horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty, hi-yo, silver, the Lone Ranger. When the days of homesteading passed in the western United States, the immigrants from the east were forced to buy their land. And in the hill country, where the wealth lay underground, unscrupulous landbrokers were able to sell them worthless property. The masked rat of the plains led the fight against these confidence men. His courage and resourcefulness was more than a match for their cleverness. And in time, he drove them out of the new territory. Return with us now those thrilling days when the west was young, and adventure lay at the end of every trail. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, silver and country, hi-yo. Young Frank Sturgis and his wife, Bess, were recent arrivals in Silver City, coming there from the east. One of Frank's first acquaintances was a man named Price. And as our story opens, the two men are riding side by side down the bustling Main Street end. Golly, Mr. Price, it seems almost too good to be true. Told you I was your friend, didn't I? And you really said he'd sell? That's what he did. I can only pay a thousand, you know. That's almost all the cash I've got. Me and Bess have got to have something to live on for a while till we get started. Stagg said he'd take a thousand, less than he changed his mind in the meantime. But you told me he'd been offered up to twenty thousand for that valley property. Uh-huh, and so he has. And Wiley sells so cheap now. Young fella, Stagg Wiley's a funny hombre. Never seen another like him. Just as shrewd as they come and so canny, there ain't a dollar gets by him. But that's when he's stone sober. Give him a drink or two, and he's just the other way around. And you'd think he wouldn't drink. Oh, Stagg knows his weakness. He don't very often, not once a year. It was just your luck I'd run into him that once. You, you're downright sure the property's valuable, Mr. Price? Valuable. Say, young fella, there's been silver found all around it, ain't there? And just as sure as sin, there's going to be paid her to find on that piece of land, too. You mark my words. Then why don't Mr. Wilder develop it? Sure, she's got too many other things to look after. Stagg's quite a big man around these parts, you know. Yeah, you've told me. And this is awful good of you, Mr. Price, but, uh, well, I'd think you'd want to buy when it's a bargain like this. Young fella, what I say is every man to his last. Some folks is miners and some ain't. Yeah. Me, I'm what you might call a land broker. I help folks to buy and sell land and get my profit from the commissions. That suits me good enough. Uh-huh. You got the cash with you? It's right here in my inside pocket. Good enough. I got the deed all made out, ready for signing, so we're all set for him. Unless he's been drinking coffee and changed his mind. You know, young fella, I've done business with Stagg before. He's always got to have the papers made out a special way. A special way? Oh, he won't never give a deed to any of his property unless he gets an option to buy it back in 30 days if he's a miner. That's funny. Just plain safe is all. I told you he was canny. He figures if the property turns out to be extra valuable, he can get a chance at it again. Well, I wouldn't want to sell back if I struck it rich. You're in needn't worry. The option reads he can't buy it back for less than twice what you paid. So you can't lose. What if it turns out it's worth a lot more than twice as much? Well, that's just a chance you take. Anyhow, like I said, the option will be good. For only 30 days. And at the worst, twice as much as a clear 100% profit. This is the cafe, is that, ain't it? Yeah. Oh, there. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Come ahead. The horses. They'll stand. I feel a little guilty about this, Mr. Price. Yeah? Well, like I was putting something over on Mr. Wilder. Sure, forget it, young fella. How do you figure he got all his land? By leaning over backwards to be fair and square? Not him. Not Stag Wilder. No sirree. Hi, Barkey. Where'd Stag get to? He's in that booth over there, Mr. Price. He said you'd to join him when you come in. Yeah. Say, give me your pen and ink, will you? Sure thing. I'll, uh, oh, beg your pardon, stranger. Didn't mean to bump you, huh? That's all right. Here you are. Thanks. I'll return him when I'm through. Come along, Frank. Uh-huh. Can you hear him, Frank? Happy as a cooter. You sell all right. It would have been yesterday, you asked him. He'd just have laughed in your face. I sure hope the deal goes through. Hi, Stag. Howdy, Price. All right, sit down, have a seat. Hey, this young fellow, you was telling me about it? Uh-huh. Frank Sturgis, his name is. Frank, I want you to meet up with Stag Wilder. How do you do? Pleased to meet you. You sit down, too. Thanks, Mr. Wilder. Uh, Stag, uh, that deal I was talking to you about, you still willing to go through with it? Deal? Deal? Oh, who wants to talk business? You ever see a fellow like him, Sturgis? He's nothing but business. All