 The challenge of the Yukon. I'm King, and you're Malamute. The Wonder Dog King, swiftest and strongest of Eskimo lead dogs, blazes the 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 to 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. The young man stood before the blazing fireplace in the cabin, his eyes flashing their own fire of indignation as he spoke. The town's rotten to the core, Carol, and I'd be a mealy-mouth hypocrite if I pretended to be blind to what's going on simply because your father's responsible for it. Men have minds of their own, Paul. They couldn't be swayed unless they were prone to this rottenness you speak of. There has to be a brain behind it. Most of them lack the daring and initiative to take affairs into their own hands. Your father's the one who's done that. He supplied the direction and the brains. Without him, the rats had run back to their holes, and there are a lot of right-thinking people who are living to that day. You mean that there are people plotting against my father? Plotting against him. Carol, all they're plotting for is the time when a decent man can expect fair decisions from a law and order commission. For the time when they can put their money on a roulette wheel or the turn of a card and know that they stand a sparring chance to win. But... oh, I don't know, Carol. I shouldn't say that. Paul, if you believe a thing, you should say it. Don't be afraid to be honest with me. It's just that the people aren't plotting. They need someone to stir them to action, to open their eyes to make them think. In a small way, I have tried to do that in my editorials. But now I've... Now you've come to me to say that it's no longer going to be in a small way. Is that it? Always two jumps ahead of me, aren't you? No, I just understand you. And I believe in what you're fighting for. This election of commission men is important. I hoped you'd say that, darling. I was afraid that you'd try to stop me. Even if you did, I'd still have to go on with it. But it makes it different knowing how you feel. You didn't let me finish, Paul. What? I said I believed in what you want. And I do. It would mean as much to me as to you to see this town run honestly. All my life I've been surrounded by men who could be influenced by my father. Men who... Never mind. But... well, I can and I won't take sides against my father. No, I... I suppose you wouldn't. No, I wouldn't. Because in whatever he's done, he's always stayed within the law. Is it within the law to buy the men who decide what the law is? Wait a minute. Let's say that my father's an opportunist. He takes advantage of conditions as he finds them. I doubt that you can show where he created those conditions. We'll burn out those conditions and take the power away from the men who benefit by them. That's quite a job for yourself, Paul. And I wish you all the success in the world. It won't be easy. I know that. But once I get the people stirred to action, if I succeed, Carol, will that make any difference in your decision to marry me? I won't marry you if you fail. Because if you do, you won't be strong enough to buck this town. You'll have to play the game of the rules of the men you're opposing. I couldn't love a man who failed his principles. I won't fail. I'll blast this town wide open. A time later, in the one-room frame building that served as his office, Paul Carson worked at his printing press. Reynolds, this is a surprise. Yes, I imagine it is. This is pretty powerful stuff you're printing, my boy. If I were a gunslinger, Mr. Reynolds, I might go out and try to further my views, throwing a letter around. Being just a small-time editor, I've got to use a different approach. By throwing ink on the letter. Well, this must be quite a sizable investment for you, Paul. This paper is printing press. That's right, it is. It'd mean a big loss to you if anything were to happen to your outfit. If you're trying to scare me, Mr. Reynolds. Scare you? Well, I wouldn't think of it. On the other hand, people may pay no attention to what you've written here. You wouldn't like to lay a bet on that, would you? You know as well as I do how hungry people are for news up here. A newspaper is rarer than gold. I won't be able to turn them out fast enough. The editorial you're looking at will be read by every literate man for hundreds of miles, weeks and months from now. The ones who can't read will have somebody who can, who'll tell them what it's all about. So, it's a fight, and you're using words for a minute. That's right. Editorials like these stirred the vigilantes to action in San Francisco, Mr. Reynolds. Well, I can hardly compare my writings to Tom Payne. But he kept the ghost army marching in 1777 when the will to fight was almost gone. He kept lashing them to victory with words that fought. Very impressive, my boy. Very impressive. But you hardly have a cause comparable to the American Revolution at stake. The people who read these will decide that. This will be very well received in certain quarters, you know. I don't expect this to be an easy job. Well, what about the Mounties? They can take it. You know as well as I do that the crookedness in this town can't be controlled by the Mounties. They have an immense territory to cover, and too few men to patrol it. Crooked gambling is out of their line. A rotten law and order commission is elected in this town by the people. It's up to us to get an honest look. Well, I tried to warn you. I'd hate to see you lose what you've worked so hard to build. That's my worry. And I'm afraid it's a bigger one than you realize. Think on the desk. Later that night, that Sergeant Preston found Editor Paul Karsten in the office of the newspaper, vainly trying to make order out of chaos. You can see for yourself just how much they left in one piece, Sergeant. Nothing. And you can't identify the men who did the damage. No, they wore bandanas over their faces. But I'll wait for any money they were