 horse for the speed of light, the cloud of dust, and the hearty high old silver, the Lone Ranger. Whenever men gathered around the campfire in the early days of the western United States, stories were told of the masked rider of the plains. These stories have come down to us through the generations. No one could match the Lone Ranger's strength and courage, and his daring and resourcefulness made him the greatest champion of justice the frontier ever knew. Return with us now of those thrilling days when the west was young. From out of the past, from the thundering hoof beats to the great horse Silver, the Lone Ranger rides again. The Lone Ranger and his faithful Indian companion Ponto stopped on the crest of a hill near the town of Ward's crossing to watch a curious sight on the trail below them. What's that fellow in the buggy think he's up to, Kimosabi? Maybe him local. He's certainly behaving that way. Look there, he's deliberately forcing that horse to run away with him. There, he's tossed away the reins. We're stopping. They'll be close to town before we can reach them, but we'll try. Come on, The Lone Ranger and Tonto were not the only ones to see the runaway, however. Young Pete Mander saw the careening buggy that he rode from his cabin toward the main trail. One look and he spurred his horse forward. Come on, fella. Get up, get up. Road is mangled and soon was bearing down on the horse and buggy. He shouted encouragement to the portly middle-aged man who clung to the buggy's sides as though in fear of his life. Hang on, Mr. Duffy. I'll stop your horse. Hang on there. Get up, fella. Get up. All of this for this bridle. That's it, boy. I don't reckon you'll be running again for a spell. Hey, boy. Are you all right, Mr. Duffy? One heart and none, will you? I thought I'd turn over. They've had such a scare. All my good gracious, I can hardly give my breath. You'll be all right. Here, here's your reins. If we can get them the rest of the way to town without any more trouble. Oh, yes, yes. Yes, of course. Well, if you're all right, I'll be getting along. No, no, wait. You saved my life. Oh, shucks. I reckon I didn't do nothing like that. Maybe save you a tumble, is all. Oh, but you did. I insist. Well, anybody would... It makes me feel very ashamed. Very ashamed. What's that? Well, I mean, after all, we've never been very good friends. You owed me nothing. Oh, forget it. I've never had nothing again, Mr. Duffy. There's anything I can do to show you how grateful I am. How much I appreciate what you did. Oh, she talks nothing at all. Wait. Yes? Maybe this is my lucky day. You really meant that about wanting to do something for me? Of course, of course. Then quit trying to keep me from seeing Kate. She ain't your daughter, Mr. Duffy. She's just your ward. When you come right down to it, you ain't got no real right to try and keep us apart. But of course you can see her, my boy. Of course, any time. Huh? You ain't out of your head, are you? I mean, you shook up like it was. Ridiculous. I couldn't help wondering. Nonsense, my boy. Nonsense. When a man comes as close to cashing in this chips as I did just now, I reckon it does something for him. Helps him to see things straight. I regret very much the trouble we've had in the past. Well, I'll be dogged gone. And just yesterday, you was promising to nail my hide to the calaboos. I spoke hastily, I'm afraid. Sure, no hard feelings. Well, if I'm really hearing this, and not just payment it way, you can look for me out your way tonight. Tell Kate that, huh? Tell her I'll be showing up around sundown. Glad to. Glad to. Well, I'll have to be going on. Oh, one moment. Yeah? Now what? Well, your trousers. You must rip them again the buggy. Huh? Well, dog gone if I didn't. It's all bad, too. Oh, just a second. Oh, but that's all I get. I feel it was my fault. It was my fault. Here, take this. It's nothing much. Just enough to pay for having them fixed. Oh, now, Mr. Duffy, I couldn't take no cash. Oh, it's just a dollar. It's no more now. Oh, here, take it. Here, absolutely insist. Well, if you won't have it no other way. Take it, take it. Thank you. Don't mention it. Then we'll be seeing you this evening, huh? Sure thing. Fine. Fine, my boy. Mr. Duffy. Yes? I reckon I've been just as mistaken about you as you've been about me. Well, I just want you to know I've changed my mind. You're all right. Thank you. Thank you, my boy. Good day. Good day. Get up. Get up there. Get up. Crazy old cozy, ain't he, fella? Agree with me, huh, boy? Well, I don't blame you. One day he's cussing me out, but to kill in the next move, just because I stopped his fool buggy, you'd think we was old pards. Well, there ain't no countin' for human nature. Come on. Gotta get back to the cabin and change my duds. Come on, boy. Come on. The lone ranger in Toronto, seeing that the man in the buggy was not in need of their aid, had turned back and made camp. Later