the time, nothing but business. Stag ain't backing out, are you? Well, shucks, we can talk about that some other time. Right now, I say we ought to have a drink. Hey, hey, Fox! No, Stag, no. Let that alone for a bit. I don't want nothing and neither does Frank. When I seen you before, you promised me that you'd... I hear the stubbornest cuss, Price. Well, if it's got to be business, it's got to be. In person, I'd rather get some fellows together and do some singing. You will sell, won't you? Let me see. What land of mine was it you wanted to buy? That piece down in the valley, you know. You said you'd give it to him for a thousand, Stag. Did I? Now, don't say you don't remember. Oh, sure, sure, I recollect. Young fellow, you realize I've been offered up to 20,000 for that same place? Oh, yes. I was afraid maybe a thousand wouldn't be enough. Not so fast, young fellow, not so fast. Did I say I wouldn't take a thousand? No, but... You're a likely-looking young fellow. And a doggone good friend of mine, Stag. That's all you got's a thousand? Except for cash to live on. Let me tell you something, young fellow. Well, a property's mighty valuable. Mighty valuable. I wouldn't sell for 20,000 before because I figured it was worth more than that. Gosh, I guess I can't blame you. But, young fellow, I kind of caught into your style. The way I figure, fellows that can afford what their land's worth don't need good property like that. Young fellows like you do, just making a start in life, you know. They need it. Then you will sell? Where's that deed? Here it is, Stag, right here. All ready for signing. Here's pen and ink. And here's the cash. It's enfolding money. Sure, fine. This where I signed? That's right. Now you, Frank. Uh-huh. There. I'll witness it. Now then, there's your thousand, Stag. And, Frank, here's the deed that's going to make you rich. I sure wish you luck. Oh, gosh, thanks. Wait till I tell Betts. She'll be tickled pink. Hey, you ain't leaving already, are you? You'll excuse me, won't you? I gotta tell Betts right away how lucky we are. Thanks to both of you. Bye. Well, Price, did I put it over? Stag, he swallowed that story hook, line, and sinker. Five hundred for you and five hundred for me. And that young fool's bought himself a piece of land I've been trying to get rid of ever since I won it in a poker game. And, Stag, that ain't all. You mean the option? Just so. If he should get so lucky, he did strike it, Rich. Why, you and me can step right in and take it away from him. Well, Stag, we're a thousand ahead for sure. And no matter what happens, we can't lose out. Hour later, a great white horse plunged through a woods and, at the command of his master, came to a stop in a small clearing. Oh, Silver, oh, boy. Oh, you get back quick. Tonto, I believe I've run into something. What? What's that? I was in the cafe in town. While I was there, a young fellow came in with a man the barkeep called Price. Oh. They joined another fellow known as Stag Wilder. I couldn't get close enough to hear what was said, but I did notice two things. Hmm, what then? The young fellow paid over money for what looked like a deed. Oh. And Stag was sober before those men joined him. Sober after the young fellow left. But while the young fellow was present, you could see he was trying to pretend he'd been drinking. That's strange. It may mean nothing. On the other hand, if it does, this wouldn't be the first time men have pretended to be under the influence of liquor to put over trickery. And what you do, my maskie, Mosabe. I'll get rid of this disguise I wore in town. And you and I are riding to learn everything we can about Price, Stag Wilder, and the young fellow I saw with them. Frank and his wife took possession of the property they had purchased. It lay in an arid sandy valley and was worthless for either farming or grazing. But the hills on both sides had yielded silver. And at first, Frank was certain a vein of the precious mineral must run through his land. Hard work, however, coupled with certain remarks dropped in town, revealed to Frank that he had been swindled. And a week later, he stormed into Price's office. What the same here? You rotten, cheating crook! Hey, now... Yes, and you too, Wilder! You and Price were both in on it. You're both just as bad. You can't call us, crook! I'm doing it and you'll take it! Why, you dirty... Hold on, Price. They're just... What'd you come here for? For one thing, to tell you fellas what I think of you. Yeah? What's wrong? You know Blast it well. You sold me that land of yours in the valley. Price there made me think it was bound to have silver on it. Now I find there ain't. You're a greenhorn, Sturgis. I ain't denying it. If I wasn't, you fellas wouldn't have fooled me like you did. Carefully, you're a talker. I'll throw you out of here. Try it! Shut up, Price. When I tell you this, shut up! All right, Sturgis, let me tell you a few things. Go right ahead. In the first place, you wasn't told that land was valuable because there was silver on it. You was told I held it high because there might