 with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high old silver, the lone ranger. With his faithful Indian companion Tato, the mask rider of the planes led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. The stories of his strength and courage, his daring and resourcefulness, have come down to us to 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 come the thundering hooffeeds of the great horse silver, the lone ranger rides again. It was customary in the little cow town of Dixie in Arizona territory to start celebrating ahead of time. The annual Dixie rodeo wasn't scheduled to start until the following morning, but the cow pokes, horse wranglers, ranchers and visitors were starting now. How are you, gents, betting on the contest tomorrow? Well, I'm an eight-eighth stone, a gambling man. Given any odds, eh? Maybe. Um, uh, which event? Well, sir, now that all depends. I've got a program here, uh, to read them all. Uh, let's see. Franco Buston, even money, bulldoggan, even money, fancy roping, even money, and uh... Even money. Eighth stone, the big-time tin horse. Now wait, here's one. Team Tyros. Who do you like in that event? Well, whose contestant? Same as every other year, Starrot brothers, Matt and Cal, against Bob Vane that form into his, uh, Archie. Well, I suppose you call that a contest. Those Starrot critters might own the biggest ranch in the territory, but they haven't got a prayer when it comes to beating Bob Vane and Archie at team open. Oh, for everybody knows that. I'll give odds myself on that bet. Uh, eight to five? Ten to five if you want it. Get your money down, eh? I, uh, I'll cover it in the morning. Just lining up odds, that's all. I'll see you then. Well, uh, camplin' man. Eighth stone wouldn't bet that a coyose had four legs unless he counted them. Yeah. I see him heading over toward the Starrot brothers. If they're smart, they'll offer the same odds. Well, Ace, what'd you find out? Plenty of Bob Vane money around here. They're off to meet ten to five. Good. You got the bankroll, Cal. Give them some money. Sure. Here's a thousand dollars, Ace. You want me to bet all them? Get as many bets as you can. First buy a bottle of whiskey and find up Archie Potter. He's Bob Vane's foreman. All right. One drink with Archie Potter means one drunk. Hey, man. Here comes Bob Vane. Dancing with his sister. They see us with... Get away, Ace. Keep out of sight. Sure. Evening, Bob. Evening, Miss Laura. Hello, Matt. Cal. All right. Gell and I have been hoping to see you folks here at the dance. That's all. Let's step out in the porch a minute. That's cooler out there. All right with me. Will you say, Laura? Talking to the Sterrett brothers isn't my idea of entertainment, but... I guess there's no harm in it. Oh, be caution, ain't you? What's on your mind, Matt? The betting odds on our team-rope and contest tomorrow seem to be all in your favor. No reason why there shouldn't be. Archie and I are going to win. Like to bet some money on it? Sure, but... You haven't any ready cash, and you know it better than anyone else, Matt Sterrett. You and your SS brand hobbed all the winter range. We didn't ship a single steer. Well, it seems to me you can't be very sure of winning, or you'd be betting yourself. I haven't any cash. All right, you big foreflusher. I've got 10 carloads of steers down at the loading pins. Let the banker praise them, and then you match it. That's how sure I am. There's no way I'm going to see 10 carloads of steers. It's somewhere around $25,000. Too rich for the Sterrett blood, huh? No. I'll take that bet. See you in the morning, just before the first event. Good. Come on, Cal. Bob, you shouldn't have done it. Those steers represent everything we own. Don't worry, Laura. Arcee and I are a cinch to... Where is Arcee? Have you seen him? Not since we rode in from the ranch. We'd better start looking. Matt depends on him staying sober. Come on. Oh, Arcee. The minute I saw you, I figured you were a real smart gen. That's why I wanted to have a drink with you. Ah, thanks. I'd better get back over there to the dance hall. My boss might be looking for me. Boss? Who's that? Bob Bain. Me and him are entered in a team rope and contest tomorrow. Oh, what do you care? That's tomorrow. There's a lot of time till then. Yeah, but I suppose... Let's have one more drink, and then we'll go back. Well, all right. Just one more. Many miles to the east, just over the territorial border, the Lone Ranger and Tahoe were making camp. There was no sign of danger in