 Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, showing rare courage in the face of disaster, in the air, on horseback, or in a screaming squad car. Ranger Bill, his mind alert, already smile, unswerving, loyal to his mission. And all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Come in, Bill. Shut the door behind you. Thank you, Mr. Hunt. I have an uncomfortable feeling that I know what you want. You probably do. Well, if it's what I think it is, the answer has moved off a no. We're still interested in the use of your estate for a camp area, Mr. Hunt. But I have a kind of compromise to present to you. I'm not interested. But you will listen, won't you? Sure. I got all kinds of time. I'll listen to anything, but the answer will still be no when you're all finished. Good. I mean that you'll at least listen. I knew what you meant. Now here's the idea. Your main objection to turning over your estate for a camp is that you don't want to be bothered by the fellas running all over the place, isn't that it? Well, that's one of the reasons, yes. Well, we've been talking this over and I've decided that we wouldn't even need to use your entire estate, just the corner of it that's wooded. All we want to use it for is short overnight camping and basic camp instructions before we take some of the younger fellas up to our larger camp. Just one corner of my estate, huh? That's right. As a matter of fact, I'm sure you don't spend any time in your woods, Mr. Hunt, and the fellas could put it to good use. They'd never show up near your home here. Well, uh, yes, Mr. Hunt? I told you what my answer was, Bill, and I mean to stick to it. Kids mean destructiveness, and this estate has been in the family for as long as Nutty Pine has been on the map. I don't intend to let it go to pieces just to entertain a bunch of kids. But they're, uh... They're trouble, Bill. I know you have to put up with them. That's part of what's expected of an outdoorsman, but I don't, and I won't. As far as I'm concerned, kids are as bad if not worse than termites. Well, I wonder what's keeping Bill? He said he'd be here as soon as he finished with Mr. Hunt, Henry. Boy, I hope old Mr. Hunt comes through this time. Oh, so do I, laddie. If more of the fellas went up to camp with more firsthand knowledge of what to do and what not to do, we'd have a lot less use of that first aid box. Yeah, I wouldn't get as many white hairs worrying about the fellas. Every hair on your head is white, Stumpy. Yeah. Maybe it's a little late for me, but we don't want Henry to start getting up. Hey, here comes Bill. Hi, Bill. Hi, fellas. Hey, let's hold it down, gang. We want to hear what Bill has to say. Well, uh, I'm afraid you won't be very happy with what I have to say, fellas. Mr. Hunt still says no. He didn't even like the idea of only using a small part of his estate? I'm afraid not, Bill. What an old crank. I don't think we'd better judge Mr. Hunt too harshly, fellas. We have to try to understand his feelings in this. No, whippersnappers! It's hard to see why an old man won't give over the use of his woods. The woods he don't even use for us to camp in. It sure is. But, uh, maybe we all do things like that. I mean, uh, how many things do you have lying around your room that you never even look at? And if somebody asked you for them, would you give them up? Don't you have something like that in your room, laddie? Well, it's different with things like that. Well, maybe not as different you think. I think we ought to go over to old man Hunt's estate and show him what we think of the way he hangs onto his woods. Now, just a minute, fellas. Maybe we'd better talk this one over first. He's just a grouchy old man, Bill. That's what he may seem like to you, laddie, but maybe he's got good reasons for what he thinks. Well, I think we ought to teach him a lesson. You'd better simmer down, laddie, and listen to what Bill has to say. Going over there to Mr. Hunt's estate and doing damage to his property or causing trouble of any kind at all would be playing right into his hands. Huh? That's right. He told me today that the main reason he didn't want you fellas running over his place was that you'd be sure to damage something. The way he figures it, boy's me in destruction. So you see, laddie, if you or any of the fellas went over there and caused trouble, Mr. Hunt would just be able to say, see, it's just like I said. I guess so. Besides, most of you fellas are Christians. I know you are, laddie. What kind of way is that for a Christian to act? You never heard of Jesus paying anybody back for something they did to him that he didn't like? He understood people and did what he could to help them to understand him and his Heavenly