 Now, as gunshots echo across the windswept snow-covered reaches of the wild northwest, Quakerpuff wheat and Quakerpuff rice, a breakfast cereal shot from guns, present the challenge of the Yukon. It's Yukon King, swiftest and strongest lead dog of the northwest, blazing the trail for Sergeant Preston of the northwest mounted police in his relentless pursuit of lawbreakers. Un-King, un-King! Gold, gold discovered in the Yukon, a stampede to the Klondike in the wild race for riches, back to the days of the gold rush, with Quakerpuff wheat and Quakerpuff rice, bringing you the adventures of Sergeant Preston and his wonder dog Yukon King, as they meet the challenge of the Yukon. Go for it. He's enjoying his Quakerpuff wheat. Looks good, too. It is good. Right, Billy, and so is Quakerpuff rice. These giant, ready-to-serve grains of wheat or rice are choice-flavor-rich premium grains. They're shot from guns, puffed to perfection, exploded up to eight times normal size to make them crisp and tender. Wheat or rice shot from guns is good for you, too. Makes a nourishing economical deluxe family breakfast with milk or cream and fruit. Tomorrow, sure, try this breakfast treat. Quakerpuff rice or Quakerpuff wheat? It was a stormy night. The wind was from the northwest and the snow was falling heavily. Sergeant Preston was on his way to 40 Mile to investigate a bank robbery and King was setting his faster pace as a team could follow through the heavy snow. They were passing Double Cross Creek where a strike had been made two years before. For a time, people had thought it would be as big as the Bonanza and a town had sprung up at the mouth of the creek, complete with bars and dance halls. But the strike had petered out and the town was deserted now, its ramshackled buildings weathered and falling apart. Suddenly, the sergeant called out to the team to stop. Oh, King! Oh, you're asking one more thing. It's a light in the old dance hall. Let's see what's going on there, huh? That's a branch. I'm King! The light had gone out by the time they reached the front of the dance hall, but this only made the sergeant more curious and he decided to investigate. I'm King! Oh, I'm King! What's the matter, boy? Don't you like the place? Well, that's the way it is. Well, let's take a look inside since I get this hurricane man in it. All right, come on. There were no footprints leading up the steps, but the snow would have covered any in a few minutes. The door was closed and the sergeant tried it. It was unlocked and he walked in. The place conformed to type. One entered what had been the gambling room. There were a few chairs and tables still and the bar ran along one side. The lantern cats great black shadows against the dusty walls. Beyond was the dance hall proper. A room two stories high with a balcony running completely around it and rooms leading off the balcony. There was a large stove in the center of the room. I don't see any sign of life. There's something wrong about the place, King. What is it? There's another floor above this room. It's just sort of a hotel. Wait a minute, I got it. The place is warmer than it should be. That stove and the bar and the one here haven't been lit for a long time. At that moment her red glow was shown out from the balcony. Who's there? Who are you? I saw a light. I decided to investigate. Investigating happens to be my business. I'm Sergeant Preston, Northwest Mountain Police. I said I'm Sergeant... As the sergeant lit the lamp, the old woman descended the stairs from the balcony. A red lantern in one hand, a gun on the other. But when she reached the sergeant's side, she placed them both on the table. My name's Agatha Riley, Sergeant. I live here. You do? Yep. Some go my money in this shebang when they were calling it Miracle Creek instead of Double Cross. Just stayed on after the others left. That's plenty of room. Yep. It was lonely at first, but now I sort of like it. Had enough gold during the summer to keep me in supply during the winter. Make out all right. Just the same, I am glad to see you tonight. Is there anything wrong? Maybe. Can't be sure. I've been up in Forty Mile last few days, seeing some friends and buying food. I've only been back a few hours, and it seems to me I've been hearing things. What sort of things? Just some. Well, the wind blowing the way it is isn't surprising. I'm not talking about the Timbers Creek and all the wind howling. You'll wait and see. The King and I intended to make it to Forty Mile tonight. It's your duty to stay here. Listen to that. That's only my team. Sure. They hear something that you and I don't. Listen to this dog. Maybe a traveler. Easy, King. Somebody coming in. Who's there? Who are you? I'm Agatha Riley, and I own this place. You're a trespasser. I didn't mean the trespass. Well, come on out here and show yourself. All right. I'll be ready when you're done, my sergeant. Policeman. I'm Sergeant Preston. Oh, yes, of course. I've seen your Dawson. I'm Carl Norris, the acting manager of the Forty Mile Bank. Huh? Well, this is strange. Strange? Sure is. Oh, you don't understand, ma'am. I've been expecting the sergeant. Did you expect a medium