 The challenge of the Yukon on King Wonder dog King swiftest and strongest of Eskimoly dogs plays the trail through storm and snow for Sergeant Preston as he meets the challenge of the Yukon Sergeant Preston was typical of the small band of Northwest Mounted Police Preserved low and order in the new Northwest country where the greed for wealth and power led to frequent violence and bloodshed But in spite of the odds against them Sergeant Preston and his Wonder dog King met that challenge and justice ruled triumphant Many Jones had passed the half century mark But years of hard-living and work in the Yukon country had made her as tough and rugged as an Olo tree She sighed luxuriously as she stretched her feet in their rough wool socks toward the stove In her small cabin and then began her usual imaginary conversation with her dead husband Well Jim put in a big day's work today Keep working I soon have enough to go back home and buy that house we planned for old age But I ain't so keen about it now that you ain't here no more Sometimes I think I might stay right here in the Yukon the rest of my life Springs here snow will be gone in a few weeks Come in Oh, Annie. Oh, hello Sam. Come on in. Who's that with you remember Nate Roberts? Oh, sure, Nate Just wondering whether it was someone I'd have to put my shoes on for pull up some chairs and set And this fire feels good cattle's getting ready to boil. I'll make you some tea. Oh, don't bother Annie. You're tired I hear you're trying to work out clean me yours all alone. Yep doing all right, too Why do you have your work for a woman in it used to it worked right along with Jim to Here they was killed everybody thought you'd pack up and go back to Indiana after Jim's accident Well, I need more money to do that Annie that clean of yours don't pay enough with one person working It ain't much good. That's where you're wrong Jim and I always had faith in that claim now. It's working out. Yeah thinking of selling it. No I've been hitting richer pay dirt lately, and I got a funny hunch that it's gonna get better Hey, that's the one else coming take a peek out the window Nate sounds like a dog team Preston good Seen him since before Jim died. Yes, I better put my shoes on you always look so spankin Spain Well, we gotta be running along any morning. Why don't you stay a while? I make some tea. We got some business to tend to a town Well, I'm doing fine. Thanks for stopping by Come on in sergeant bring that dog yours ain't seen him in a coon's age Quiet boy quiet sit right down sergeant. It's just in time for some tea. Thank you, Annie. I Was sorry to hear about Jim. They told me about it in town. It was awful sudden. I Ain't quite used to it yet. I Keep thinking he'll come in any minute Just happened a little over two weeks ago What actually did happen a cave in on the ridge leading beside the river He was alone found a place where the rock had loosened Must have stepped on it and gone over the edge somehow The ice had just broken up in the river and I guess he hid his head on a piece of it Found his body about 50 feet down river caught in some branches at the side of the stream You're planning to stay here, honey. Yeah, Sam and it was just asking me They seem to think I pull out now the gym's gone. Of course. It's kind of lonesome Come here, King Now if I just had a dog like you around me, would you like to have a dog? Sure would and planning to get one I always wanted one, but Jim never liked him. That was the one thing. We always argued about He was so dead set against it that I didn't insist. Well, I'm looking for a home for one of my sled dogs right now Which one drinks a big black one. He's half Newfoundland's best-natured dog on my team He's trained a tendon in his hind leg and it keeps going bad on him all the time. I remember him You mean you want to give him away? Well, I'd like to find a good home for him They have another dog for me at headquarters to take its place. Where is he now? He's outside had to bring him home on leash tied to the side of the sled Sure like to have him if this friendly. I'll bring him in, Annie. If you like him, I'll leave you in here with you Just to hear King, I'll be right back. Come here, King That dog is half as nice as you Sure be a pleasure to have him Here it is, Annie. What do you think of him? Oh, he's beautiful. He's my big fella. Come here, Jinx The biggest dog I have. Do you like him, Annie? Do I like him? We're going to be pals, ain't we, Jinx? Well, he seems happy about the arrangement. I don't know how to thank you, Sergeant Look at him putting his big head in my lap After all these years, I finally got a dog Sam, I guess your scheme didn't work as well as you thought of it, old fool I never thought she'd try and mind that claim by herself after Jim was gone Thought she'd give it up, go back to the States If she keeps digging, she'd be able to find out just how valuable it is Look as if we went to a lot of risk for nothing Well, I ain't giving up now She's dead set and working it herself She ain't a woman who's scare easy You can tell that by looking at her I wasn't thinking of scaring Jim had an accident, ain't no reason why she can't have one, too But you wouldn't want to hit her over the head the way you did, Jim She's a woman as bad as a man All right, then, if it bothers your conscience, we'll just push her off the ridge into the river Suppose you think drowning's easier I'm afraid of it, Sam. It's too risky Well, it ain't risky at all Annie has to go that way every day on her way to the clay We'll tell everybody we're going out of town We won't be around here when it