McMillan's men from the cafe. Not only did they ruin the press, smash the type. They destroyed the papers I'd already printed. No ink, no paper. Nothing. Well, look what's coming. Say, I told you so, I guess. Arthur Reynolds, too bad carols with him. I could speak a lot plainer if she'd stayed at home. Well, I certainly didn't leave you much, did I, my boy? Sergeant Preston, I didn't know you were in town. I got in a little while ago. Now, I heard what happened here, Paul. Yes, by a strange coincidence. It happened right after you left. Now, now, don't be hasty. Whatever you may think, I had nothing to do with this. As a matter of fact, Carol and I discussed it on the way over here. And I am willing to pay the cost of new equipment for you. You've picked kind of a bad time to change sides, Mr. Reynolds. You figuring on backing a loser? Or is there some catch in that? No, to be perfectly honest with you, there isn't. Carol told me her feeling in the matter, and... Well... What she believes in is all right for my money. That's just fine. It weren't for the fact that it'll take months to get new equipment up here. Meantime, the people I'm fighting will be able to dig in. Dig in deeper. There's an election coming up, or had you forgotten. And if the paper's not out by then... I think there's a press over in Maple City. We could get over there. Hey, that's it. Why didn't I think of that? I'll honest my dog, King, and I'll go with you. Been a long time since I've said type, but together maybe we can do the job up fast. Fine, let's get started. The Monty and the Young Editor went to Maple City, where they worked long and painstakingly, always with one of them watching the clock. It would be a two-day journey back to Seahorse. That left the two men little time to complete their tasks. Think you can make up the rest of the copies without my help, Paul? Sure, I guess so, Sergeant. Why? Well, I thought I'd get a start for Seahorse. You won't be ready to leave till tomorrow morning. That's right. Everything will be clear sailing from here on. All I've got to do is pack these on the flat. Well, I'll see you then, just as soon as you get in town. Come on, King Old Boy, we're going to hit the trail. It was early the next afternoon when King sent a campfire burning far ahead on the trail. A few minutes later, Sergeant Preston sighted the marrow of two most furling gorgeous guys. That's what I think it is. Hello there, there's a group of men ahead, waiting to ambush Paul. Oh, you men! Oh, oh, oh! You leave the dogs here and go forward on foot. I want to get an idea of how many there are. Diding his team of dogs off the trail, the Monty walked through the timber along a path parallel to the main trail. Two of them sitting by the campfire. Well, we'll hold in back here, fellas. Keep an eye on them just to make sure they don't start anything when Paul comes driving through. As the great Malamute stood beside his master, he turned his head suddenly to look behind. His pointed furry ears stood up sharply. The wind brought the scent of the man approaching them to the dog's keen nostrils. Almost at the same instant, he caught the sound of snapping twigs and footfalls in the dry, healing snow. Quiet, fella. You hear a dog, Luke? Probably just a stray husky. Quiet, King. The Monty turned impatiently on the dog, and as he did, he saw the man. Move it! Drop your hand, Monty! The sun glittered on the muzzle of the revolver, and the two men at the campfire looked up in surprise. King and Sergeant Preston were trapped. In front of them was a man with a gun already drawn, and behind them, two men whose rifles were within easy reach. But in the seconds the scene took to register on the man who shaded their eyes from the glare of the snow, King poised his body to jump, and he hit the gunman facing him with an impact of flying speed. That shot went wild. You won't have a chance to fire another one! Hold your fire, Luke! You made it fast! That's a Monty! He's angry with your fool! Turn my leg! Drop that gun! Let it go! Don't shoot, Luke! We can't tell who's on top from here! There. All right, you're covered, both of you. And the first one that takes aim stops lead. Now let your guns fall from where they are. Drop them, I said! You got it, Luke. He would have had us before. We wouldn't have had to squeeze a trigger. All right, Monty. You win. Where do we go from here? The Seahorse City. It was late the next day when Sergeant Preston walked from the jail in Seahorse City to a corner of the main street, where Paul Carson stood distributing papers from the rapidly shrinking pile on each sled. There you are, Joe. Read that. And you'll clean up the commission that's running this town and get some honest men in office. Here, Slim. Give Pete two of them. Carol, one for the Wilkinson. We'll drop it off at their cabin, will you, Pete? Well, I see you've got back all right, Paul. Oh, hi there, Sergeant. Sure, just got in. You got the paper printed charges, and when the men come into the elections tonight, they'll know whom to vote for and why. Yes, and while they're voting, I'm going to have a look at the records of the present Law and Order Commission while the men are still in office. I brought three men into town with me who are going to be tried by the Law and Order Commission. I did hear that you brought in three prisoners, but I was so excited about Paul. They've told me enough about McMillan and his crooked gambling tables to be of interest to everyone in town. Hey, that is news. But what are they under arrest for, Sergeant? For firing on a Mountie, Paul. Firing on a Mountie? You mean they... Yes. And thanks to King here, the Mountie lived to tell about it. Yes, fella. I think everything here is going to be all right. These copyrighted dramas originate in the studios of WXYZ Detroit, and all characters, names, places, and incidents used are fictitious. They're sent to you each week at this same time and originate in our transcription studios.