be silver on it. Because silver's been found all around there. But you can't say we lied to you any. Both of you made me think you was holding it for a big price, though. Never since I bought it, everybody's laughed at me for giving good cash for land you'd been trying to sell for a song. Shuck, young fellow, that's just like horse trading. A fellow that's got something to sell always tries to make folks think he values it a heap more than he really does. Ain't nothing illegal about that. Maybe there ain't, but legal or not, I still say it was a swindle. Only you can't do nothing about it. No? Well, do you think you can? I'm getting my cash back. That's a good one. Me and Bess saved for five years after we was married to get that cash together so we could come west with it. Now we're dead broke. You fellas can't do that to us. Get out of here. Clear out. You just came here to cry about getting the worst of a bargain. We ain't got the time to waste on you. Go on, get out. So you won't pay up, huh? Get out. And you take that. Oh, you crazy maverick. Yeah, and here's one for you. Oh, shit. Let go. Give me a hand with this local crap. Hang on. Oh, I'll take it. Let go. Let me loose. I'll show you both, you cheap swindlers. I'll fix you. Hold him, stag. Got him right in the eye. You skunks, let go of my arm so I can fight. Here's one for his other eye. If I could just get loose, I'd kill you. I'd kill you. I'd show you. Come on. We'll throw him out the door. Give me a hand. Out with you. I'll be back again. I'll fix you. You wait. I'll get him. Now stand aside. Move him. He rolled right in the dirt. Never see a fella have so much trouble keeping his feet. Kick me out, would you? Hey. Put down that gun. I'll kill you both. No, you won't. Try to stop me. You forced me to shoot the gun from your hand. You, you. You're coming with me. Here, Sylvie. Hold him out, man. We'll fix him for good this time. Get back. Move another step and I'll blast you both. What'd you butt in for? Get to the saddle with you. Now wait. And hold still. Let me down. I'll see you. Hold on. Away. He ain't staying. Who in blazes is he? Where'd he come from? How should I know? What's he doing here? Don't ask me. And whose side is he on, anyhow? That local Greenhorns or ours? 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. Racing out of town with Frank held across the saddle in spite of his efforts to struggle loose, the Lone Ranger sent Silver toward the valley where Frank had made his home. A small cabin had been built there years before. The masked man brought Silver to a stop at its door. Oh, fella. Oh, boy. Oh. All right. Get down. Who are you? Your friend. But I don't say it. Frank, is that you? Oh, a masked man. Don't be frightened. Come on, Frank. We're going inside. I want to know what your game is. You'll learn. Is it a hold up, Frank? What would a crook get from us? Close the door. Now, now look here, mister. Explain yourself. You butted in when I was going to give Price and Stagg what they had coming to them. Did they pay you? They don't. Then what in blazes? What would have happened if you'd fired? You might have killed one or both of them. They deserved it. Frank, you didn't try to shoot them. What if I did? Oh, no. I told you. I told you not to go to town. You see, Frank. You'd fired. You'd have gone to jail. But you wouldn't have been the one to suffer. That would have been your wife. You'd have left her alone. A widow of the Lord hung you. And what's a man supposed to do when he gets swindled? Just take it and like it? There's more than one way to get justice. I can't go to the law for it. I've been making inquiries about those fellas. You aren't the first man they've cheated. Don't surprise me any. How much did you lose? Plenty. Almost everything we had. A thousand dollars. You must have had a little more than that. You had that money to live on. It was less than two hundred dollars. Have you any of that left? Well, yes. Bess, you keep still. This fella's masked. I was forgetting. I'm not after your money. No? Then why'd you try to trick Bess into telling you whether we had any or not? For reasons of my own. I don't doubt it. But not the reasons you think. Now get that money. Blaster, you are a crook. I want to see how much you have. What a robber, you mean? I'm through arguing. Get that money and get it fast. Several days passed. Then early one afternoon, when a rising wind filled the air with dust, a prospector entered the cafe. Dread it, wind. I got dust in my eyes and dust in my clothes and dust from head to foot. Howdy, Sheriff. Howdy, Lodge. Hi there, Stag. Howdy, Lodge. Give me something to wash the grit out of my throat barkeep. There you are, Lodge. Thank you. And that went down slick. Where you been? Ain't seen you around for a couple of weeks. Oh, just prospecting. Say, Stag. Yeah? What in thunder's got into you? You getting so touchy a fella can't set foot on your land no more? Huh? What are you talking about? Well, you ain't trying to keep it a secret, are you? What's this, Lodge? You mean to say even you don't