 A fiery horse on the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty, high-o-silver, the lone ranger. With his great horse, Silver, and his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the masked writer of the plains fought crime and criminals throughout the western United States. His name has not come down to us in the written pages of history, but no man did more to bring law and order to the frontier. The cry of high-o-silver was the battle cry of justice. Now return with us down the trail of adventure to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoops of silver. The lone ranger rides again. Come on! In the early days of the West, when land was to be had for the asking, farmers came from Ohio, Iowa, and Minnesota, and from the far eastern seaboard to the new country. Government troops guarded the boundary of the territory, waiting for the cannon signal that would start prairie schooners into the newly opened homestead lands. As far as the eye could see, wagons were lined up, ready for the dash in the morning. The folk sang in groups around the campfires. It rained all night, it didn't have enough to wear into the river's dry. Inside their wagon, Aaron Stewart and his wife, Mary, are talking. Now, Aaron, don't you worry so about me. I'll be all right since we get settled. Sure you will, honey. It's been a mighty hard trip over land, but it'll be worth it. Tom Granville and me have a place all picked out. We're going to race for it soon as the cannon fires, and we'll go partners. Aaron, I wouldn't trust Tom Granville too far far with you. Now, Mary. I know you think it's silly of me, but there's something about Tom Granville that I don't like. And that friendly here that he calls skeets is even worse. You shouldn't say things like that, honey. Tom Granville's been right friendly with me. He's been friendly, but he's never yet done anything that he didn't get the best of it. Oh, Shucks, half your sickness is just from worry. Maybe so. I've been expecting to see him try some underhanded scheme ever since we left the east. And he hasn't, so that I'll approve he's on the level. I wish you hadn't told him about the place you'd located when you rode on ahead to look around. But I had to tell him. Shucks, I was out here long before the wagon started. That's why I went all the way back east again. Tom Granville would do you out of that land there, and if you don't watch your step. Don't say that, Tom. But it's so. He's had a grudge against you ever since I married you instead of him. Oh, nonsense, honey. Well, don't you remember how I had to argue with him to get him to come out here with us? That was because you wanted him to stake it to the cash to get here. I know where the best triple land in the whole country is to be found. I know. Good water, good timber, right at the foot of a hill, and good grazing. It's prime. If you can get it. I'll get it all right. We've got the best team of horses, the wagon all set to roll in. But if someone else gets there first and files papers... They won't. You just wait and see. What if Tom Granville gets there first and decides that he'll claim it for his own? Shucks. There's plenty for two people there. I sure hope you're right, Erin. That's all I can see. I hope you're right. Everything's going to be fine. Now, don't you worry, honey. You'll just sort of let down from the long hard trip. Hey there, Erin. Oh, there. That's Tom now. You just stay right here and try and get some sleep, honey. I'll go see what he wants. Hey, Erin. You going your wagon? I haven't come, huh? Erin, I want to talk to you. A little business. Sure. What's on your mind? It's about that money I loaned you. Oh, that. Oh, yeah. Step over here, Tom. Mary's kind of worried and nervous tonight. Excuse me. I reckon this is as good a place as any ant. Now, what about the cash I owe you? Two hundred dollars, I believe. I got your note here. Oh, sure. I reckon you can read it. It says it's payable on demand. If you ain't got the cash to pay it, I can levy on your goods. Well, that's what I put in the paper, but you know time... I'm demanding a two hundred now. Yeah. Yeah, what? If you ain't the cash, I'll take your horses. But you can't do that, Tom. If you take them horses, how will I get to the land we're going after? I don't know how you'll get there. I reckon I'll make it all right. You can tell him about his grandmild? Yes, Keats. I told him. Keats, he can't be... I told him we'd take his team instead of the cash if he didn't have the cash. Yeah, that's fair enough. You ought to be glad to sell that team of horses for two hundred dollars. But you can't do that, Granville. I located that land I told you about. It's me that found it. I'm the one that brought you out here. I don't reckon you'll have trouble finding another strip of land for yourself. You're doing me out of the land, Granville. You can't get away with it. No? I don't know why I can't. You planned this all the time. You mule- You remember a few years back, Aaron, when you'd done me out of the girl I loved? I didn't. She chose me instead of you, that's all. It wasn't my fault. Save your wind, Aaron. But Mary's sick. You know she's sick. What'll I do if everyone goes and leaves Miss Brandon here? She's your wife and your worry. Not mine. Oh, look here, Granville. I'll tell you what I'll do. You go ahead, take the land. Take it for yourself. Just leave more horses here. I'll find some other land. You better find some way to head back