Father. Yeah, I guess so, Bill. I'm sorry, but he sure makes me mad when he won't let us use his woods for no reason at all. It isn't always easy to understand why people do what they do, laddie. But as Christians, we must try to allow for the other person's wants as much as we can. Oh, so I guess we can just forget Mr. Hunt's place for our camp, huh? That's the way it looks, Henry. I'm sorry, fellas. Hey, what is this? What's happened to the lights? What in the world could have blown out that fuse? Well, I suppose they'd better go out in the back to a fuse box and put another one in. Oh, oh, darkest 90th of the year, I have to be without lights. Can't even tell if my leg is bleeding where I hit that chair. If I didn't know how simple it was to blow a fuse, I'd almost think someone planned this. Oh, where's that door? Oh, lights all night, no electricity. Everything in the refrigerator's going bad, and you tell me it might take a week to locate where the wires are shortening. Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Hunt. This is a large old house, and tracking down faulty wiring takes time. And the price you want for the job. That's my price, Mr. Hunt. And believe me, you won't get it done any cheaper anywhere in town. Well, I'll let you know what I decide. Well, the longer you wait, the more risk you run, and the short may burn this place down. I make up my own mind, my own house. I said I'll let you know. Like you said, you made up your own mind. And the door's right over there. Okay, I'm going. I'll be seeing you, Mr. Hunt. Can't understand it. The wiring got over just a few weeks, years ago. I wonder if anyone is playing games with me. Oh, that's silly. We'll be doing a thing like that. That electrician practically froze the household and the door open like that. It's cold in here. I'll brew myself a cup of coffee. Let's see here. Oh, it seems ridiculous to make a whole pot for just one cup. I'll just heat some water for some instant coffee. Maybe if I use hot water to start, it'll be boiling faster. Hey, what's wrong with the water? What's going on around here? Got a drop of water. Oh, just a minute. I shouldn't be having all this trouble. This house isn't in bad repair. Why all of a sudden should things start going wrong? Big things. Maybe I'm not so far wrong thinking somebody's up to something. But, uh, maybe if I start checking things myself, I'll find out what's going on around here. Can't trust professional men anyhow. All I want to do is just put the money up there. I wonder who that's coming up to drive there. Mr. Hunt. That's right. Who are you? Morton's a name. Christopher Morton. You probably know of Morton Realty's and Notty Pine. I'm a real estate agent. Never heard of you. Don't have any needed property, Mr. Morton. Oh, I know that, Mr. Hunt. As a matter of fact, I'm here to see if you're interested in getting rid of a little. Getting rid? What are you talking about? Well, rumor has it that this old estate of yours is starting to fall apart at the seams. You know, electricity, plumbing, all the things that probably cost a pretty penny to fix. Rumor has it, huh? Who are you been talking to? That electrician? You two work together, do you? Now, Mr. Hunt. Pretty good. He sets the price high enough to break a man. You move in and offer to buy the place. I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Hunt. I told you why I'm here. I came to do you a favor. Well, all I know is that you live out here in this huge estate all alone. And I'm ready to make you a very sizable offer for the whole place. And you can move into something smaller and a newer condition in town. And still pocket a great deal of cash. Now, there's nothing sneaky in that, but you profit at every turn. I don't happen to need money, Mr. Morden. I happen to be about the wealthiest man in this whole area. Well, I've never known anyone who didn't think they could use a little more. And let me tell you something else, Mr. Morden. What's that? This home of mine is not in bad repair. Falling apart at the seams, as you put it. It's in good repair. I've made it a point of keeping it in good condition through the years. Well, I'm sure you have, but the house is old. Things going wrong need to be there. You said that things are going wrong, Mr. Morden. Well, that isn't what's happening. Oh? Things are being made to go wrong. They're not just happening. Oh, let's be serious, Mr. Hunt. Who would trouble themselves over an old place like this? Someone who wanted it for themselves. Are you insinuating that I would... I'm not insinuating anything, Mr. Morden. In fact, I never even thought about you. Well, you think someone is causing these misfortunes? A certain boys' club has been wanting to use my