happens And we won't be back for three days afterwards Why three days? We better stay away longer than that Let somebody else pick over that claim We gotta be here to watch our interest Nobody else knows it's valuable After Annie dies, somebody's libel will go snooping around Now you let me handle this Tomorrow we'll pretend we're leaving town In fact, we will leave town, but we won't go far away We camp up the river for a week And then... And he'll meet with an accident Hello, King How are you, Husky? Hello, Annie Aren't you all pretty early this morning? Hi there, Sergeant Didn't expect you're back here this soon Well, I made a quick trip I can cover a lot of ground in a week with this dog game Well, hello there, James How do you like him, Annie? He's the most wonderful dog I ever saw Annie sure likes deep Speaking of eating, Sergeant Why don't you come and have supper with me today Then I can show you some of those things I taught this dog you gave me Won't you be too tired after working all day? No, I'll just give you pot luck Jinx and I are going to the claim town We'll be back just after dark You'll be here about that Gotta watch, that's why I have to go by the sun All right, Annie, thanks I'll be seeing you Go on, Jinx I'm so black I can hardly see in the dark I'm late Sergeant Preston will be waiting I realize the time was passing so fast Hey, watch after I've seen a rabbit or something No there, who is it? Rabbit Let me go Sam, stop Push her over No, no Take care of her I wonder what she's yelling at Sounds like she was calling Jim Maybe she thinks her dead husband can save her Listen, I guess that's the end of her She won't stand a chance in them rapids Let's get out of here fast Back the way we came Sergeant Preston stood in the door of Annie's cabin Looking anxiously into the darkness His dog King stood beside him I think she should have been here a long ago Wonder if we ought to look for her, boy What is it, fellow? Do you hear her? It's coming now, I guess Sounds like Jinx Annie, that's you What? It's Jinx, all right Where's Annie? Come here, Jinx Oh, fellow, you're soaking wet What's this called under your collar? A mitten, a wet mitten, Annie Come on, Jinx, go back, fellow Find Annie, come on, King Where is she, Jinx? Annie Find her, Annie Annie, it's Preston, where are you? I'm a frozen At least you're alive Here, I bought a blanket, let me write you up Dirty fuzzards pushed me off in the driver Take it easy, Annie You can tell me about it And we got back to your cabin I wouldn't have been Hadn't been for Jinx The old form with the last wind That was left in me Lucky for me It must have been at the edge of the river bank And the river swept me right past him Jumped in and swam out to me And I grabbed him That water was rolling around me Like a tumbleweed in a tornado Jinx is almost as big as a horse And somehow he got me into shore Did you send him home? Yep I knew you'd be here for supper So I stuck my wet mitt in under his collar And told him to go home I sure got bruised up in them rocks Couldn't have got here alone We know now that Jim's death was not an accident Sam and Nate wanted that claim Funny Certainly ain't a rich enough one to commit murder for Maybe they know something about it that you don't I wish I knew what it is We may be able to find out soon, Annie I'm going to take you into town and hide you for a few days I'll spread the word that you're missing And I'll keep an eye on Sam and Nate A little too soon to be seen around Annie's claim, Sam She's only been missing five days Nobody's gonna see us way out here Searched all over this place once They won't do it again But Sam, maybe we'd better wait We're going, we're gonna open up that rich vein Get everything out of it It's bigger than we think it is We'll file a claim after all the excitement's died down But ain't, we'll take all we can out of it And get out of this territory Nobody'll be any the wiser All right, here goes And I'll help you There'll be rich men at no time And it'll be worth all we did Poor Annie She'd known this was right under her nose Hello, Sam What's the idea of this? Oh, what, what Oh, where'd you come from, Sergeant? What just happened to see you coming this way? Well, uh, we, uh That is, we heard Annie was missing and we, uh Oh, we thought we'd look over a claim See if it was worth, uh, taking over You seem to know just where to look, too There's nothing wrong about it Annie hasn't any heirs This place will be anybody's where they're taking Who said Annie was dead? Well, nobody, I just thought I ain't as bad as you're gonna be When this stretcher built the neck at the end of a roof You murderin' bummin' Annie, where did you come from? She's been standing behind that clump of trees listening, Sam Well, what, well, look out, Sergeant Well, go away! No! Help, take him off! Help me! What, King? Let him go, fella! Help him, boy! That yellow little mongoose He was gonna murder you with that pickaxe I shoulda let King eat him up Get up, mate You and Sam are both under arrest for the murder of Jim Jones On the attempted murder of Annie Watch them, King Oh, Jim He'd only had a dog like Jinx Maybe he'd be alive Well, Annie, at least you know now why they wanted your claim. They knew where the rich vein of gold was. Get going, you two, I'm taking you to jail. Watch them, King. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. These copyrighted dramas originate in the studios of WXYZ Detroit, and all characters, names, places, and incident used are fictitious. They are sent to you each week at this same time. Hue Holder speaking. This is the Michigan Radio Network.