the little canyon where they had stopped, so it was natural for them to remove their gun bells. It was a mistake they rarely made, a mistake they were soon to regret. Here's more wood for the fire, Tahoe. Ah, it's burning good now. Me pick supper. Fine. I'll take the horses down the creek. Don't do anything, mister, but get your claws up. You're too, engine. Behind us, Tahoe. You heard me, gunner. This 45 triggers mighty easy. Be what he says, Tahoe. Our guns are over there on the other side of the fire. No, you don't. I've already spotted that hardware, and I'm kicking it out of reach. Now I'll turn around. Well, I'll be fast, so I've stumbled on a couple of owls who... Maybe. I'm borrowing one of your horses. I think I'll take the paint. Just long enough to reach the railroad line south of here and grab on to one of those freight trains. I'll leave your horse ground hits alongside the tracks. I believe that when I see it. And I'm taking these gun belts too. I'll leave them in the saddlebag. Keep your hands up or I'll... Get it, boy. Get it! Kimmer's hobby. Politics. Count. Don't worry, Tahoe. We can trail him easily on silver. What him? He'll guns. How can we get him? I will handle that when we get... Wait a minute. Somebody coming from the east. Excuse me, chance. I spotted your campfire, and I figured you might have seen... masks. Outlaws. You're wrong there. But we may have seen what you're searching for. Yeah? Young fellow wearing a blue shirt, black stetson, a pair of pants. Jim Austin. Been trailing the Jasper for six months. All the way from Montana. Is that a lawman's badge on your vest? Yeah, but you and your engine fire don't have to worry. I'm no bounty hunter. All I'm interested in is Jim Austin. He an outlaw? In a way. We've got a manslaughter charge against him up in Butte. Butte, Montana. He must be Tennessee Jones, the sheriff of Butte. How'd you know? Oh, I've heard of you. Well, sheriff's a man you're trailing stopped here just a few minutes ago. He got the drop on us and stole my friend's horse. I figured he was a foot. Found his own coyote, gone lame, back trail away. Which way did he head? South. He said he wanted to reach the railroad line. That he was only borrowing the horse. Like his lord, he was telling the truth. Austin's an outlaw, but there ain't a man on two feet who thinks more are horses than he does. I'm glad to hear it. That's what makes him so easy to trail. I know he'll be around horses someplace. Right now, I'm interested in where he leaves a horse. Well, we're riding south. How about you, Sheriff? Sure. Never heard of a man south who'd ride with the law, but... Come on. Keep us up here. Yes, Count. I believe it is, Tunno. He's tied to that fence post. Ah, me get him. Jim Austin may be an outlaw, but he's not a liar. Yeah. If he'd be as honest about shooting Scrape up in Montana, I wouldn't be on his trail. Did he kill someone? Short of gambling, he claimed, was cheating him in a poker game. Tin Horn didn't die right then. Some friends took him to a hospital over in Billings. Next day, I got a letter saying he was dead. So the charge against Jim Austin was manslaughter. Did you arrest him? Yeah, he'd left town. I'd been on his trail ever since. You see? Well, I'll be... What's the matter? You see that hand-built tack on the fence post? All about the big Dixie rodeo over in Arizona Territory? Yes. Well, if this railroad runs through their town, I know where to find Jim Austin. He never passed up a rodeo in his life. Oh, Scrape, oh, Scrape, oh, oh, Scrape. Here. Here, gunfire, Scrape. I'll leave them in saddlebags. Thanks, Tonto. Sheriff, I never heard of a real outlaw returning stolen guns. I'd like to talk to Jim Austin. Uh, do you mind if Tonto and I ride with you? Suit yourself, stranger. Good. Come on, come on, come on, Scrape. Yeah. It was almost noon of the following day when Bob Vane found his foreman back of the stockpend near the rodeo arena. Bob, did you find Harky? Yeah, I wish I hadn't. Look at him, dead drunk. That's all I'll have left after I forfeit the bed I made with Matt Starroth. Oh, Bob. Oh, I'd like to... Get mad, won't help. I'll go over to the cook tent and get some black coffee. Maybe that'll help Harky to straighten out. Hey, mister. Well, what do you want? I was just drifting through town. I'm a good hand with horses. Thought maybe you might... No, I can't hire any horse wranglers or punches. I got enough to worry about now. All right, don't get tough about it. I was just trying to... What? One of the foals broke