estate for a long time, for camp and facilities. I've repeatedly refused permission to come here. And I have a feeling that they're trying to get back in this way. A boys' club? Yes. One ranger, Bill Jefferson, seems to have something to do with. I can hardly believe that. Those fellas don't seem the kind to be destructive. Oh, boys are destructive. That's why I wouldn't allow them on the premises. And now they're just proving me right, despite of what Bill Jefferson said about them. Well, I'm afraid I find it hard to believe that the naughty pine boys' club is responsible for sabotaging your estate, Mr. Hunt. I think you'd better have more than an idea that they are responsible before you start making your accusations public. I'll have more, don't you worry about that. I'm checking this wiring myself for the trouble. Soon as I find the break or whatever, I'll know if it's just happened or if it was done. And as for your offer, Mr. Morden, I'm not interested in selling even a small part of my estate. One night to be without lights and water. The wind is so fierce out there, I can't even walk to the old pump to see if it still works. Look at that coal oil lamp flicker. Must be a window open somewhere. Can't even keep a light steady enough to read by. Oh, must be one of the shutters work loose. What a night. That wind, noise, no electricity, no water. I'm going in a naughty pine tomorrow and having out with that Bill Jefferson. I'll demand that he send those kids out here and fix what they've broken. I'll sit him down. What in the world was that? It came from the front of the house. I'd better go out there and see. I'll throw it in the front. That crash must have... Oh no. That huge tree falling smack in the porch. Knock the front door in and roll in the roof and screening. How could a big tree like that just fall? It was more than just an accident. This is the last straw. Man, that sure was a strong wind last night. Strong wind. When I walked out of the house this morning, it was a good 10 paces farther from the front sidewalk. Well, maybe it wasn't that strong, but it was strong, all right. We've been getting reports of damage caused all over the naughty pine area. Oh, I guess. Things like that wind that you're never really prepared for. Jefferson. Oh, hello, Mr. Hunt. Oh, hello, Mr. Hunt. Jefferson, I want to talk to you. Maybe we'd better go for a little walk, Henry. You can all stay. What seems to be the trouble, Mr. Hunt? Your boys' club seems to be the trouble. That's what? The boys' club? What are you talking about? Maybe that club of yours has a pretty good reputation around town. But that's because they've never been caught doing anything. You still haven't come to the point, Mr. Hunt. The point, Ranger Bill Jefferson, is that those boys of yours are as destructive as any other boys. And worse, they do it on purpose. Oh, hold on there. What's he talking about, Bill? That's what I'd like to know, Henry. So far, Mr. Hunt, you've just tossed out a lot of names. How about getting specific? What are you accusing the boys' club of? Making a shambles of my estate. That's what? Making a shambles? First, I suddenly have no electricity. Then, I suddenly have no water. And finally, last night, one of the big trees in front of my place topples over, smashing my porch and knocking the front door off its hinges. That's what I'm accusing your boys' club of. Boy? Well, any one of those things could be explained away, Mr. Hunt. There's no reason to think that any of the fellas had anything to do with them. Maybe so, Jefferson. At least that might have been true before last night, and that tree falling. Oh, there was a high wind last night. Lots of trees were blown over. That may be true. But how many of them had hatchet marks where they split? Well, that does put a different light on things. And see if this doesn't finish the picture for you. A hatchet? Just the kind boys use out in the woods, isn't it? Maybe even the kind your boys' club uses, huh? I found it in the bushes near the fallen tree. Well, Mr. Hunt, I don't really know what to say about this. I find it hard to believe that any of the fellas in the club would do anything like this. You come out and see my home if you want any easier time believing it. But I'll certainly do what I can to find out if someone in the club is responsible. It has to be someone in your club who else is interested in my place. As I said, Mr. Hunt, I'll do what I can to discover if anyone in the club has been damaging your estate. Well, you better come up with something, Jefferson. I don't want to call a sheriff in on this, but I will if it keeps up. Right now it's going to cost the Vandal a lot of money to pay for repairs for what he's done. I'll be