 The challenge of the Yukon. The Wonder Dog King, swiftest and strongest of the Shkomo lead dogs, blazes a 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 who preserved law and order in the new northwest country, where the greed for wealth and power led 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. Old Andy Saunders owned the richest claim in the Yukon, but years of hardship before he struck it rich had etched deep lines in his leathery face. Those lines, however, were softened by happiness as he sat at the corner table in the Gold Circle Cafe. Happiness also lighted the face of the woman with Andy. The middle-aged look of discouragement and disillusionment was gone. Rita, the cafe entertainer, looked almost as young as she had when she first came to the Yukon. Ten years ago. And this is the first real moment of happiness I've known. Oh, Andy, you don't really mean what you said. I never meant anything more. I'm sick of being a bachelor. A real home. Security. But, Andy, you're a millionaire. You could go back to the States and have almost anything you wanted. I aim to stay here among my own kind of people, Rita. And you're my kind. If you don't mind the difference in age... Oh, there really isn't so much difference. I ain't quite as old as I look. And I'm... Well, maybe I'm older than I look. Makeup helps you know. You won't need no makeup if you marry me. Now, I'd like you with it or without it. Now, wouldn't you say yes? Yes, Andy. I'd be mighty proud to be your wife. Good. Now, let's tell the boys. Hey, everybody! I got an announcement to make. I'm buying drinks for the house. Rita and I are announcing our engagement. And there you go. And, folks, he don't know it yet. He becomes my best man. My old friend Sergeant President. I think you heard the news. Andy's getting married. Can you beat it? Andy, what's this all about? Rita's just promised to marry me, President. And I want you for best man. Well, congratulations, Andy. And I'd have King, too. But I don't know just where he'd fit in in a wedding ceremony. Look at him. He's your approves of my choice. He likes you, Rita. King and I are old friends, aren't we, boys? There aren't many people who can say that, either. King's very choosy about his friends. You can sit right here at our table. I'm buying drinks for the house. I'll be right back. Thanks, Andy. Come on, boys, order anything you want. Bet I know what you're thinking. What? What do you mean? You're thinking I'm marrying him for his money. And I'll ditch him as soon as I get some of it. Well, you're wrong. Why, Rita, I wasn't thinking any such thing. That's what they all think. But they'll be fooled. I've always liked Andy. And, well, we'll be happy together. Well, of course you will. Andy's one of the finest men I know. He's too good for me. I know that. But he's giving me a chance to be respectable and happy. I won't ever let him down. Rita, you'd never let anybody down. Now, stop worrying about what people think. And, by the way, how's that young brother of yours? Well, I finally got enough money together to send him to school in Seattle. That's fine. The Yukon isn't the place for a boy his age. He was getting into bad company. I guess you know that. Well, everybody seems to be having a good time. Andy, I've never seen anybody look happier than you do. And I am happy, Sergeant. I got a lot to be happy about. Now, Rita, why don't you get your guitar and we'll have some music. Sure, Andy. I'll be right back. Well, Preston, I'm a lucky man. Yes, Andy, I really think you are. Rita will be a good wife. And I'm going to give her everything she ever wanted. Now, when you left the table, she was worrying a little. Worrying? About what? Oh, she was afraid we'd all think that she was marrying you just for your money. Maybe money does have something to do with it. No sourdough like me. I don't agree with you, Andy. I have an idea that Rita's thinking more about what she can give you and what she'll get from you. Well, maybe. I'm sorry she's worried about it, though. Kind of spores things for her. Well, here's the guitar. What do you have, Andy? Just a second, Rita. Attention, everybody! Quiet! Quiet now! I want y'all to be back here tomorrow night. Bill Brown, you bring your big weighing scales with you. I'm giving my bride to be her weight in gold! Rita's heart sang as she entered her cabin after the weighing had taken place. $30,000. Now, she could marry Andy for himself and not for his money. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. Who is it? I got a message for you. I guess you don't recognize me with this beard, do you? I heard you were in this town. I came about to your brother. My brother. Now I know you, your Fred Pierce. Come in. Why did you come to see me about my brother? He's in trouble. He isn't in trouble. I sent him away to school. Have you heard from him since he got there? There hasn't been time. I expect a letter from him any day now. You won't get one. What do you mean? He didn't go off to school. He went with me instead. You mean you stopped him? Why you... Oh, I know you never approved of me. You always try to keep him away from me. Anyway, he's in trouble. Bad trouble. Your baby brother killed a man. Oh, no. Also, he got shot up a little himself. Oh, terrible. Where is he? He's with some Indians, I know. I'm the only white man who knows where he is. The law is looking for him. I'll tell Andy. He'll help me. You won't tell him no one. Or I ain't telling him where to find him. But what can I do? I saw that little goldway in act at the cafe tonight. You're a rich woman. With that money, you could get him out of the country. I get the gold and we'll leave tonight. You mean without telling Andy? Why, if I do that, he'll think... Well, you can take your choice. Stay here and marry that prospector. Or come with me now and keep your brother from hanging. I heard about Rita running off with all that money. Yeah, they say she went off in the middle of the night with that big guy