here? Well, that's what's so strange, of course, now. What brings you to double-course, Norris? Well, I'd better start at the beginning and tell you all about the case. That's a good idea. Don't mind if I stay, ma'am. No, not if you've got some legitimate business with the sergeant. You'd better most stay the night to spend your cuts upstairs. I'll go and make some tea. Sit down, Norris. Thanks. How much have you been told, sergeant? Well, to a missing one cashier and $50,000. Well, that says in a very few words. I'll give you the details. Three weeks ago, Randolph Martin, he was the manager of the bank, Martin and I went up to Little Beaver to look over some claims. Martin was the manager? Yes. A tragic thing, sergeant. While we were up on the Little Beaver, he caught pneumonia and died. There was only an Indian to help me nurse him. There was only an Indian to help me bury him. I see. When I returned at 40 mile, I took his place in the bank. It wasn't long before I discovered that something was seriously wrong with the funds. So I started checking the records. Well, I found out what was wrong. A number of figures had been altered. By the cashier? By young Tom Conlon, the cashier. He must have realized he'd be found out when I started going over the books and he disappeared. So my job is to find him. And the money. Tell me something about him. Well, his name's Tom Conlon. About 26, light hair, blue eyes. Must weigh about 180 pounds. About 5'10 or 11. Any idea of where he might have gone? No, no one saw him leave town. But there's a girl who sings in one of the cafes who might be able to give you some information. Her name is Mary Lane. I'll have a talk with her. Yes, I'm sure he said good-bye to her. She denies it? Oh, naturally. Hmm. You haven't answered my first question, Norris. What was that? What brought you to double-cross tonight? Well, I'm thinking about this case all the time, Sergeant. And it suddenly occurred to me that Conlon might be hiding out in this town. Or in one of the deserted cabins along the creek. I decided to come up and have a look, isn't far. Oh, I must admit, I didn't realize the storm was as bad as it is. Doesn't seem to have cut down on travel much. Listen, are those your dogs? No, it's another team. I'll see who it is. I want to unharness my dogs and turn them out and back. Let's go, King. The sergeant picked up his ladder and he and King walked through the empty bar room. As they neared the front door, a woman and a girl stepped inside. Don't be frightened. You're a policeman. Sergeant Preston, that's your service. Mrs. Riley, I met her in 40 miles the other day. She said she was living here and she asked me to pay her a visit. Isn't she around? You'll find her in the room at the head of the stairs. She's making some tea. Thank you. You're going to stay the night? Yes. At least, well, I'd like to stay. I'm sure you'll be welcome. You want me to unharness your team? No, I can do it. No trouble at all. One, King. The sergeant unharnessed both teams and turned the dogs out in the back of the dance hall. He noticed that the grub box and the girl's sled was loaded with supplies. Then he made a complete circle of the building. There were some outside stairs drifted deep in snow that ran all the way to the third floor. He stopped for a moment at the foot of them, but there was no sign of having been used recently. And he and King reaffirmed the building by the front door. Mrs. Riley called down to him from the balcony. Come on in, sir, to the office. Good. Reggie, you'll sleep in that second room. Fine. Who's your charming visitor? Oh, a friend of mine from 40 miles. She's going to stay with me a few days. In here. You'll be interested in meeting this young lady. We've already met. This is Mary Lane. Really? It's a pleasure. Are you going to start asking me questions about Tom Collins? Norris has told me that you know him. I do. Very well. And no one can make me believe that he stole that money. Now, Mary, it's gone and he's gone with it. He didn't take it. Do you have any idea where he is? No, I don't. Well, it seems to settle that, Norris. It wouldn't settle it for me. Oh, you never liked Tom. No, I wouldn't say that. But it's true. Why would he run away if he weren't guilty? Because he knew that you were going to accuse him of the theft. You saw him before he left. Yes. Only to say goodbye. I see. Well, I'm going to have to find him, of course. But I can't do anything about that tonight. Suppose we forget about it and enjoy Mrs. Riley's hospitality. That's a good idea. Here you are, Sergeant. Drink up. But the Sergeant was convinced that it was more than coincidence that it brought Norris and Mary Lane to Double Cross Creek on that stormy night. And an hour later, he was sitting on his cot still fully clothed, waiting and listening. King was lying on the floor beside him. Suddenly, the great dog raised his head, looked up at his master and whimpered. Then, from downstairs, the Sergeant heard a faint sound. It might have been a door closing. The Sergeant opened the door of his room. A few seconds later, he heard a noise. Someone was descending the stairs from the balcony. Silently, the