expecting to hear from you soon, Jefferson. Good day. Wow, was he mad? Well, if all the things he mentioned had been happening to him, pal, I'd say he had good reason to be upset. But not such good reason to blame the boys' club. I'd like to think that too, Stumpy, but what about that hatchet he found? That's just like the ones all the fellas use when we go camping. It does look incriminating, pal, except for one thing. What's that? Well, if someone were going to all the trouble of making their damage look like accidents, I hardly think they'd be so careless as to leave a hatchet in a place where it could be easily found. In fact, there's no reason to leave a hatchet at all. It isn't heavy. Hey, I never thought of that. You think that hatchet was a plant, Bill? You think someone's trying to make it look like the boys' club is responsible for what's going on? That would be my guess, old timer. But I can't understand why anyone would want to do that, or even know to do it. What do you mean? Well, in order to make it seem like the boys' club was responsible, whoever it is would have to know that we've been asking Mr. Hunt for the use of his estate, and that he said no. As far as I know, no one really knows about our talks with him. And that brings us back to the club, huh? I'm afraid so, pal. On the one hand, it looks as though someone's trying to pin this on the fellas. And on the other hand, who could? Just may be one of the fellas, after all. Hey, um, may I have your attention, fellas? Fellas? Well, thanks. Arrange your billers here again tonight to talk with us, and he's got something really important to talk about, so I'll let him start right in. Thanks, Henry. Fellas, this club is getting a bad name. Now, you remember when Mr. Hunt told his last that we couldn't use his estate, and that was final? Some of you thought about getting even, or teaching him a lesson. Well, a number of so-called accidents have been happening to the Hunt home, and the last one was not very carefully done. A tree fell into the porch, and this hatchet was found near the fallen tree. Mr. Hunt was in the semen this morning convinced that one or more of you had something to do with his problems. This hatchet seems to support his idea. Arrange your bill. Yes, laddie? Well, I know what everybody's thinking. I was the one who said, let's pay him back and all that. But I didn't do any of the things that have been happening to Mr. Hunt. I really didn't. Me either. I didn't do either. Well, that sounds that. I believe you, fellas. And it looks as though someone really is trying to pin this on the boys' club. Yes, it does, pal. But who? Just as I said it was, isn't it? Almost as you said it was, Mr. Hunt. What do you mean by that? Well, the tree has been chopped all right, but not with a hatchet. What are you talking about? You saw the hatchet yourself. I saw the hatchet you say you found nearby. Say? I did find it. Right over there. Just as I told you. Listen, if you're trying to accuse me... I'm only trying to find out what really happened here, Mr. Hunt. I know what happened. One or more of your boys in that club sneaked over here and started playing tricks on me. They've all assured me that they had nothing to do with this business. You're so naive as to believe them. Huh. I'd taken you to be a more intelligent man, Ranger. Perhaps I'd better make this crystal clear to you, Mr. Hunt. Those boys are Christian fellas. Sure they'd like to do something to you for refusing the use of your estate, but they wouldn't. God is more important to them than you are, Mr. Hunt. They are not to blame for what's been going on here, and they aren't liars either. Well... Now, what I was going to tell you about this tree that fell into your house, it was chopped by a much larger blade than that little hatchet you found. You see? Look at a few of these cuts. I don't see what you're looking at. Right here. Here's a clean cut. And notice how long the blade is across, much longer than that hatchet. It would be almost impossible to fell a tree of any size with one of those little things. At least it would take all day to do it. Then how did that little hatchet get under the bushes over there? That's what I'd like to know. It looks as though someone is using your dislike of the boys club to his own advantage. His own advantage? Your boys are the only ones interested in my place. Apparently that's not entirely the case. It looks to me as though... Wait a minute. Look over there. Look at the trees. There's someone moving over there. Yeah, so there is. Well, quiet. Let's wander over that way and find out who it is and what he wants. I don't know why we just don't walk up to whoever it is and confront them instead of creeping through