east where you come from, Aaron. That's the place for you. But I can't even get back there if you don't leave any horses. That's too bad. I reckon them's of horses pegged down over yonder skeets. I'll take them and lead them over next to her. You know, right? Too bad we got to do this. But it's all legal. There's your paper, Aaron. I'm marking it paid in full. And now you don't owe me nothing. Granville, listen, wait. Skeets, you can't do this. Get up there. Get over here. Wait a minute. You can't leave Miss Brandon here. You can't do it. You know Mary's sick. You can't leave with no horses in her name. When Tom Granville let his horses away, Aaron was desperate. Leaving his own wagon, he went from one family to another. Asking, begging, beseeching that they help him. But you got four horses. You can let me take a couple. Sure, Aaron. I need all four of mine. Just let me take one. Just one. I can't stay stranded here. You can't do it, partner. Got a heavy load. I'll need all of them. You've got to help me with that. My wife is sick. Can't do it. We'll be spit out so far we never see you again. But I'll give you my word. I'll return the horse. I can't move from here without some sort of horse. Sorry, Aaron. Starting with the cannon in the morning, it's every man for himself. We ain't a wagon thing no more. We're all racing against one another to find a place to settle on. You've got to help me. You've got to do it for my wife's sake. I tell you she's sick. My husband got on the way over, Aaron. But we've got to get horses. Sorry, Aaron. We've got none to spare. Clem, you can help me. Let me hitch my wagon on the back of yours. You've got oxen. They can pull two wagons. Sorry, Aaron. Then take my wife on your wagon. Take her with you. Leave me here. My wagon's heavy enough to this, Aaron. Sorry. I've got to have health. Sorry, Aaron. Well, we'll be stranded. I'm sorry, Aaron. I'm sorry, Aaron. We got on the way. Sorry, Aaron. Sorry, Aaron. Sorry, Aaron. Sorry, Aaron. Sorry, Aaron. Sorry, Aaron. Sorry, Aaron. Bless you, Mary. I'm glad you're asleep. It makes it some easier. You won't have to know till morning. Oh, Mary, how can I ever tell you that Tom Granville's double-crossed us? Aaron. Oh, Mary, you're awake. I'm awake, Aaron. I heard what Tom Granville said to you. I suspected something of the sort all along. Mary, what'll we do? He's never got over the happiness we've known since we were married, Aaron. That's why I did it. I'm kind of glad he did. Glad? I knew all along he'd do something to get even. That's his nature. Now he'll leave us alone. It might have been worse. But, honey, it couldn't be no worse. In the morning, everyone will be dashing out for the land. Everyone but us. I know. They'll leave us here. We'll be stranded. Oh, Mary, I've brought you all the way out here to let you starve. Mary, what's the matter? Aaron, look. The back of the wagon. That man, he's masked. Please don't be afraid of me. Who are you? You've been trying to borrow horses. Yes. I heard about your trouble. But you're masked. You ain't one of us. No. I'm one of the people of this country, Aaron. Don't lose heart. Let the others go ahead tomorrow. Wait here until they've all gone. Who are you? Keep your hopes up, Aaron. This is a great and glorious country and there's lots of land for everyone. Let the others go on without you and keep your courage high. I'll be back. Aaron, who was that man? Early the next morning, an army bugle sounded a warning call and pioneers with their horses hitched, families and luggage safely loaded, whips and reins in hand, awaited the cannon. Hundreds of men leaned forward eagerly. Their whips ready to last their horses into frantic speed at the signal to break new land for homesteading. Then suddenly... They've gone, Mary. They've all gone but us. Don't give up hope, Aaron. Don't give up hope yet. There's nothing to hope for now, Mary. That messed me in last night. I don't take much talk in what he said. But I do. There was something about the way he spoke, Aaron. And I was right. Look, there he comes. See him? And there's another rider with him. But... But it don't seem possible. It's an engine with him. And they're both riding white horses. Look at them come. I see them, but I... Don't give up yet, Aaron. We're still alive. And while we're alive, we can still hope. Pull yourself in! Pull! Pull! Pull! We'll hit our horses to your wagon, Aaron, and pull you into the homestead land. Not a... Honest, our horse, huh? Me do them. But it's too late, stranger. No, it isn't. There's land that won't be claimed by anyone. It won't be claimed. What do you mean, stranger? That just don't sound like sense. After you're settled there, we'll suggest to Tom Granville that no one knows the secret that land holds. It isn't desirable to look at, and everyone will pass it by, except those who know the secret. The secret? But what is the secret? You'll find out when you get there. Ready, Tom? We're taking Aaron and his wife to their new home. The curtain falls on the first act of our lone ranger drama. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Tom and his wife, Mary, were deprived of their horses on the eve of the dash into newly opened homestead lands. Tom Granville planned to claim for his own the land he and Aaron had agreed to hold jointly. After the wagons had left, the lone ranger and Tonto hitched their horses to Aaron's wagon and drew it to land that looked undesirable. It was a narrow strip at the foot of a hill. Aaron looked out of his wagon when the stop was finally made and was surprised to see that it joined the hillside land that Granville had claimed. Granville approached the wagon saying, I'm an engine and a miniskirt, Lord. Hold on now, Granville. Well, you can take yourself off. I don't aim to settle on your land. Well, what are you doing here? Move on. You ain't claimed this narrow strip at the foot of the hill. There ain't enough room here to do anything with. Nevertheless, Aaron Stewart is going to claim his a carriage on the hill. On the hill? The only part in the hill that ain't been claimed is too steep to do anything with. Well, it's the only land that ain't been claimed. It's the only land I can get, ain't it? All right. And take the narrow strip where you are and the steep slope above and see that just stay on your own land. Skeets, come here. Yeah, Tom, what's the trouble? Aaron aims to settle next to us. If he sets foot on my land, shoot him. He'd better keep off on our land. You hear that, Aaron? See if you keep off. You sure turned to Henri all of a sudden, Granville. Just how do you figure you can live on that hill? I'm going to dig myself a cave. A cave? That's a good one. I'm going to keep the rain off on us and I'll be on my own land. See that you stay there. And what's more, when your food runs out, don't come around begging for meat. Read to the star and ask a favor of you, Tom Granville. Come on, Skeets. Let's go and leave these blame fools to dig their cave. Remember what we told you, Aaron? Some things are more valuable than level water lands. I will, stranger, and a thousand things. Come on, silver. In the fortnight that followed, Aaron dug a cave in the hillside and made a shelter for himself and his wife. Meanwhile, Granville and his partner, Skeets, kept close watch on everything Aaron Stewart did. They saw him take a shovel full of earth from various parts of the hill, wash it, and then carefully examine the dirt that remained. Meanwhile, the Lone Ranger and Tantal camp nearby and each evening Tantal reported Aaron Stewart's progress to the mass brighter. Tantal, watch him close. Is Aaron doing what we told him? Him. Him do. Plant a good digging dirt. Then washing it and digging more dirt. That's right. Tell me, Tantal, is the man who swindled him washing? Him watch all time. If ever a man deserves justice, it's Aaron Stewart. And if ever a man deserves punishment, it's Tom Granville. May the Aaron puller get even. I think tomorrow, Tantal, it'll be a good idea for you to take this dust and go to Granville's land. While I ride for the government office at Pine Ridge. Tantal, go. You know what you're to do? Tantal, no. I know Mr. Dixon at Pine Ridge and I think we can count on his help in this situation. I'll deal with him while you go and call on Tom Granville. The next morning when Granville and Skeets looked toward the foot of the hill, they saw Tantal industriously engaged in washing out dirt that he'd taken from their land. Quickly, the two made their way to him and watched him for a while. Say, you. What are you doing here? This here's my land. Maybe you let in and have dirt, huh? We don't let no one have nothing. Now get out of here. Me not want much? Hold on a minute. What do you want that dirt for, engine? You won't heal yonder, too? No. What do you want to know for her? Maybe you'll get fortune on land. You'll look. Look here in pan. What do you mean? Me wash them dirt. Look what left. You'll see small specks, yellow specks. No big snakes pod. It's gold. Gold? Give me that pan, engine. Now you'll give me dirt? I'll see about that. Where did all this come from? Is it all around my land? It washed down from hill, maybe. From the hill? Washed down? Then they must be... skeets. I gotta talk to Aaron. You won't be any too glad to see you, Granville. No matter. I'm going now. Wait here and don't let this engine take anything off our land. I'll be back soon enough. You'll not give Tantal dirt? Now, get out of here. Maybe we'll speed it. I'm not going to stand here and have you around, steal them us mine. There's Mary over here under now, skeets. I'll be right back. Mary! Hey there! What do you want? Where's Aaron? I gotta talk to him. Yes. But this is important. I gotta speak to him. Well, you can't. Where'd he go? I don't know. The government office? Yes. If what I think is right, I gotta go to the government office myself. Get you up a horse. Quick! In the government office in Pine Ridge, the agent looked up from his desk and saw the Lone Ranger. His face disguised, framed in the doorway. Good morning, Dixon. You! Great Scott man, I'm glad to see you. You won't be glad when I tell you what I came for. I'll close the door. You want me to help you out on something? Exactly. And I won't be pleasant for you, Dixon. But what is it? First, I'm going to tie and gag you and put you on the floor behind the counter. I guess you know what you're doing. It'll be all right. Here's my hands. I'll make it easy for you. Good. It won't take long. Yes, one thing. Yes? You want something here in the office fixed the way it shouldn't be. And you want to save my skin. I'll not tie you so tight it'll hurt. Just loosely. Like this. There. And now my feet. Yes, I'll have to tie your ankles. But what, sir? Can't you tell me yet? Not yet. You'll know later on. Now, that'll do. The gag. Don't need to. I won't open that crap very well. You can say that you were threatened with the death if you made a