Sergeant started toward them. Beyond the dance hall in the bar room, there was a faint light. And he could see two shadowy figures. Cautiously, he descended the stairs and crossed the dance hall. Now, he could see the two people. Mary Lane and a young man. He listened. Oh, but you can't stay here. There's not only Norris, there's Sergeant Preston, too. If you want to give yourself up, all right. No. Then there'd be no chance of proving I didn't do it. Well, the supplies are out of my snag. Take them and leave. I will. Oh, you're cold. I'm freezing. There's some wood here. How about lighting the stove for a minute? Oh, be careful. Don't make any noise. I won't. There's something in here. Take the lantern. It's a canvas bag. What are you so excited about? Wait until I get it open. This is the kind of a bag we use at the bank. But, surely, you don't think... Well, how could it look? The stove and money. It's here, all of it. Fifty. We'll continue our story in just a moment. Hey, tell me, what do you think of right off when you hear these three famous words? Shot from guns. Gee, that's easy. You think of Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice because they're shot from guns. That's what? All right, Billy. Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice actually are shot from guns. Is that what makes them bigger and better-tasting? Right, you are, Billy. These giant, ready-to-serve breakfast grains of flavor-rich premium grains of wheat or rice are exploded up, up, up to eight times normal size. That's what makes Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice crisp and tender. They're puffed to perfection. Boy, they sure taste well. More important, Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice are good for you. They furnish added food values of restored natural grain amounts of vitamin B1, niacin and dion. Get both delicious kinds. Eat the Quaker Puffed Wheat one time, Quaker Puffed Rice the next. Just remember, the original crisp, fresh, wheat-or-rice shot from guns is never sold in bags or bulk. Always look for the famous big Quaker Red and Blue package to get the one and only Quaker Puffed Rice and Quaker Puffed Wheat. Now to continue our story. As the sergeant watched from the shadows of the dance hall, Tom Conlon opened the door of the stove in the bar room and inside he found the money that had been stolen from the 40-mile bank. But how did it get here? I don't know. Oh, you can return it, Tom. You can give it to the sergeant. Not yet. I'd still be accused of taking it. Well, what are you going to do with it? Leave it where it is. Whoever stole it, put it here. Whoever stole it will come back for it. Mary, I'm not going to leave tonight. What? I'm going to wait over there behind the bar. All night? If necessary. What do you suppose? Oh, it couldn't be Agatha who took it. Why is Norris here? He's looking for you. That's what he says. You might have another reason. Go on back upstairs. Be careful, Tom. Don't worry. Go on. All right. The sergeant drew back into the shadows of the dance hall as Mary crossed the room and climbed the stairs to the balcony. He heard Tom moving around behind the bar and then the building was silent once more. An hour passed. A door opened on the balcony. The door of Mrs. Riley's room. The old woman appeared carrying a lantern. She was wearing a parka. The hood pulled over her head. Now what, King? Where is she going? The old woman walked to the end of the balcony and opened the door. The stairs came leading up to the next floor. The door closed softly behind Mrs. Riley and the balcony was in darkness once more. We'd better follow her, boy. Swiftly and silently, the sergeant climbed the stairs to the balcony. He had nearly reached the door through which Mrs. Riley had disappeared when a scream rang out. Mrs. Riley, she's upstairs. Mary and Norris followed the sergeants. He ran up the stairs to the third floor. At the top, they found a hall that ran the length of the building. The doors on either side. Mrs. Riley was lying in front of one of them. Her lanterns still lighted beside her. Mrs. Riley. As the sergeant knelt beside the old woman, King continued on down the hall. Oh, she's unconscious. Someone hit her on the head. Oh, sergeant. Yes, Mrs. Riley. What happened? I thought I heard a noise up here. There are steps outside and go down to the ground. I know. I wanted to make sure the door up here was locked on the inside. A door opened and I saw a man. He hit me. Who was it? Do you know? No. There's only this staircase and the one outside the building. That's right. Take care of her, Mary. I will. I'll come with you, sergeant. No, just lie still. Halfway down the dark corridor, King was lying in front of a door. He growled as the sergeant approached him. Madam Boy, someone inside there. Let us stand back, Norris. Don't worry. The sergeant opened the door and King leaped forward. The storm was over and a bright moon shone through the window. A still form of a man was lying on the floor. Yes, boy, I see. What is it? What have you found? I'm afraid it's a dead man. A dead man? No, it can't be. It is. I'll strike a match. No! Get hold