that day, Tonya went to town for supplies. When he returned, he had a strange story to tell. The lone ranger listened in silence, then... Tell her. You mean to say they really arrested that young fellow? Uh, him same fella. They found a thousand-dollar bill in his possession? That's right. And the fellow in the buggy claimed he was held up, and the thousand-dollar stolen from him. Is that right? Uh, what's his name? Him name Duffy. And the young fellow? Him Pete Manders. Taddo, you and I know that Pete didn't hold up Duffy. All he did was stop the buggy after the horse had started it. Taddo. What matter? Look, this whole thing had been arranged in advance. What you mean? As you remember, we saw Duffy deliberately frighten his horse into running away. Uh-huh. How to remember? What if Duffy had known that Pete was close by? What if Duffy had planned for Pete to stop his horse? Knowing that from a distance, it might look as though Pete had stopped him against his will. Hmm. As a matter of fact, you say there were two or three witnesses who claimed to see that very thing. Isn't that what them say? Yesterday, according to your story, Pete and Duffy had a public fight over the fact that Duffy refused to let Pete call on his ward, Kate Freeman. They both made all kinds of threats. Today, Duffy claims he was held up. He identifies the thousand-dollar bill found in Pete's possession to prove it. And Pete finds himself in jail. Taddo, the whole thing fits. Uh-huh. The sheriff goes to Pete's cabin and finds him changing clothes. The sheriff and Duffy accuse him of getting ready to escape. Pete denies it. claims he never realized it wasn't a dollar bill that Duffy had given him. Who'd believe a story like that? The first place, Duffy's a rancher. He's supposed to know how to handle horses. Very idea that a horse could run away with him would be laughed at. Not right. But granting that's true. Who'd believe Duffy would give Pete money under any circumstances, after the quarrels they've had? Hmm. But even if he went so far as to accept that, how would you explain a man being careless enough to hand over a thousand-dollar bill thinking at a one? It keeps strange. It isn't strange, Taddo. What do you think? The sheriff evidently didn't believe that story and neither do I. Uh-huh. The sheriff doubts Pete. And I doubt Duffy. Here's over. Call Scout, Kimosabi. Uh-huh. Here's Scout. What we do. Taddo, there's more behind this than Duffy's dislike of Pete. If only an insane man would frame another under circumstances like these. Or what do you think? Or a man very badly frightened. We'll find out which is true. Come on, Scout. Get him up, Scout. Come on. That evening, Pete Manders confined to a cell in the jail at Ward's Crossing tried to convince the sheriff of his innocence. I'll go on a chair if you've known me ever since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. If I'd been crooked, you'd have found it out longer for this. I swear every word I told you's the truth. You've got to believe me. Pete? If it was just your word against Duffy's, maybe I would. Well, ain't it? No. But Clem Wiggins and Porky Roberts and Jeff Swenson all saw you grab Duffy's horse and stop his buggy. That showed you was up to something right there. Well, there was a runaway, I'll tell you. Pretty thin, Pete. Oh, blasted, old sheriff. Do you think I'm all together crazy? Do you think I'd do anything to spoil things with Kate? I don't reckon that would have worried you much. Kate wouldn't believe anything against you if she seen you do it with her own eyes. Oh, talk sense. I am. That's how some women are. Don't set right, somehow, chef. No one you think I'd turn crooked. I don't, huh? But you've been saying that... That I think you held up Duffy and took that $1,000 bill off of him. Well, I do. But I knew you. Ever since you've been a kid, you've been hotheaded. You've done more crazy, fool things around here just on the spur of the moment than any other dozen fellas in town. I can see how it was. You were so vile and mad at Duffy, you wasn't thinking straight. You saw him coming, and all of a sudden, you got the notion of how to rile him. You went through with it before you gave yourself a chance to cool off. Well, I wouldn't exactly call that crooked. But under the law, it don't matter. It's just as bad as if you held up folks for the living. You sure got it all figured out neat, ain't you, chef? I think so. So I'll get sentenced to at least a couple of years. Well, it depends pretty much on Duffy. I'll ask him to go right on you. Uh-huh, a fine chance of that. He'd like to see me in jail for life. Oh, it won't be that bad. Anything at all is bad enough when you haven't got it coming to you. I'm sorry, Pete, but I just can't waste no more time here talking to you. I got other things to look at. Look, chef, you say Duffy wouldn't frame me because he wouldn't have no reason to. But I tell you, he