with the black beard. Well, Andy should have bought better to give her all that gold. Crazy old coot. I think Andy will chase after his girl. Ah, he's got a little pride. Anyway, it's her gold. He'd give it to her, didn't he? Well, I guess there's no fool like an old fool, Sergeant. Rita sure has made a laugh and stalk out of me. I can't believe it, Andy. It isn't like Rita. She sure fooled all of us. I guess I'll just have to call her the bad gamble, that's all. A girl who used all her money to send a kid brother to school just doesn't make sense. Postmaster gave me a letter for her this morning. Must be from a brother that's postmarked Seattle. He said she was anxious to get it. She hadn't heard from him since he left. Andy, Rita may be in trouble. She just isn't the kind of person to do anything like this. Or even King liked her and he'd take food from her. He saw them wrong about people. Well, I sure trusted her. The gamble, $30,000 on her, didn't I? Andy, will you go with me and try and find her? I couldn't do that. Everybody'd laugh at me. No one will know about it. No. No, I couldn't do it, Preston. There's something funny about it all. I'm going to find out what's happened to her. Andy, if this is something Rita couldn't avoid, she'd like to know you trusted her. Why don't you come with me? All right, Sergeant, I'll go. But please don't tell the gang. King, Preston's great lead dog, picked up Rita's trail easily. It was still fresh through a preceding night and led off into the wilderness. A storm was rising as Preston and Andy urged the dog team on. On King! On your manamutes! Is a bad storm coming up, Sergeant? We should be catching him soon. Rita can't travel very fast. She won't be able to keep going at all if the storm gets bad. I'll have to camp somewhere until it's over. It's going to be dark soon. You aiming to go on anyway? We won't stop until we catch him. I can't be much farther ahead. This snow's going to be engrossed pretty soon. I'm glad we're getting into the woods. The trees are protected, son. What's King's stopping for? What's the matter, boy? Come on, Andy. He doesn't seem to know which way to go, Sergeant. I see what happened. The trail is split. Look, Andy, the sled went one way and someone went through the trees in the other direction. King seems to want to follow the trail leading through the trees. Hear that? It's a timber wolf. There's a lot of them wolves around here this winter. What do you think we'd better do? The king wants to go that way. Andy, there's a chance that Rita may be off there alone. Alone? Take King and the dog team and follow that trail through the woods. I'll follow the other trail by myself. Send King after me if you don't need him. And they followed King through the woods. The trail zigzagged through the spruce trees. The wind and the howl of the wolves was weird music and the growing darkness. Suddenly, King bounded out. What is it, King? There he is. Looks like a woman lying in the snow. Why, it's Rita. Rita. Oh, Andy. King, thank heaven you came. Now, Rita, don't try to talk. I'll put you on the sled. Let me carry it. Andy, he pierces it. He's gone with the gold. Preston's on his trail, Rita. There you are. I'll wrap you up in these blankets. King, King boy, go after Preston. Fine, Preston, King. Preston plotted to the snow in a growing darkness. He knew he was gaining on the dog team ahead which was slowed down by the heavy snow. Suddenly... Oh, my arm. I've got to get on behind the slug. I've got you, you dirty red goat. Come out with your hands up or I'll be over there and finish it. Oh, so you want to fight it out, eh? With his right arm disabled, Preston was in a desperate spot. Resting his gun on the log, put that hand and keep Pierce off. But if Pierce began to serve him, he knew it would be the end. Darkness was upon them now and each man waited, exchanging shots when they thought they heard movement near them. Suddenly Preston heard a welcome sound. The light running beat of King and he called to him softly as he came nearer. King, King boy, here. Here, fella. Boyhead boy, I didn't know what you had to do. Circle him, fella. Get behind him. Go on, King. Get him. And the log kept Pierce's attention on himself. At each flash of his gun was an answering flash from that of Pierce. Suddenly he heard the sound he was waiting for. Hold him, King. Hold him. Back on the trail, Andy had made camp. In a shelter made of spruce branches, he sat with Rita, a campfire blazed in front of him. Are you comfortable, Rita? Oh, yes. That really helped so much. Andy, you... you do forgive me, don't you? Oh, there ain't nothing to forgive. I'd have done the same thing in your place. If only Preston catches... I don't care about the money, Rita. As long as I know you didn't run out on me. Pierce didn't think anyone would follow us. That's why I left me when I couldn't go on in the storm. When I think how awful it was, that wind and the hull of the wolves... Don't think about it, Rita. If only I'd waited. I'd have had that letter from my brother and I'd known he was safe at school. You're lucky that Lion Pierce just went off and left instead of murdering him. I guess he thought the cold and the wolves would take care of them. Well, listen, that's King. Preston must have caught Pierce. That's a dog team. Hold her! Hey, Preston! And look, Rita. King's bringing in Pierce. I won't run away. That dog is watching you for the rest of the night. Oh, Sergeant, you're hurt. Come over here and let me look at it. King found you, didn't he? Yes, thanks to King, I'm here. And you have your gold. And don't forget, Sergeant, thanks to King, I have a wife. Yes, fellow, the credit's all yours. And the case is closed. These copyrighted dramas originate in the studios of WXYZ Detroit, and all characters, names, places, and incidents used are fictitious. They are sent to you each week at the same time, and reach you from our transcription studios. Howl Neal speaking, this is the Michigan Radio Network.