these bushes. It's better at times to watch the other person without there knowing you're there. That way you can find out what they're up to and they haven't got any excuses. Whoever it is is trespassing. Maybe more. That's what I want to find out. He's right up ahead. He seems to have stopped. He can get a good look at him from right up behind this tree. I'll be interested in... What? What? It's Ladi. Judging from the look on your face, this Ladi is a member of your boys club. Yes, he is. But what in the world is he doing out here? I think the answer to that is perfectly obvious. He's trouble making. I'll get to the bottom of this. Oh, Ladi. Ranger Bill. I hope you've got a pretty good story, Ladi. What do you mean? He means this. Look what your fine Christian boy was doing, Jefferson. Stretching this wire across my winding driveway. The next car that came in or out would have pulled out at least six of these young trees before it could stop. Another trick, youngster. But I wasn't tying this up. I was untying it. I was, honest. The guy that did this went off through the trees that way toward the house. Sure he did. And he had two heads, each with a different color hair. I'm not lying to you, Mr. Hunt. What are you doing up here, Ladi? Honest, Bill. I just came up here to look around and see if I could find out who was given the club a bad name. Are you going to believe a story like that, Jefferson? We found a lad right here with a wire. Mr. Hunt, I admit that when we all found out that you wouldn't let us camp when you're a state, I was pretty mad. I even wanted to come out here and do something. And so you did. No, sir. I wanted to. But I know that the Lord wouldn't be happy with me if I caused you any trouble. That's why I came here today. I thought maybe I could clear the club. And I almost did. Your story touches my heart. Wait a minute, Mr. Hunt. The least we can do is give the boy a chance. I'll give him a chance, all right. A chance to pay for a lot of damage or go to jail. Please, Ranger Bill. Talk to him. The other guy. That's right. If there is another man wandering around this estate who is really responsible for all the things that have been happening, then Ladi is clear. You don't actually believe his story, do you? I don't have to believe it or not believe it. What do you mean? Let's just see if there is someone else around the premises. Oh, it'd be a wild goose chase. Maybe. Maybe not. Which way did he go, Ladi? Through those trees. He still had a lot of wire and it looked like he was headed for the house. Come on. I hope for everybody's sake, Ladi, that you're telling the truth. I haven't seen a trace of anyone yet. There have been lots of traces through here, Mr. Hunt. I mean, if anyone's strange. I walk around the grounds every day. Why don't we just forget this little joke and look a bit longer. Look, Jefferson, I know you feel some kind of loyalty toward the boys in your little club, but this one's been caught with the goods. Hold it. Hold it. What's the matter? Look through these trees. Right there, by your back door. Well, it's a man. That's him. What's he doing? Looks to me as though he's stretching that wire across the back walk, close to the ground, in the dark that could cause a bad fall. Hey, let's get over there and find out who he is. Better let me. Let me try to make a run for it. You wait here. Can I help you? Ranger, where'd you come from? What are you up to? Up to? Why, nothing? Nothing at all. I was just, get him, Bill. He's trying to run away. Looks as though I don't need to chase him, Ladi. He tripped over his own wire. So that real estate agent wanted to get Mr. Hunt off his estate so he could buy it and start a housing development, huh? That's right, Bill. That sure was dirty, blaming the boys' club. I think he just fell into that, Henry. He started that smash campaign by himself, and then when he found out that Mr. Hunt was blaming the boys' club, he started making you look like tricks at boys with Paul. It's too bad Mr. Hunt didn't believe you about how Christians act, Bill. I suppose he's got a lot of reasons, not too, Ladi. But he seems to have changed his mind a little, at least where you fellas are concerned. What do you mean, Bill? He just called me a little while ago. He's decided to let us use his estate for a small camp. Hey, you hear that, Ladi? That's great. Wonderful. He also said he was more interested in what they say at that church you go to. He said that I should expect to see him there. Hey, that's terrific. It's your is, Bill. And boys and girls, we'll expect to see you next week for more adventure with... Ranger! Ranger Bill is produced in the radio studios of the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.