has. He's got a plenty good reason, the best. And I can tell you... Pete, you've done nothing but slander, Duffy, ever since you've gone with Kate. I've had my fill of a chair. I won't listen no more. But, chef, you ain't heard what I meant to tell you. If you'd just listened for a minute... Who would say you... Pete, what the... Look here, here at the window. Who's there? I've been waiting until the sheriff left. Masked man. Suppose you'd tell me what the sheriff wouldn't wait to hear. After Peter confided in the Lone Ranger, the masked man gave him certain instructions. Then... Yes, danger. I read just what you asked me. Take it. Thanks. Kate will know you're running. Sure. She does let you convince her that I'm on your side. Stranger, you say you saw Duffy start that runaway of purpose. I didn't. But you can't tell the law that? Of course I can. But do you think the law would believe me? No. Now wearing that mask, I don't reckon it wouldn't. But you believe me? To know what you'd have to gain by lying about it. Side me sure didn't get you much. What you told me about Duffy, are you sure of the facts? Mm-hmm. But I couldn't prove him. He administers Kate's estate. He's got full charge till she marries. That's the way her Paul willed it when he died. And you're convinced he's been looting the estate, huh? Oh, gone right I am. What else could he have... again me? He knows blame well if me and Kate got hitched, I could call for an accountant. I'll bet anything you'd care to name if the estate was investigated, Duffy'd find himself in a fix he couldn't snake out of. He wasn't unfriendly until he saw Kate might marry you? Tamed in the skunk to be friendly to anybody. But he wasn't downright again me before then. I see. Look, Stranger, what are you scheming? One moment, another question. Kate, would she have the courage to defy her guardian? What do you mean? Would she go against these orders? Well, that'd depend. Suppose she knew it was the only way in which you could be helped. Would she then? No, Stranger. Maybe you'll think I'm patting myself on the back, but I'll figure she would. Fine, I'm glad to hear it. You ain't told me yet what you've got in mind. I'm not certain yet myself, but I have the beginning of an idea. You can. And once the details are worked out, I believe it'll free you. If it does, you can work miracles. As long as a man's innocent, it doesn't require miracles to prove it. Well, you ain't good acquainted with Duffy yet. I hope to know him better. Dog on, if I don't think you do. Only I've got a kind of a hunch Duffy maybe won't be so pleased about it. I think I'll be getting... Hey, Pete! Who's at your door until the window? It's a chef. Right. You better be going. Yep, but I'll see you again. I ask you now... House Hilmer, how are... We curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger drama. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Not a continue our story. The Lone Ranger raced out of town, and when he came to the place where Tado was waiting for him, he called to the faithful Indian without stopping. Tado! Follow me! Hurry, old fella! Where do we go? To the Freeman place. Kate Freeman lives there with a guardian. Sir! Come on, Hilmer! Hurry, old fella! Get him up! Hurry! In the living room of the ranch house, Kate faced her guardian defiantly. I don't believe he held you up. He's in jail for it. Pete's no thief. He's a no good coward. No, you can't say those things. You have no right. You've done something terrible. Lie, trick them. I know you have. Oh, you think that, eh? I do. I do. Come here. No. All right. Oh, please. So I tricked you, man. You did. Man! Let go. Reganel, hold... What the... Stay outside, Tado. Bisc! Pete! What's this fella been doing? Keep still. Let her speak for herself. Who are you? That doesn't matter. If you're after Kate... I'm not. I'm here to speak to Kate. Kate, I've had a talk with Pete Manders at the jail. I've just come from there. You... You have? Yes. Don't talk to this fella. If you do, I'll... Yes? Madden. I suppose what you started to say is that if she talked, you'd try some more persuasion on her. Such as twisting her arm, as I saw you do through the window. Oh, yes. Quiet. Or I'll give you a taste of your own medicine. I'll all hear about this stranger. I imagine it will. I told you, Kate, I'd seen Pete. Here. This is the message to you that he wrote. Take it. What does it say? It merely explains that I'm on Pete's side, but read it for yourself. Ah. So he's been trailing with crooks, eh? Has he? Ain't you one? We're not alike, Duffy. In other words, I'm not. Pete asked me to do whatever you suggest. Yes. Now, look here. I'll tell you for the last time to remain quiet until you're spoken to. If you don't, you'll regret it. Kate, what you do is Pete asks. I don't know who you are, what you want. I want to help you both. I happen to know that your guardian here tricked Pete. That's