 Snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions. Yes, all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Say, have you ever known people who somehow were always in hot water? Oh, nothing serious, but, well, they're just a little bit on the daring side. They think after it's too late. Some folks call them foolhardy, others call them a nuisance. Nevertheless, it seems that this type of individual pulls one harebrained stunt after another. And that's a perfect description of Norman Marks. He never took anything serious, never had an ounce of responsibility in his blood. Then suddenly, Norm got into more trouble than a barrel of monkeys. And here's how it happened. Listen to the story of the reckless driver. Two young fellows, Norman Marks and his friend Jack Sanders, are just about to leave for Canyon City. Jack is a quiet fellow, much more conservative than Norm. And as they stand talking, it's plain to see that Jack is a little worried. Norm, do you really think we ought to drive to Canyon City tonight? Well, sure. Why not? Well, it's darker than the inside of a closet. I've got good lights on the car. What more do we want? Oh, but these modern roads, they're hard to drive at night. What's the matter, Jack? You scared yourself? No, but along the way you drive, I... Now you're talking like my folks. You don't have to go if you don't want to. Oh, it's not that. OK, then jump in and we'll be on our way. All right. I wish you'd keep this crate down to driving speed for a change. You think we're going to take off and fly, huh? Sometimes I think so. Don't worry, everything's under control. Come on, Henry. Let's go. I'm coming, Bill. Just a sec. What's keeping you? Oh, there's zipper in my jacket stuck. Well, fix it in the car. What are you in such a big rush to get to Canyon City for? Mitch Freeman's there, Henry. I've got to talk to him before he goes east again. Well, you pick a nice, dark night to go over the mountains. Oh, so you don't trust me? He's an old classmate of yours, isn't he? Old? How old do you think I am? Get in the car, will you? OK. Got your zipper fixed yet? Nope. Now my shirt's stuck in it, too. Oh, Henry, a fine mechanic you do. Oh, don't be picky, uni. All I need now is a left-handed screwdriver. Look at easy, fella. You're not on the salt flats. Ah, there you go. Worrying again. I've got the car under control, haven't I? Oh, I hope so. Hang onto your seat. I'm going to take the shortcut. It's all right with me to keep that heavy foot off the gas. I'm going to slow down on this. Slow down, didn't you? You said at first, Jack, we're not on the salt flats. Hey, Bill, are you taking the shortcut to Canyon City? Yeah. Not a bad road. Take it easy, Henry. Oh, and it knocks off about 10 miles. Right. It's only an hour's drive this way. Well, wake me up when we get there, will you? Sure. We don't hit a bump first. So, there's the situation. Two young fellas easing along in a moderate speed without a care in the world. And two rangers on an errand of business taking the shortcut through the mountains. Unknown to any of them, about half a mile along the Canyon City Road, there's been a rock slide. And two state troopers, Neil Crown and Harry McCormick, have set up a barricade 300 feet in front of the slide. The two troopers are standing a lonesome night watch nearby. Oh, this fire feels good, Harry. Yeah, I'll say it does. I would be surprised if we got snow sometime tonight. It certainly feels like it, doesn't it? Well, the moon will be up in a couple hours. It'll be a little more cheerful. Yeah, if it weren't for the fire, you can hardly see your hand in front of your face. That's for sure. Say, I wonder how many cars ever take this road at night. You know, I've been thinking the same thing. Pretty dangerous, if you ask me. Sure is. Hanging around these hairpin turns, your headlights don't do you much good. Man, what do you know, a customer. Yeah, maybe we'll have somebody to talk to. We'll have to go back, that's sure. Oh, I'd better check the lantern. I'll be careful of that thing, Neil. It might blow up on you. That'll be one way to get warm, huh? Yeah. Now, let me walk out there with you. Nothing else to do. The lantern's okay. You should be able to... Neil, Neil, look out! Neil! Somebody! Hey, kid, what's the idea? No, no, you hit a state trooper. There he is on the ground. Hey, Bill, there's your car ahead of us. I just saw his lights hit the rocks as he went around the bend. Yeah, I saw him too, Bill. About half a mile ahead. Traveling in a pretty safe speed, I'd say. Oh, well, wake me up when we get to Canyon City. Don't tell me that, Henry. You're too nosy to sleep and you know it. Yeah, I guess you're right. Say, what hotel did Mitch put up at? What hotel? Didn't know there was more than one in Canyon City. Well, there are two of them now. Since when? Boy, I see. You don't keep up on the latest news. It was in the paper. Where? Down at the bottom of the third page, about three lines. I only read the big print. Oh, I see. Well, here's that bend I saw that car go around. It's probably gone around six more since then. Yeah, I suppose