know, Sheriff? Know what? Why, Stag's got gunmen posted on that piece of land to his down in the valley. That fella can't set foot on it. I was just gonna stop in that old cabin to get out of the wind for a spell. And doggone if a redskin didn't come up with a gun and order me off. Stag, that's a fine way to act. A redskin ordered you off? Yeah, and there was a masked man keeping guard down to the other end of the property. I met a couple of fellas on the way to town, and they said they'd been told stay away, too. Well, I'll be jiggered. Lodge, that ain't Stag's land no more. It ain't? No, belongs to a fella from the east. He bought it off Stag. For a thousand dollars, can you beat that? Is that so? And what's the newcomers to tell you about? Say, that reminds me. Never thought of it, Lodge, till you mentioned this. Old man Wicks was in here yesterday telling about a wagon he'd seen headed that way. Huh? Oh, there's lots of wagons. Yes, but this one you couldn't get close to. Wicks said a redskin was driving it, and when he rode by, the engine waved a gun and yelled for him to stay back. Now, that's funny. What was on the wagon? Wicks couldn't see. It was all covered over with canvas. Couldn't see nothing at all? Well, just one place where the canvas was tore. Yeah? All that showed was the corner of a box, a heavy box like the kind you see machinery shipped in. Machinery, huh? All I know is what Wicks said. A wagon that nobody can't get close to, and gunman posted so as a fella can't set foot on that land. And now, what would that add up to? I couldn't even make a guess. But there's something behind it. There must be. Say, here comes a fella that ought to know what it's about. Afternoon, fellas. Hey, Sturgis. What's this I'm hearing about you keeping folks off your land? My land, ain't it, Sheriff? Got a right to keep off trespassers, ain't I? What's there to hide in that patch of sand and gravel? Huh? Who said I was hiding anything? Well, you must be. Well, I can't stop you from saying so, I guess. But you never get on that land to prove it. That all the explanation you aim to make, Sturgis? That's all? Don't forget, I'm the law, young fella. I can make you talk if I want to. That's just where you're wrong. Yeah? No hard feelings, Sheriff. But you ain't got no right to force your way on my land or make me answer questions about it unless you got reason to think I've been doing something against the law. Ain't that so? Well. Shags, you know it so. But let's forget it. I don't want you and me to quarrel. Hey, Barkeep. You want something? Barkeep, the drinks are on me for everybody in the house. When that's spent, let me know and I'll give you more. But that's $50 in gold. I know it. Come on, fellas, drink up. What are you doing, Stag? I got business to see you. Hi, Stag. All that find you here. Come back in, I'll buy. Price, you and me are riding. And this wind? You're crazy. Crazy, am I? Well, listen to this. Huh? Sturgis has got guards on the land I sold him. He's bringing in machinery that he won't let nobody see. Yeah? He told us he was just about broke. Now he's inside there spending cash like it was water. Well, I'll be switched. We're going to find out what's going on at his place. What for? Because it ain't 30 days since he bought that land. And if he's found something good, I'm using that option. Come on. Hastily saddling, Stag and Price fought the wind all the way to the valley. As they approached their destination, they saw a powerful white horse standing motionless at the boundary of Frank's property. The stratum was a masked rider who commanded them to halt. Rain in there. Go there. Go there. Go there. This is as far as you go. You can't keep us all this land. We're riding ahead. Don't move. You'll leave your guns right where they are. That's all. Like lightning. I've got double authority. These guns and the right to keep you off private property. This is just a trick. Oh? That option I got. It says I can buy back this land inside 30 days if I want to. This is just to keep me from finding out whether the land's worth buying or not. There's nothing you can do about it. Listen, masked man. Well? We got cash on us. If you just let us have a look for a few minutes, we'd pay you for it. Frank's in town. He'd never know you let us. I don't take bribes. Fifty dollars? No. A hundred? You're wasting your time. Two hundred. We ain't got all of it with us, but we'll pay you the rest later on. On your way. Now, just listen. Back trail and be quick about it. Wait. Hey! Hang still. Hold still. Don't scare the horses. Quiet down. Bless you. It was a piece of paper. All right. Get going. I reckon we might as well, Stagg. Let's get back to town. But doggone it, Price. Come on. It ain't no use. Get up there. Get along. And don't find a circle around me. There's an engine on guard, too. Blast it. We've got to find out what's going on. I think we're going to. Oh. That paper that scared the horses. It flew right by my head. I got a quick look at it. Huh? I see just a couple of words in big print. But if it's what I think it is, there. Up