It was about an hour after sunrise when the Lone Ranger and Tonto, who had pitched camp a short distance off the trail to Benton, were preparing to mock Silver and Scout for a trip to the town. Suddenly, they were startled by distant screams. Tonto, I like women screaming. Let me kill it. The screams come from up on trail. Let's hurry. Come on, Silver. Come on, Scout. Kimusabi. Rattler on side trail. Oh, I see it. Oh, Silver. Oh, Silver. That did it. Easy, big fella. Easy. You were just in time. It might have been. It's dangerous to be on foot along this trail, miss. Especially without heavy foot gear. I... I know, but... Oh, Chris. Tonto won't harm you. Not right. We come to help. This awful country. Lizards and wild animals and that serpent and Indians and masked outlaws. And I... I just can't walk another step. I'm not an outlaw. Please don't be frightened. We've come to help you. Poor Millie's upset. She's had rather a terrifying night than this happened. I don't understand why you ladies are walking the trail carrying carpet bags. We arrived in Benton from the east yesterday. I see, but then... I inherited a ranch from an uncle. We found it to be that dilapidated place about a mile back. Yes, I know that place. It's awful. Simply awful. A lawyer, Mr. Edwards, drove us out there. I was disheartened when I saw the place, but we decided to give it a try. Then Millie was so terrified during the night we started back to Benton at daybreak. There was nothing else to do but walk. Then your trip out west was all for nothing? No, not quite. Mr. Edwards said if we decided not to stay, he'd buy the place for $2,000. That's a generous offer for that place. Oh, I think so too. I'll sell to him and then we'll leave on the next stage for the east. He can't leave too soon for me. But how are we going to get to Benton? I simply can't walk another step. It's two more miles to Benton. Since you can't walk that flower, we'll take you if you're willing to ride double. Oh, thank you. We'll be glad to have your help. Me? On a horse? Do it. If that, or walk, Millie. And you can't tell what else might be on the trail. Maybe another... I'll ride, thanks. Kick your foot out of the stirrup, Tonto. I'll help her to mount. There. There you go. You ride all right now. Just the same. I'm scared. Golly, me on a horse with an Indian. You'll be safe enough. Now, Miss... I'm Christina Nelson. She's Millie Laverne. I see. Here, I'll help you up on silver. You ready? I can manage, all right. Steady, boy. Easy, silver. There you are, Miss Nelson. Oh, thank you. Easy, steady, big fella. We'll drop you and your friend at the edge of town. Won't take long to get there. Come on, silver. Get a munched scout. Upon reaching the edge of town, the two girls dismounted, and after thanking the Lone Ranger and Tonto, they started into town to find lawyer Edwards. The Lone Ranger waited until they were out of earshot. Then he spoke to Tonto. Tonto, follow the girls to that lawyer's office and find out all you can. Ah. But me not savvy. You heard Miss Nelson say her uncle willed a ranch to her. Ah. The lawyer took her to that deserted place back on the trail. That's the old Jenkins farm, remember? That right. And Hank Jenkins and his wife left that barren farm about eight months ago. Went to the Pecos Valley. That right, too, Kimisabi. Well, when we rode through the valley a month ago, we passed the Jenkins new farm. Both of them were alive and well. That deserted farm wouldn't bring a cent when Jenkins tried to sell it. Now that lawyer is willing to pay the girls $2,000 for it. Ah. There's something wrong. Yes, definitely. The lawyer lied when he told Miss Nelson that was the place she inherited. And now he's willing to pay her $2,000 for something she doesn't even own. And Jenkins does not care if lawyer take all place without paying any money. That's right. Tonto, we know there's something very wrong about that lawyer's deal. And we're going to find out what it is. 