out of the tent. He's heading across the lot. Laura, she's right in front of him. She'll be killed. No, not if we can stop him. Here, give me that rope. Got him. He helped me snuff this lime before the cutter dragged me down to Texas. Yeah. No. You saved Laura's life and got yourself that job you were asking for. Thanks, mister. Bob, what's his name? Who is he? Where'd he go? Wait a minute. One question at a time. I don't know who he is and I don't care. He's faster in grease lightning with his loop. And he'll be back here at two o'clock to side me in the team rope and contest. Back from where? Some place to dig up a mask. He says the only way he can ride in public is with a mask over his face. Mask? Why would anyone want to wear a mask? He's dodging the law. What difference does it make? A lot. He saved my life. I want to thank him. Wait, Laura. You can't expect to find one cowpoke in all this crap. I can try. Maybe we camp too close to town, I know. Looks like we're going to have a visitor. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I see you found a mask, Dwyer. Bob told me what you're going to do. That's so... I think you're wonderful. Not only for what you did, but because you're going to help my brother in the roping contest. Am I? You're too modest. I... Come here. Yes? There. Kiss isn't much, but I do want to thank you. Not that I object. It just happened that you're kissing the wrong man. Oh. 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. Ginger told a very embarrassed young lady that she had made a mistake. Tennessee Jones walked into the local sheriff's office. You're the sheriff here in Dixie? I just wanted to introduce myself. Name's Jones. Tennessee Jones. Sheriff of Butte, Montana. Here's my credential. Well, I'm glad to know you're Tennessee. You're here for business or pleasure? Well, you might say both. I'd like to see your rodeo, and I'm trailing a critter named Jim Austin. Well, I'll take you to the rodeo as my guest. Got a box seat in the grandstand. But I never heard of that Austin, Ambrie. What does he look like? Little kind of tall, freckle-faced gent. I got a warrant for his arrest. A lot of people in town. He might be hard to find. Nor if I can sport him straddling a bronc. I'd know Jim Austin's brand of riding anyway. Come on, we better head over for the big show. It's due to start right soon. Thanks, but one more thing. Do you know an outlaw in these parts rides a white stand in where's a black mask and travels with a red skin? Never even heard of an Ambrie like that. What's his name? I don't know. Rode the trail with him all last night. I still don't know. Well, I'll be... You got a warrant for him too? No. Just curious, that's all. Well, Mr. Vane, how's this? Does the mask look all right? Sure. Anything's all right with me, kid, as long as you can twirl that rope. And, uh, cut out the mister stuff. My name's Bob. All right, Bob. How about the entry? I just told the entry clerk to call you the masked rider. He's got you chalked up as a bronc buster. He's my partner and team roper. Hey, who's that? My entry parade. We're supposed to be in it. Get up, get up. You had to ride in the parade. What's up? Vane's got another partner. He's going to contest in the team roper. Who'd he get? Now, folks, they were riding right behind you in the parade. It's some sort of an ombre wearing a black mask. Entry clerk says that Vane just, uh, listed his partner as the masked rider. The rope, as well as he can ride. Maybe we have got something to worry about. Does he sure can stick to that couch? Yeah, sure. Excuse me. Didn't you mention meeting somebody like that on the trail last night? No, he's just thinking the same thing. That ombre-style of riding is awful familiar. Mighty familiar. It could be. By Juniper it is. Is what? The 10-time trailing. Jim Austin. Well, I'll be. Keep your eye on him. I'll hustle over to the judge's stand. No, wait, Sheriff. He's listed here on the program for one of the other events. I'll wait till it's over. Team roper, whatever that means. Don't they have team roper contests up in Montana? I guess not, or maybe I just never seen one. Well, keep your eyes open, partner. You've got a treat coming. Buster Tutto. Ah, him plenty good. Let's move over closer to the chute. I want to see how Jim Austin and Laura's brother make out in the team roping contest. Ah. Where's Ace? Right here, man. What do you want? Listen, I don't know who that mass critter is. Bob Bane must have run in the ring around us. If he sings a loop like he