why he's in jail now. I knew it. I knew it. Befriend Pete in order to prevent your marriage. That's a lie. What? Eh, nothing. That's better. As I said, he didn't want you and Pete to marry. But even though Pete's in jail, that's no reason why you shouldn't marry him if you have faith in him. You mean get married now? Within a day or two. She can't. Why not? I won't give my permission. He's of age. What's your permission got to do with it? She can't get married. That's all she can't. That depends upon her. Well, Kate? I don't know what to say. If you're hesitating because you're fighting at this fellow you needn't, you leave here tonight. I'll take you where you'll be safe. You won't be able to harm you. And if he attempts it, well, he'll be sorry for it. What's your answer? Yes, I will. Two hours later, the masked man rained in before a second ranch house. Oh, oh, that's over. Oh, one, two, three. Here, I'll help you down. Thank you. You know these people? They're friends of mine, good friends. How about your guardian? Will he be able to trace you here? No, I'm sure he won't. These people are your friends? Wouldn't he think of them? I don't think so. But it won't matter. They'd never tell him I'm here if I asked them not to. Good. I must be getting back to town. People want to know what's happened. Stranger. Yes? Your will prove he's not guilty, won't you? I will. I promise. If you do, I'll never forget. The masked man rode to town, where he spoke briefly to Pete Manders a second time. Then he returned to camp. Oh, oh, there's a little bit. Oh, boy, oh. Tando, what did Duffy do after I took Kate away? He did not leave. That means he'll wait until the morning to report this to the sheriff. Ah, good. We'll not have to watch him any more tonight. Not right. Well, Tando, we've played our part. What happens now depends upon who was telling the truth. Duffy or Pete? The sheriff had hardly sat down at his desk the following morning when the door of his office burst open. And, huh? Oh, morning, Duffy. You're out bright and early today. Look here, sheriff. Huh? Can Kate get married without my say so? What's that? You heard me. Don't she have to have my permission? Shucks. I don't see why. If that was so, you could see to it she never got hitched till you'd caged in. That don't make sense. Why, what's happened? Well, even if she can get married, she can't marry a jailbird, can she? Oh, I'm beginning to savvy. She and Pete make a plan? That ain't none of your business. Maybe not. But Jane answered me. Well, it ain't common for anybody to marry someone in the Calibus. But it's been done. Don't see nothing illegal in it. You mean to say that if Kate come here and said she and Pete Manders aim to get hitched, you'd let him? Uh-huh. I reckon I would. Then you ought to have that bet. Yours took away. I tell you they can't. Won't stand for it. Oh, you're going to run my office, huh? I'll see to it there ain't no wedding. Seems to me you're getting mighty upset about nothing. Pete ain't said nothing about this. How do you know they're planning anything? Oh, I know it all right. Yeah? And when I tell how the whole thing was fixed up by a mask, fella, you let talk to Pete while he's in jail, you'll hear plenty about it. Mask, fella, huh? That must be the fella I chased away last night. Well, that's your last word on it, eh? If they want to marry, you let them. Well, they're old enough to know their own mind. Yeah? Well, we'll see about that. What are you figuring to do? I'm riding over to Toby Wells and ask Judge Felix about it. I'll be back late tomorrow. And if they're hitched between now and then, the judge says it's again the law, you'll be the sorryest sheriff this town ever seen. That evening, having finished supper, the Sheriff chuckled over his encounter with Duffy while he prepared to return to his office. You've never seen anybody any madder, Sophie. Fit to be tied, he was. On his way right now to ask Judge Felix about it over to Toby Wells. Hand me my coat, will you, honey? Here you are, honey. Wonder why he's so dead set again them two young folks getting married. Well, it isn't hardly the thing, is it? With Pete in jail and not knowing how long you'll be there? Yeah, but Duffy was again at long before that. I know. A man's a fool to try and get him married. And separate a couple as bound to marry as they are. Well, just remember it's none of your business. Do what you think is right and legal and let other folks work out their lives by themselves. Oh, sure. Well, time for me to leave. Won't keep the office open late tonight, I reckon. You needn't expect me to leave. Bye. Get home as soon as you can, John. You bet. A little brown jug filled with mountain dew, fresh from the stands for the... Ooh, that's steady, boy. That's steady, steady. Already, Sheriff? That won't last. Don't reach for that gun. Are you blind ahead? Follow my orders and don't call for help. Taken completely