so. Hey, Bill, look out. Huh? Get out, pal. There's something wrong up there. Yeah. It looks like an accident. That car must have run over him. Great, Scott. It's a trooper. Hey, your fellas give me a hand. My partner, he's hurt badly. Hey, it's Harry McCormick. Bill Jefferson. Boy, am I glad to see you. Who is it on the ground, Harry? Neil Crown. Oh. You give Neil first aid, Harry. Henry and I'll rig a stretcher. Okay. Keep your eye on those two roughnecks, will you? A tall one is a fella that ran Neil down. Just a little bit more. That's good, fellas. Make sure the stretcher is resting squarely in back. Phew. Boy, that wasn't easy putting it over the top of the seats. Yeah, Neil's pretty heavy. Well, what are those two lads? They're standing by their car waiting. Hey, you two. Come over here. Yes, sir. Get in the front seat of the ranger's car. What do you want us to do? You fella are under arrest. Reckless driving. Your friend is a material witness. Under arrest? I didn't even see the other trooper or the barricade either. Ah, yeah, the judge will like that story. He's right, officer. I didn't see him either. Norm wasn't driving fast? Oh, you two have your story all set, haven't you? Harry, you better save this for later. Neil needs to be taken to a hospital. Right. Let's go. You and Henry sit in the back seat, keep Neil from rolling off the stretcher. You two lads get in the front seat with me. Okay, hop to it. Whippersnappers got themselves in the deep water this time. Of course, you might know it would be with Norman around. Uh, Norman plenty careless. Never listen to advice. Always take chance. Now he wished maybe he'd listen. That's right, Grey Wolf. The funny part about it is that when we saw the... Hey, Bill, here comes Harry. How's Neil, Harry? That's a good condition critical, I say. I'm sure it's sorry to hear that. Do they say what chance he has of making the grain? Well, doctor says he's got a 50-50 chance to pull through. Where is he injured the most, Harry? Uh, it's his chest, Bill. It's just crushed. Man, that's serious. Yeah, you're telling me. You leaving, Harry? Uh, it's nothing I can do at the moment. I'm going to file my report. I'll be back in a little while. What are you charging Norman Marx with, Harry? Reckless driving. And if Neil dies, it's manslaughter. Looks like Norm's in for it. The report that state trooper Harry McCormick's going to file is pretty serious. Right now, let's visit Norm at the Naughty Pine Jail, where he's being held until the judge sets bond for his freedom. Norm's dad and the lawyer are talking to the lad. His friend Jack is there, too. Norman, this is Alfred Cassidy, lawyer. He's going to try to defend you in court. Hello, Mr. Cassidy. Hello, Norman. Dad, you talk like I'm guilty of this. I don't know whether you're guilty or not, but I do know that you've scoffed time and again at any advice I've given you about being more careful. Now here we are again. Well, Alistair, I didn't see the trooper or the barricade. That's Jack. Oh, that's right, Mr. Marx. We were on top of him before we could see a thing. I'd like to believe that, but I just can't. Now listen, all three of you. I don't want any of you to talk to a soul about the accident until I'm ready for you to talk. I want to get all the facts first. You can talk about anything else, but not about the accident, understand? We want Norman to be protected as fully as the law allows. Okay, Mr. Cassidy. I'd like to have a word with you privately, Mr. Cassidy. Certainly. We can talk in the sheriff's office. See you in the morning, Norman. You, too, Jack. Okay, good night. Good night, sir. Tell me what you can to the opinion, Mr. Cassidy. Well, without all the facts at hand, I can't give you a straight answer, Mr. Marx. However, I have read the report of the arresting officer. Yes. Circumstantial evidence is all against your boy. Take it easy, big boy. We'll hit the trail soon. You fellas about ready? Easy does it, best. Stand still. I'll be ready in a second, Bill. See, I'm wondering how Norm's making out. I don't know. I talked with the sheriff last night. Looks like Norm's in a bad spot. Apple, my foot, I'll give you a fat eye. You fella didn't have a reputation for being such a reckless scallywag. He'd be a lot better off now. Folks are again him. Ah, you speak truth. Many people in town say he at last get what he asked for. The question is, is he really guilty? Guilty? What else could he be, sonny? Harry's a good trooper, and he saw it all. He wouldn't lie about a thing like that. Yeah, I know. But do you think Harry might have stretched a point or two because his partner got hurt? Not Harry. He always fair. Well, it's too bad. There's not much we can do about it. It's out of our hands. Let's go, fellas. Get him up there. Come on, store. Hello, Mr. Cassidy. Did you find out anything that will help me? Good morning, Norman. Zach, Mr. Marks. Good morning, sir. Norman, are you sure you've told me the truth? I'm my word of honor, Mr. Cassidy. I have. Mm-hmm. Well, the reason I ask is because a lie won't do you a bit of good. What do you mean by that, Mr. Cassidy? Well, Mr. Marks, I've