of yourself. What's the matter? What's going on in here? It can't be. Is he dead? Yes. Look at his face, do you know him? Sergeant, of course I do. That's Randolph Martin. He couldn't have... Oh. Carl, you told everyone in Forty Mile that he died of a little beef. I thought he had... Wait a minute, Norris. You told me that you'd buried him yourself. This man's only been dead for four or five hours. Perhaps you tried to kill him once and failed. Perhaps you finished the job tonight. No, no, no, don't you understand? Someone followed him here. Someone's after the money. Maybe they've got it already. The money from the bank? Yes. You'd better stop lying and tell me the whole truth, Norris. Everything you know. If you don't, you may get the same Martin got. If you didn't kill him, there's a killer at large in this building. I didn't, I swear, I swear. I'll tell you everything. Start talking. Martin stole the money from the bank himself. He took it with him when we went up to a little beaver. I was supposed to come back with a story that he'd died. And after I'd changed the books and made it look like Conlon was a thief, I was to meet Martin here. Tonight? Yes. We thought Conlon would be in jail by now. Martin was going to pay me off and he was going to leave the Yukon. That's enough for now. Come on, King. Where are you going? After the man who knocked Mrs. Riley out. After the man who killed Martin. The Sergeant King ran down the corridor toward the front of the building. There another corridor ran the width of the building and the Sergeant turned to the right. The door that led to the outside stairs was open. There are footprints on the stairs now. Follow them, King. Two men up one. On down the stairs, the Sergeant ran. His gun ready for instant action. One boy. The footprints led to the front door of the dance hall. They're inside, King. The Sergeant threw open the front door. Tom Conlon was just pulling himself to his feet over near the bar. All right. What happened to you? Sergeant Preston. The two men. Where are they? I don't know. You saw them. They were running over everything you can see. I know what they were looking for. The money. It's in the stove. They find it? Not before they knocked me out. Let's see. No. It's still here. Hear that? They're up on the next floor. Mrs. Riley's office on the balcony. You stay here, Conlon. Don't move until I get back. There's two of them. You'll need help. Stay there. The Sergeant ran through the bar room to the dance hall. He could hear a furniture crashing in Mrs. Riley's office. At that moment, he saw the old woman and Mary coming down the stairs to the third floor. Mrs. Riley, Mary, get back up there. The door of the office opened and a giant of a man lurched out onto the shadowy balcony. You down there. You know where the money is. Come here or I'll blast you. You're under arrest in the name of the queen. That's a belly. Don't shoot. The big man emptied his gun, but the Sergeant had ducked under the stairs. He waited for the sixth shot. Then as he heard the man's steps retreating into the office, he ran up the stairs, across the short hall, and kicked open the door. A light from a lamp on the table, the Sergeant saw the two men. One of them was over the window sill and dropped from the drifted snow two stories below. The larger man started to follow him, but the Sergeant grabbed hold of his shoulder of his pocket and whirled him around. The big man tried to shake him off. Then he brought a roundhouse right up from the floor, but the Sergeant ducked and drove on past his head. The big man grunted from the stiff left that hit him just above the heart. Then a jolting right hit him square in the jaw. He tried to close, but the Sergeant wrestled him to the floor. Both men staggered back against the table. The lamp crashed to the floor. Now the two men slugged it out toe to toe. A thin tongue of flame leaped up from the spill oil on the floor, and King leaped on it as if it were a live thing, and his forepaw smothered it. He turned back to watch his master, and he hoped he might help him. The Sergeant needed no help. The big man's blows were wild, but every one of the Sergeant's drove straight to the mark. The big man tried to break away and head for the open window. The Sergeant grabbed his pocket once more. Don't hit me anymore. Had enough? Yeah, yeah. Just to make sure, we'll put these handcuffs on. As the fight ended, the Sergeant heard the second man calling for help outside. When he reached the window, he saw that Tom was standing over him. I can't walk. My ankle. You break it when he jumps? No, I guess it's only a sprain. All right, I'll be down to give you a hand with him. Come on, King. Half an hour later, everyone in the building was sitting around the stove in the office. The two captured men were called Butch Sinclair and Jigger Gordon. Jigger, the smaller of the two, was eager to confess everything that happened in an effort to establish his innocence of murder. You see, last night we stopped at the same roadhouse as this Martin guy. We saw him counting his money and we decided... Butch decided to get it. You were just as anxious as I was. Yeah, for the