by surprise, the Sheriff had no choice. The Root pointed out that the mask man took them by a roundabout way to the far side of the jail. There they took cover in the deep shadows cast by a clump of trees. The mask man spoke softly to his great stallion and... Oh, oh, fellow, oh, here. This mount. Mr. What's the ID? You'll find that soon enough. In the meantime, don't make a sound that isn't necessary. And keep yourself hidden. The horses won't be seen. Oh, kid, Rob, what the... We stay here until we get a signal from an Indian friend of mine. They may be here just a few minutes. And we may be here for the better part of the night. What on thunder fur? To save a man's life. An hour passed. Each time the worried Sheriff tried to ask a question, the lone ranger silenced him. A second hour went by. And then? That's it. That's what? That call, the call of an owl. That's a signal I've been waiting for. Yeah? And I promise you, Sheriff, if you make any kind of a sound now, I'll gag you. But what are we here for, quiet? What's the far corner of the jail? Don't see nothing. Oh, wait. I don't see anything. I don't see nothing. Oh, wait. Now, that shadow. That shadow moving against the wall. See, it's hard to make out, but... Yeah, yeah, I do. Somebody's sneaking along outside the cells. Right. Hey, what are you going to do with that gun? Watch me. He stopped. Isn't that the wind of the pizza? It is. He's looking in. He's got a gun. He's aiming it. Careful. But he'll shoot you. Let him. But now. He fired. There he goes. Come on, Sheriff. Tunnel, he's doubling back toward you. Get him, Tunnel. Get him. The man who screamed when the gun was shot from his hand by the Lone Ranger tried to escape. But Tunnel stopped him and dragged him toward the masked man in the shower. Let go. I'll kill him. Let me go. Good work, Tunnel. Who buys a great horned owl duffy? Take him inside. You come. I'll give you a hand with him, Tunnel. But when I saw it, he said, don't beware. That was his alibi. In with you. Come on, let's wait back to the sales. Murdered PD, he probably would have cut across Kettering and got to Adobe Wells before morning. He would have talked to the judge, returned here the next evening, and you would never have suspected that he was the killer. But how? Peter can tell you're part of it. Get the skunk. Right here. And he's going behind bars? Where do you stay put? There. Get in there. You're a skeever. He didn't touch it, did he, Peter? Sharks, no. I done just like you said. Rolled up a pillow in my coat and laid it on the bunk like it was me. The coat sure got punctured, but there's no harm done as long as I wasn't inside it. What did you say Pete could tell me? Go ahead, Pete. Well, just what I was going to tell you before, Chef, but you wouldn't listen. I know doggone well that Duffy's been stealing from Kate's ranch. It's a lie. It ain't true. Kate's stealing. Your attempted murder gave you away. But I tell you. Sheriff, I knew that Duffy had framed Pete on the charge of theft he swore against him. But I also knew there was no use in my trying to convince you of the truth until I could expose Duffy's motive. Pete Warren, guilty after all? You'll still have to take just my word for it. But it's true. He wasn't. Duffy framed him to prevent his marrying, his warden. All right, you shut up. I aim to hear the rest of this. Pete supplied me with Duffy's motive. There was just one way to expose him. Duffy had to be tricked into believing that even with Pete in jail, his scheme had failed. Yeah? You mean all that talk about getting hitched? Right. If Pete were married to Kate, he could force Duffy to make an accounting of his administration of her estate. Duffy couldn't afford that because it would reveal his thefts. He had just one thing left to make absolutely sure the wedding would never occur. Then that's why he tried to drill Pete. It is. Pete was warned ahead of time, of course, so that he was in no danger. And Kate was hidden so that Duffy couldn't attempt her life instead. And Pete was the only one he could get at. Duffy, that makes you out as just about the lowest thing around these parts. None of it's true, I tell you. It's all just a peg of lies. They skidded us together. You wouldn't have tried to drill Pete unless you had a mighty good reason. And that, and if it's so, Pat, I reckon it's the one. Listen to me, sir. Anyhow, it won't take long to look into things while you're in jail and get at the truth. So I reckon your game's up. But how about me, chef? You going to keep me here, too? Well, I don't know. You sure ain't putting any faith in that story about me holding them up after you seen them try to kill me, are you? That ain't what I was thinking of. You can go free on just one condition. What's that? Is it me and Sophie get an invite to your wedding? Chef, just try and stay away. I'll kill my wife! The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.