sound. Here comes a man I want to see now. I'm down. All right. Just in time. I'm Tom Granville. Yes? Here's the government manager. Who else did you expect to find in this office? I was just making sure, mister. Will you make a test of this and tell me if it's really gold? Those tiny spikes? Right. There isn't enough here to test. You'll have to have more. What's it look like to you? You can tell something that way, can't you? I can't be sure. But it's the same color as gold. It might very well be the only place around here with a would be gold those in the hills. Did this come from a hill? Well, maybe so. Maybe from level land. Are you saying there's gold in the hills? Lots of men have found it there. It comes in pockets. Pockets? What's that? The way they find it is to dig in different places in the hill and wash the sand and gravel until they find paid dirt. And they worked each side until they find dirt that no longer shows a trace of gold. Yeah? Then they dig up the side of the hill in a fan shape to the pocket. They make tests all the time. The pocket may contain thousands of dollars worth of gold in a single bushel of dirt. Gosh, already. If you found the gold on level land, it's probably near enough to have been washed out in one of those pockets. My gosh, that's just what Aaron was. What? That is a fellow I know worked just that way. How much gold do you say there was in one of these pockets? Men have taken out as much as a hundred thousand dollars in a week's time. Thanks, Mr. I'll be back. I'll get more of a sample for you. Grandville, what are you doing here? Hey, it's none of your business. I can go right walk you without being checked on. Hello there, Stuart. It's time now. I got a couple hundred dollars worth of you in this here sack. He's gone. We're waiting outside to speak to you, Aaron. Thank you, stranger. Is it all right to carry on as we planned? It ain't... It's perfectly all right, Aaron. When you and he come back and I'll be gone, Dixon, the man in charge will take care of you. If it works out like you say it should, I'll never be able to thank you enough. I'm downright glad to see your face without a mask. It isn't my face that you see, Aaron. Time to help me disguise myself. Here, take this. Look as if you had no troubles at all. I'll do just what you say, mister. Well? I've been trying to see you. It's hard to say, but I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I'd like to square things. It's a fine time to say that. If we'd count on you, we'd been dead long time ago. I know it, Aaron. But you don't know what it can do to a man to lose the girl he loves. I've been trying to get up my courage to see you a dozen times. Yeah? I've been local for a while seeing you two married. Well? I'll give you a pretty bad deal, Aaron. Now I'm willing to give you half the land I've got if you still go by that partnership thing we agreed on. Half the land you got, huh? You mean the land you swindled me out of? Yeah, it did a pretty mean trick. And I reckon we ain't much more to say. Wait a minute, Aaron. You don't say everything. I'm offering you the land you wanted and surveyed and trade for the land you're on now. We could swap half and a half. I reckon I'll hold on to what I got. If I deal with you, you'll like it's not swindled me again some time. Besides that, I got plans to get rich off of my claim. But I found gold on mine. See? Here's some specs of it. Did the fellow inside tell you it was gold? Sure it is. But I got to get some more of it to get it tested. It's sure enough gold. Ever figure that there might be more on my hill? What do you think I laid claim to hill for? Then how would you like to sell some of your land? Huh. To you? Sure. I'll tell you what, though. If you get the idea that you'd like to prospect for gold, I'll deal with you. How? Well, prospect and don't appeal to me much. It's a little hard on Mary. What's your proposition? I like farming and I want to be able to grow things and live comfortable. If you want to swap land just as it stands and throw in the house you built and the horses for my hill and the cave I dug, why? You mean swap even? I have whatever I find? Yep. That's right. But you're getting a deal. It's done. It's a deal. You got your papers with you? Yep, I have. You? Sure. Come on in with me and we'll get the government agent to fix it up right now. But mind you, Granville, I ain't making no promises. I don't guarantee you'll get rich on that hill. I'll take that chance. Come on inside. It was late afternoon when Aaron finally returned to Mary and we find him laughing as Mary says. But Aaron, what happened at the office? I wish you'd seen Granville's face when he learned that the real man in the counter... But he made the deal, Aaron. Yep, he made it and then found there was nothing but fool's gold in those sacks and even that didn't come from this hill. I don't know what you mean. I mean, honey, it means we're taking over Granville's claim and he gets this no-count hill. Oh, Aaron! That ain't all, I got his horses and wagon too. And if he tries to move us off the land, he'll have the whole U.S. Army after him. And our land is what he's been living on? Sure. Now we gotta vacate this old cave property. But Aaron, how did it ever happen? We have the Lone Ranger to thank for that, Mary. He's got us fixed up in great shape. We've got the best section of land in the whole state and Tom Granville has the worst. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.