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. Knowing that there was something wrong with the deal lawyer Edwards was making with Christina Nelson, the Lone Ranger told Tonto to follow the two girls and find out all he could. Later that morning, Millie and Christina were with Edwards in his office. I do hope you understand the situation, Mr. Edwards. We expected to come out here and find a fairly large ranch that was self-supporting and in good condition. You'd never get me to go back to that awful place. I realize now that I should have warned you about the conditions of the place. I'm sorry. But since you've decided to give it up, I'll keep my promise and take it off your hands. I think your offer is a very generous one, Mr. Edwards. I hate to take advantage of it, but... Say no more about it. By the way, how did you get to town? Millie insisted we start walking, so we did. You mean to say you walked into Benton? We did enough walking, I'll say. Wait till you hear what happened. You see, we were going... I'm sure Mr. Edwards isn't interested in the details of our trip into Benton. We're here and that's all that matters. When does the next stage leave for the east, Mr. Edwards? Well, there's an eastbound stage out of here this afternoon, as a matter of fact. Golly, that's sure good news to me. About what time does the stage leave? It's due through here around two o'clock. I'll make arrangements for both of you. I still feel that it's taking advantage of your generosity to, well, to have you buy that dilapidated old place for so much, Mr. Edwards. Not at all, not at all. Please don't feel that way about it. Eh, I suggest, though, that you don't tell anyone about our deal while you're waiting around for the stage. Some people might lose faith in my judgment if it got around. Oh, of course we won't mention it. We don't know anyone here in Benton anyway. Good, good. Well, why don't you girls go over to the hotel and rest a bit? When I have the papers drawn up, I'll send for you. All right. Come along, Millie. I could do with a little rest, I'll say. Well, you have had quite a bit of exercise this morning. We'll wait until we hear from you. I'll send for you in an hour or so. Goodbye. Goodbye, and thank you. Blackie, come here a minute. Sure. Did you close the deal, boss? Not yet. I'm going to draw papers to make it look very legal. It won't take very long. Where'd the girls go? Suppose they start talking to somebody and find out. They won't. I told them not to discuss the deal with anyone. Now, while I'm getting the papers ready, I want you and Jake to ride out to the old farm. What for? Take down that sign I nailed in the fence post at the entrance. If somebody rode out that way and saw it, they'd start asking questions, and the girls might get wise before I get them on the eastbound stage. Ah, that's right. Go inside the house and bring back the picture of old Ned Parkins I planted there. Why can't Jake go alone? Because if you meet anyone out on the old trail who already read that sign, it's up to you and Jake to see he don't get back to town until after the stage leaves. You understand? Sure, I'm savvy now. I'll go get Jake and hit the trail. It won't be long unless we do run on to somebody snooping. If that happens, you know what to do. Now get going. Blackie and Jake left lawyer Edward's office and mounting their horses at the hitch rack outside, they rode leisurely out of Benton. When they reached the edge of town, they headed along the trail toward the old farm which Christina and Millie had left that morning. Meanwhile, the lone ranger waited in a clump of trees outside of town for Tonto to return and make a report. Soon he heard the steady beat of fast hoops which he recognized as those of Sculpt. He stood expectantly as Tonto reigned to a halt. Oh, Sculpt, hope on her, hope on her. How did you find out, Tonto? Well, me listen at back window of office until girls leave. Lawyers say him draw papers and have girls sign and him give money. I see. Him tell girls not talk about deal. Girls say them go east on afternoon stage. Hmm. The lawyer wants those girls out of town in a hurry. He doesn't want anyone to know about the transaction. That's right. Tonto, we're going to ride out to that old place and look around. He said, you big fella. Come on, silver, much cow. The lone ranger and Tonto followed a shortcut to the old Jenkins place. Meantime, Blackie and Jake, who had ridden along the regular trail, finally approached within a short distance of the old farm entrance. They were discussing the deal that their boss Edwards had put over on Christina Nelson. The boss will have the deal closed today, Jake. He's sure mighty smart. Here's that Nelson girl come all the way out here, pulls a smart trick on her, and she'll go away thanking him and never being the wiser. Sure. And he fixes everything so it's legal, too. We must be almost out to that old place, aren't we, Blackie? Yeah. The entrance is just beyond this bend. First we have... Oh, who? Who? Who there? Who? What you stopping for? Keep your voice down. Look ahead there. Two hombres on horseback looking at the sign the boss put up at the old farm entrance. Can't tell much about it from here. Looking at them from the back like this, I'd say one of them is an Indian. But I can't make out the