rides... I told you that the boy would... Shut up! Cal and I are on first in this contest. While we're out there, you stop Bane or that other critter. Stop him for good. So they'll have to forfeit all bets. Understand? Yeah, but how can I? We'll saddle up and empty load and chutes on the other side of the arena. What do you mean, Cal? The gates on those chutes are mighty heavy. And they work the pulleys and ropes. I know, but if the rope that holds the gate was cut real sudden like, and somebody's walking in now to chute, it might be a bad accident. That's it. Get over there. Ace, get to work. Well, listen, man. I don't know whether... You better want to do what I tell you. Otherwise, the law's going to hear all about a tinhorn gambler who's supposed to be on the... No, no, never mind. I'll do it. Get going. I'll go first, Luke. I will. Unless you... Oh, go ahead. I'd rather heal the critters anyway. Where's your horse? Over there in that empty load and chute. Better sense your saddle and mount up. Stared boys are chalking up good time out there. You've got a lot to beat. We'll beat them. I'll get my brawn. Take plenty of good riders. Yes, it's got... Watch out, Tutto. The Boston's coming this way. His horse must be in that chute over there. How do I want him to see us? Kimusabi. What's wrong? Look. I'll climb up side a corral. Him got knife. Cut rope on gate and... It's your Austin, Father. What do we do? The man who cut the rope. He's getting away. Follow him, Tutto. What happened? The chute gate approved. Cut it. Hit the kid. Knock him over, then cut his legs. Help me raise it. We can get him out all right. Who are you? Don't mind that. Hold the gate. Yeah. Oh, my leg. I think one of them must have... There must be a doctor around here someplace. Get him. Sure. I'll find Dr. Jim. Well, I'll be. The mass, Jim. Where'd you come from? Oh, I've been around. Jared Brothers must have finished up. We're supposed to be out there, Bob. Sorry, I'll let you down at the last minute. That's all right, kid. Forget the count. Sure I can, but... You've got everything you own bet on it. You and your sister will lose the race. What's wrong? My partner had an accident. I'll take this young fellow's place. Jared Brothers and their crowd will never know the difference. But can your team rope? I can try. Come on. No! Steady, Silver. All right. Come on, Silver. Get up. Flip him. I'll take the heels on this one. Good. Oh, swing him over. What? Oh, pull through the back. Oh! I've got the tie-lines. There. That does it. I don't know who you are, mister. But I never saw a rope or a horse move any faster. But if we keep this up, we'll break the record. Good. Let's try it again. I said you saw the gate fall on that mass critter. I did. I heard somebody say he had a broken leg. I don't see a problem. Farvane Beaches, didn't he? They lead us to the tune of $25,000. Which he'll never get. What do you mean? Let's go over there. Keep your gun handy. What to say? How to thank you. Forget it, Bob. Well, Jim, we're finally caught up with you. Tennessee Jones. I'm out of knowledge. Just a minute there, Vane. What kind of double-deedle stunt are you trying to pull? Everybody said this kid broke his leg before he... Leg over my arm. No red skin can make me help. Old Marvin, what are you doing? Well, it wasn't my idea. Matt Starr told me to go ahead. Now I think I understand what's behind all of this. No, I'm not going to... Another ombre with a mass. It's not right to my arm. Sheriff, right over there is the man who cut the rope on that gate and made it fall on Jim Austin. Evidently he was working with or for the Starrot brothers. You're under arrest, Matt. You too, Cal. That's right. What's my fault if that happens? Here's the minute. Ain't your name Ace Dolan? Yes. What of it? According to a report up in Butte, you're supposed to be dead. I've been trailing Jim Austin for manslaughter and you're still alive. You're the ombre who's going back to Montana for a long stretch in jail. Well, Jim, Laura and I've still got a ranch. We're $25,000 richer. Thanks to you and that other man with a mass. He's the one who did it all. Well, Laura's arranged for you to stay here with us at least until your leg heals up. And then I've been thinking, I need a good man to help me run the ranch. Why don't you take the job? Well, thanks, Parvitt. Sure like to do it. But maybe Laura might not. Where do you think you got the idea? Does a girl have to make all the arrangements? Where you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.