money. I admit that. When Martin left the roadhouse this morning, we followed him. He got here about eight o'clock this evening. Hope you don't think Martin was coming here to meet me, Sergeant? No, he didn't even know you were living here. He'd have picked some other spots to meet Norris. Come on, Jigger. Why did Martin leave his team? In the woods. We left ours in the same place. So you followed him inside? We couldn't find him. He must have heard us coming. We looked all over the lower floor and then we heard something upstairs. You found him there? Yeah. Got the drop on him. He didn't have the money on him. He tried to make him tell us where it was, but he wouldn't. Then the old lady comes along. I'm not so old. We heard her dog team and we saw her from a window on the third floor. Butch got tough with Martin. I told you not to hit him so hard, Butch. Shut up. You killed him, Butch. Well, I hit him, but I didn't mean to kill him. Just as I was driving up. Didn't you hear anything as we came in? I told you that I heard some strange noises and I looked all over the first floor on the rooms off the balcony. It seemed to be coming from the third floor. I never thought to look in there. But that's where you were, Jagger. You stayed up there because you still wanted the money. Yeah. Yeah, we... We thought we'd wait till the old lady went to bed and look for it. Only she didn't go to bed. And a good thing too. More and more people kept coming. I'm glad one of them was you, Sergeant. We didn't figure on that. Well, finally everything was quiet and we started downstairs. And you met me coming up. You know the rest of it. Your plan didn't work out very well, Norris. I'm glad it's over. I was to get 5,000. And of course with Mark and Gaul I'd have had his job. Instead you're going to jail. I don't care. I'm glad it's over. You can't expect any sympathy from me, Carl. Oh, I don't deserve it. You don't deserve any consideration from anybody. It was a rotten trick accusing him of stealing to cover up your own theft. You would have let it go to prison too. It's all right for you two now. He'll be the manager of the bank. You don't have to worry anymore. They have the sergeant to thank for that. We can thank him that we're still alive. What did I do? Everything. Well, King and I were here and I'll admit that it was fortunate. But when you consider the facts, what was it that caused Martin's death? His own greed. And what made Butch commit murder? His greed. And what made Norris and Jigger confess? Their fear. A criminal can't win. Either greed or fear is sure to trap him. It's been written in the records of the force time and time again. This is just another case proving it. And with Tom Friede of all suspicion and Butch, Jigger and Norris on their way to prison, the case is closed. In just a moment, Sergeant Preston will give you a preview of Friede's adventure. Here's the breakfast that wins the praise of so many He-Man Hollywood movie stars. It's Quaker Puffed Wheat or Quaker Puffed Rice. These ready-to-serve cereals are shot from guns. They're crisp and tender. Pull yourself a bowl full of Quaker Puffed Wheat or Quaker Puffed Rice. Add milk or cream topped with fruit. It really hits the spot. And it's good for you. Take a tip. Add red and blue Quaker packages. That's Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice. And here's another tip. Whatever you do, be sure to listen to this program next Monday. You're going to hear a very special announcement. All listeners to this program are going to get in on an offer that's out of this world. Don't miss it. Tell your friends to be listening too. That's next Monday. These radio travels, a feature of the challenge of the Yukon Incorporated are created and produced by George W. Trendall, directed by Fred Flower Day and supervised by Charles D. Livingston. The part of Sergeant Preston is played by Paul Sutton. They are brought to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the same time by Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice. The breakfast cereal shot from guns. Listen, Friday, when Sergeant Preston and Yukon King meet the challenge of the Yukon in the case of the dog with a gold tooth. Jed Reid loved his old dog and insisted on having one of the dog's fangs replaced with a tooth of gold. But it was that gold tooth that made it possible for King and me to solve one of the most baffling of murder mysteries. Be sure to hear this exciting adventure Friday. For a delicious hot breakfast, eat Quaker Oats. The giant of the cereals is Quaker Oats. Yes, the giant of the cereals is Quaker Oats. Delicious, nutritious, makes you feel ambitious. The giant of the cereals is Quaker Oats. Say, boys and girls, do you want to be a star someday in sports and activities? Then start on good Quaker Oats breakfast tomorrow, because nourishing oatmeal gives you more growth and endurance than any other whole grain cereal. Yes, the one penny is serving. Quaker and Mother's Oats are the same. This is J. Michael wishing you good bye, good luck, and good health from Quaker Puff Wheat and Quaker Puff Rice. So long. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.