one on the white horse. What are you going to do? Look, they're going in toward the house. We'll wait a minute, then circle around and come up behind the place. And we can catch them off guard while they're snooping inside. Meantime, as the Lone Ranger and Tonto rode in toward the old house, Tonto spoke. Me not savvy, white signs say Bar Y Ranch, Kim Sabic. Tonto, that lawyer wanted Miss Nelson to think this is the Bar Y Ranch, so they put up that sign. I still can't figure his reason, though. Oh, silver, hold on, hold on. We'll have a look around inside. What's your look at, Kim Sabic? That picture there on the table. Look here, Tonto. This is a picture of old Ed Parkins. Him die over two months ago. Yes, but he was the owner of one of the finest spreads around here. The real Bar Y on the trail east of here. Not right. Me remember. I'm beginning to understand what's going on now. We'll ride back to Benton. Reach, both of you. Don't turn around. What the? You heard him, didn't you? Get him up pronto. Two of them. Better do as they say, Tonto. That's more like it. Jake, walk up behind him and take the guns. I'll keep him covered. Right. I'll take yours first, Indie. You know what? Hey, Blackie, the other one's masked. Whatever. Get the Arnold's guns. Hurry up, Jake. Sure. As Jake walked up behind the Lone Ranger, the masked man stood with arms upraised, tense and waiting. And as Jake was about to reach for the guns, the Lone Ranger suddenly kicked backward, landing a sharp and heavy blow with his heel on Jake's shin. At the same time, the Lone Ranger with the speed of lightning drew his guns and hurried. Oh, my shoulder. Can you get this one? Oh. Good. After you fix that one shoulder wound, we'll tie them up and leave them here for the time being. Then we'll ride to Benton to keep that deal from going through. Later that day, Edwards, the lawyer, sent for Christina Nelson and Millie. As soon as they arrived at his office, he came right to the point. I have drawn up this legal paper, Miss Nelson, sending over all your rights to the Borrowire Ranch to me. Your friend, Miss Laverne, can witness the transaction. The sooner you sign that place away and we leave for the East the better, Chris. You're lucky we met such a kind man as Mr. Edwards, I'll say. Yes, I know. I appreciate what you're doing, Mr. Edwards. Now, just where do I sign this paper? Right there on that line. Now, here's the pen. Thank you. There. Here, Millie, now you sign it. This will be a pleasure, I'm sure. Mildred. Well, there. The 2,000 is in this pouch. Now, I'm the legal owner of the Borrowire Ranch. Yes, and good riddance, we say. Chris, we better... Hold up. I'll take that paper. Say, who can walk in the back door of my office and get away with anything in broad daylight? I'll... No, you won't. Drop that gun. Stop, please. Stop what I said. Oh, no, I had enough. Get up. Golly, now he's spoiled everything. Just as we were about to get the money for that old place. Why did you come here like this and tear up that paper? To keep you from being cheated out of one of the best ranches in this territory, Miss Nelson. What do you mean? Was Ned Parkins your uncle? Was he the one who willed you his ranch? Yes, that's right. Why? Your uncle's ranch, the Borrowire, is east of here a few miles, not west. That was not the Borrowire this crook took you to yesterday. The worthless deserted farm anyone can have for the asking. But I don't understand. Mr. Edwards was going to pay us $2,000 for it. $2,000 of your own inheritance. For that, he would have received a ranch worth thousands of dollars. What? Why that dirty old crook? Imagine. Tata went for the sheriff. The sheriff won't have anything on me. Maybe not. They will see that Miss Nelson gets all that's coming to her and that you and your two friends get out of town. The men are coming now. Here, take Edward's gun and keep him covered till the sheriff comes in. All right. But where are you going? Why can't you? I'll see you again sometime. Adios. Gee, Chris, isn't he wonderful? What's going on in here? Now listen, Sheriff. Mask out who came in here. I'll tell you the whole story, Sheriff. And I know you'll believe it because, well, I, I found out this morning that that masked man that just left here is the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger? Oh, Chris, why didn't you tell me? I knew better. Well, if he was the Lone Ranger, then I know Edward's here must have pulled something crooked. That there Lone Ranger never bothers anybody unless they're crooks or killers. And ma'am, they just can't beat the Lone Ranger. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