read and reread the arresting officer's report for the accident. And I, myself, went to the scene of the accident. What did you find out? Somebody's not telling the truth. You were telling the truth, Norman? Dad, I know I've been wrong in the past. I know I've told some wild stories, but this time I'm telling the truth. Even if I were standing before the Lord, I would say the same thing. I didn't see Officer Crown or the barricade. That's the truth. And in my word of honor, I say the same thing. All right, son, I believe you. Well, there's only one thing we can do, and that's to find some evidence that's been missed. I think I'll start at the hospital. You say it won't be possible to talk to Officer Crown for several days, Doctor. That's right, Mr. Cassidy. You see, his condition hasn't changed. He's hanging between life and death. We've got a 24-hour watch on him. I hope he pulls through for his family's sake and for Norman's. He still has only a 50-50 chance. Oh, um, here comes his partner, Trooper McCormick. Yes, I know, Harry. He's taking this pretty hard. Yes, the men have worked together for many years. Hello, Doc. Mr. Cassidy? Good morning, Harry. Hello, McCormick. How's Neil, Doc? Still the same, Harry. Once a crisis. Probably around noon tomorrow. All right, see. Mr. Cassidy, I hear you're defending young Marx. That's right, Harry. Don't you think you're wasting your time? No, I don't think so. Else I wouldn't be on the case. Well, I'm going to see to it that the judge throws a book at that young fella. And it's my job to see that he gets the protection of the law to the foe. Yeah. Well, the evidence proves that he's guilty. Circumstantial evidence, yes. I'll admit to that. But somewhere an important piece of evidence has been missed. I believe Norman's telling the truth. You believe Norman Marx? You know what his reputation is? Yes, I do. And I also know that there comes a time when everybody does tell the truth, Harry. I'll see you before the judge in the morning. Right. I sure hope the judge refuses bail. I'll lock up that young fella and throw the key away. Next case. Your honor, the next case is the state versus Norman Marx. Oh, yes. Is the attorney for the defense here? I'm the attorney for the defense, your honor. Oh, yes, Mr. Cassidy. Well, on looking over the evidence available, I'd say the state has an airtight case against this lad. I set his trial one week from Monday. What is the bail to be falsed for my client's freedom until the trial, your honor? I'm sorry, there won't be any bail, Mr. Cassidy. If it pleases the court, I'd like to set the trial date sooner. Uh, request tonight. His court wants to wait until it is known whether Trooper Crown will live or die. It really looks like Norman's going to get the book thrown at him, doesn't it? Now let's catch up with Bill and the felons. They're heading back to town after being out on the trail several days. I'm glad we're going back home, Bill. I anxious to find out how Norm's making out. I've been thinking a lot about him. So have I, pal. Lord's really putting Norman on my mind. That must be right, because we've head for a place where accident takes place. Hey, we're just going to see the same thing, young fella. Why are you heading for the Canyon City Road, Bill? I want to take a look at the scene of the accident. You saw it before, didn't you? I want to look again, Henry. And Harry's report gives all the facts, doesn't it? Presumably, yeah, but I want to recheck them. You mean Harry may have stretched a point or two? I don't mean that at all, pal. There's something that's been bothering me. Oh, now he tell us, maybe. Do we know something resigned your mind by the way you acted? Do you think some important facts have been left out of the picture, Bill? Well, I don't know. Let's wait until we get there and take a look. And I'll be able to tell. Well, what's the one thing that keeps bothering you, Bill? Well, it's this. Harry, Norman and Jack were all involved in the accident. They all seemed to be telling the truth. And why does Norman and Jack's story differ so radically from Harry's? Ah, that's funny, hard to tell. Well, that's why I'm going there, to find out. After we stop at the scene of the accident, we'll head back home. We're good to be home again. Oh, the place looks the same. Yep, Jeff for that fella is sitting over there in the corner. Ah, him not here when we leave. Yeah. Hello, Mr. Cassidy. Hello, Henry. Hello, Mr. Cassidy. Hello, Al. You can tell these fellas haven't been working very hard. They're full of monkey business. That seems that your fellas always seem to be able to laugh, no matter how serious the situation is. I wish I could do that. You can, Al. I can? What's the secret? No secret. You just put complete trust in the Lord and let him work things out according to his plan. Ah, yes, as I see him. Well, I hope this formula you have works out for what I'm about to ask you. Go ahead and ask Al. I'll do the best I can. That's right, Al. We've got him out all around here. The difficult things we do ourselves. But only the Lord can do the impossible. So we give that to him. Yes, well, I'm