against that bush. There it is. There what is? The paper blasted. Did the masked man see us? The sand's blowing too much. Oh. Oh, there. Oh, there. I'll get it. Grab and pour the wind. Tears it loose again. There. I got it. Stagg, just what I suspicion. What is it? Look. Printed directions of some kind, ain't it? For assembling machinery. For putting together a rig for drilling oil. Oil. On that land. So that's why we can't get on that property. Keeping it from me so I won't use that option. Price, we're getting the town just as fast as we can. We're bringing the sheriff back with us. I'll show him and the law will back me up. Get up there. Get along here. Get up there. Get up there. Stagg and Price raced to town. Stagg and Price raced to town, got together enough money to exercise Stagg's option, then enlisted the support of the sheriff. It was almost morning and the wind had died down when they returned. In the meantime, Frank had reached the valley before them. And when they arrived, they were confronted not only by the masked man and Tonto, but by Frank and his wife as well. Oh, there. Sheriff, I'll have to give you the same orders I gave these other men. They offer this land. You're masked. That's no crime. He's only doing what I gave him authority to do, guarding my property. Don't you let them get away with it, sheriff. You're the law. Tell them they got to let us by. We don't have to. Now, don't do anything that'll get you into trouble. That's all right, honey. I know what my legal rights are. Sheriff, this is private property and I ain't allowing trespassers on it. Why won't you? That's my business. There's oil here, that's why. There ain't. Yeah? Well, look at this. Directions for putting a rig together. You got boxes of machinery day before yesterday and don't you deny it. We know your whole game. No machinery came on this property. That ain't so. We got a wagon load of empty boxes. Those printed directions you have there were on one of them. They mean nothing. There isn't a drop of oil anywhere on this land. Sheriff, don't you see what they're doing? When Stag sold the land to this here fellow, he got an option that gave him the right to buy it back inside of 30 days if he wanted to. Now they've found oil and they don't want Stag to buy. Was there such an option, Frank? I got nothing to say. There was. I'll show it to you. Got it right here in black and white. Signed and all. Option or no option, Sheriff, this land still belongs to Frank. Seems to me he ought to let these fellas look around. Why should he? Why should he show them what's going on here? Is that right, Sheriff? Can we be kept off? Well, as long as he owns the land. Then I'll fix him. I'm exercising that option right now. It calls for twice what Frank paid. I know it, mister. I've got the cash here. You can keep your cash. I ain't selling it. It isn't right for you to do this to us. You took our thousand dollars and then when you think the land's valuable, you want to take it away too. Uh-huh. You and your husband know so much about your legal rights. Well, I know mine too. You can't refuse to sell if I'll buy. I am refusing. Here's the cash. You've got to take it. No. Make them, Sheriff. Make them. Look at this here option. You're the law. He can't do me out of my legal rights. That's so, Sturgis. You'll have to take the cash. Blasted fellas, won't you believe me? There ain't no oil here and that's the honest truth. You ain't pulling the wool over our eyes. Might as well take the cash, Sturgis. They can go to court if you don't. Looks as though they got their way, Frank. Blame right we do. It ain't fair. But if I have to... Where's that $2,000? Right here. Take it. You're a witness to this transaction, Sheriff? I am. The whole thing's settled. Frank's got the cash, so now the land is ours. You can't keep us off no longer. Huh? What's funny? I thought you was mad, Sturgis. Sheriff, you're sure they can't back out now? I said I was a witness to the fact the deal was made, didn't I? Golly, this is the funniest thing I ever heard of. Only the joke's on you. I got the oil. Yeah? Well, you're welcome to look for it. But if you find any, just let me know. What's that? Sheriff, you know how these fellas swindled me. Wouldn't say you were swindled. Kind of sharp practice, though. Well, a masked man showed me how I could get twice my money back by just putting guards around here and making it look as though I'd struck it rich. You mean there really ain't oil here? There ain't. Then you lied to us. That's just it. You fellas lied to me to get my cash. But the way the masked man schemed things, all we had to do was to tell the truth. The more we did that, the less you was willing to believe us. We told you right from the first there wasn't no oil here. Ain't that so, Sheriff? Doggone if it ain't. No, no, wait. No, you just better shut up, Stag. And you too, Price. You were just plain out with it. And I got a notion that when the news gets around, you're gonna be laughed right out of this district. Where you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