afraid that I'm going to ask the impossible. Let's hear it, Al. Yeah, tell us, Al. Can you help me find evidence that will prove Norman Marks' innocence of these charges? Uh-oh. Yes, Al. I can give you evidence that will clear Norman. Well, what, biologist? Tell us. Hey, close your tater traps. Bill, now talk. Well, Bill, you wouldn't joke with an old friend on something as serious as this. Have I ever, Al? No, but, Al, well, are you sure? Don't build up our hopes unless you are. Will it stand up in court? It'll stand up in court. Only I want to get this over with before the trial. What can I do to help, Bill? Bring Norman, Mr. Marks, and Jack out to the scene of the accident right after dark this evening. I'll bring Harry McCormick and the rest of my boys. Okay, we'll be there, Bill. Maybe Harry's over at the hospital, Bill. He's there, Henry. McCormick speaking. Harry, this is Bill. Oh, how are you, Bill? Nice to hear your voice. How's Neil? Well, I'm glad to say he's improving. Past the crisis. Like I said, he'll be off the critical list in a day or two. Oh, that's wonderful. Harry, will you take a ride with me out to the scene of the accident right after dark? Why? This Cassidy got you in on this, too. I told him he couldn't get Mark off this time. The judge will throw the book at him. You still haven't answered my question, old boy. I don't see why it's necessary to go through the whole thing again. What's the purpose, anyhow? To prove Norman innocent. What? Man, either you're joking or else you're out of your mind. Neither, Harry. What do you say? Uh, I don't think so, Bill. That's a waste of time. As a personal favor? Thanks, Harry. I'll pick you up in about 45 minutes. Okay, Bill, I'll see you then. Well, the barricades set up just like it was the night of the accident, Bill. All right. The lanterns just like it was then? Uh, yeah. The barricades in the same place, Harry? Exactly the same place, Cassidy. You sure? Positive. Norman, Jack, can you come here, please? Yeah, sure, Bill. How fast were you going down this road, Norman? About 35 miles an hour, not any faster. You agree, Jack? Yes, Bill. I remember Norman and I talked about reducing speed on this road because of the bad turns. Harry, will you take my car and go back down the road about half a mile and drive up to the barricade like you think Norman did? Uh, I'll be glad to, Bill. Hey, Bill, what are you up to? You'll see when Harry drives the car up to the barricade. Are you sure this is going to prove something, Bill? Yes, be patient. Harry drives the car a half mile down the road. Turns around, starts back toward the barricade. Harry watches the speedometer to be sure he's going the same speed that Norman did. Meanwhile, Bill hears the car approaching and he walks out in front of the barricade, stoopes down over the lantern just as Neil did when Norman was driving. Suddenly, the car rounds the turn. Bill still crouched over the lantern. Henry yells, Look out, Bill! Bill suddenly stands up right in front of the approaching car. Hey, Scott, Billy. I was right over you. What? Did you see me crouched over the light? No, I didn't see you or the light. Didn't you see the barricade? No! Well, neither did Norman. What? Bill, I... I've made a terrible mistake. Norman couldn't possibly have seen Neil. Why not, Harry? Well, the car was coming slightly up great around the turn and Neil was covering the lantern with his body. Norman, I... I'm terribly sorry. I've done you a great injustice. I can see now this was purely an accident. You're innocent. I withdraw the charge. Well, I've learned a lot, Bill. This experience has knocked some seriousness into my head. You don't know how grateful I am for what you've done. And that goes for me, too, Bill. Thanks so much for helping us. I'm the one who's more grateful than anybody. I am knowingly accused an innocent man. I wish I could make this up to you some way, Norman. I think you and Norm are even, Harry. Well, how do you mean, Bill? Well, even though this has been a rugged experience, Norman's learned he's got to be responsible and protect his reputation. And you've learned that circumstantial evidence can be wrong. Oh, you can say that again. Tell me, Bill, how did you figure this out? Well, the contradiction between your stories really disturbed me, Harry. Then I remembered that when Henry and I drove up, I had to slam on my brakes rather hard. And the taillights and Norm's car were on then. That started a chain reaction. Then they all came to see us, so I thought we would try out my idea. A great piece of deduction. I got it handed to you, Bill. You must have some kind of a secret formula for this. No, no secret formula, Al. It's the Bible which all men can read. Whenever I get a tough problem, I remember Proverbs 3.5. Yes, what's that? Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. Bill certainly has a good formula, as Al Cassidy calls it. It's a verse of Scripture that all of us should use more often. And certainly Bill proved that facts can give us the wrong picture unless we have all of them. We'll see you next week for more adventure with... Ray!