 The challenge of the Yukon. On King! On New Husky! The wonder dog king, swiftest and strongest of Eskimoly 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. An eight-year-old boy stood in front of the gold nugget inn on the main street of the town of Forty Mile. He held a small active puppy on leash as he watched two men unload their sled. The corner of a blanket on the sled flapped in the wind and suddenly the pup leaped toward it, pulling the leash from his young master's hand and attacking the blanket with vigor. Get away from there, you muck! Don't you dare kick my dog! I'll punch your stomach in! Hey, you little brat! Quit it! I'll teach you! Ah, Slip, don't hit him! Stop it! Look out, Slip! There's a big hunk! Help! Take him off! Get away! Stop it, pull it! Get back here! Take him away! What's going on here, anyway? He's bad. He kicked Rasky. He did? I was teaching him the brad of Hugh Manners. You were teaching good manners. All right, Jimmy, get your dog. I'll ride you home in my sled. Thanks, Sergeant. Here, Rasky. Keep that car away from me or I'll... You old fart. If you want him to keep away from you, you'd better stay out of trouble while you're in Forty Mile. I got it, Sergeant. All right, Jim. I'm coming. Well, find a way for you to start out, Slip. Trouble with the law right off the bat. I ain't afraid of the law. I ain't afraid of the law. They never got me yet. Jimmy lived with his grandmother, whom everyone called Maugh Baker. She was a rugged but soft-hearted old woman, and her restaurant at the edge of town was the most popular eating place in the community. As Sergeant Preston and Jimmy entered, they found her talking to an old prospector. King rushed in eagerly as they opened the door, as Maugh Baker was one of his favorite people. Whoa, King! Not so fast. Where's Glory be if you ain't Sergeant Preston? Hello, Becky. Glad to see you. Hello, Maugh Baker. King, stop it. You don't have to eat a rub. Oh, no, you let him alone. He knows I've got all kinds of bones safe from him in my kitchen, don't you, boy? Just spoil him, Maugh. I'll get him for you in a minute, King. Just you wait. He sure is a big fella, ain't he? Oh, Ned, this is Sergeant Preston. Sergeant, this is Ned Dolan, an old sourdough from way back. Howdy, Sergeant. Howdy, Dolan. Do you remember Jimmy, my grandson? Just a little shaver when you seen him last. Hello, Jim. Sure I remember him. He sure is Grode. Them bags is full of gold. And Jim, it's all ours. You mean somebody gave it to us? Sergeant, do you remember old Jed Davis, that old prospector I grubbed steak about a year ago? Well, Maugh, you've helped some money people. I can't keep track of them. Well, Jed's luck was a getting him one. I give him some money to get started again. Two out much, just enough for Grubham Toon. He couldn't have done nothing without him, Maugh. Now he's got one of the richest claims in the Yukon. He sent this dust down here to say thanks for him. See, Grandma, we're rich. You certainly are. Jed's more than generous. Well, he can spare it. That ain't nothing to what he's taking out of that claim. There's nobody who deserves it more than you do, Maugh Baker. Oh, go on. Well, guess we'll be running along. I want to see some of the boys. You want to celebrate a little, you old goose? Well, I can't say I's a blame you. Come back here later if you can navigate, and I'll give you some supper. I'd have to be unconscious before I'd miss one of your meals, Maugh. I'll be back. Goodbye, Sergeant. Glad to see you. Bye, Jim. Bye, Maugh. These are heavy. Well, Maugh, I suppose this means that this town's going to lose the nicest person in it. You'll probably be leaving us now. No, Sergeant, I made enough money on my restaurant here to take me out of the place if I wanted to go. You mean you're going to stay here and keep on feeding people, even though you're wealthy? That gold is going to be safe for Jimmy. Soon as he's old enough, I'll send him to a good school where he gets some learner. Well, as for me, I think I'm staying here till I die. You mean you don't want to go back to the town you came from? No. I've been here a good many years now. Jimmy's mom and my son have all buried here. Don't like leaving them. And then there's another reason. Another reason? Well, maybe you laugh at me, think I'm a silly old woman. But, Sergeant, this is one place where my cooking is really appreciated. Well, I won't argue with you about that. Those pies you make are a work of art. Well, maybe it sounds crazy, but the way I figure it is this. Some folks can sing. Some can act. I can cook. Singer must be a mighty grand when she sings a song and the audience claps and yells and makes her sing again. It ain't the money she gets for doing it. It's the feeling inside that people appreciate, sir. Yes, ma'am. I guess you're right. Well, it's the same with me. Instead of singing, I put out for pies and vitals. My audience is a crowd of hungry men who ain't had a good feed for weeks. And, Sergeant, there ain't a more appreciative audience in the whole world than a hungry man who fills his stomach to bust him with good food. I'd sure miss it if I left these parts. You're a wise woman, ma'am. Well, bless us. King thinks I'm a mighty thoughtless one. You want those bones, don't you? No, don't let him buy you more. I've got to see if Keela's put those pies in the oven yet. Keela? She's a young Indian girl who comes in to help me. I suppose you'll be coming in for supper, won't you, Sergeant? You bet I will, ma'am. My mouth's been watering for one of your pies all the way from Dawson. Come on, King. I'll get them bones for you. In the Gold Nugget Cafe, Old Ned Dolan was celebrating as the afternoon wore on. Slip Jordan and Bill Crawford, the two strangers who had arrived earlier, had joined him. I'll have another drink, Pop. Hey, Louie, another round. Come on out. You know, not too fast. Remember, I ain't in training. I gotta stay in my feet to supper time if I want one of Ma Baker's meals. Ah, drink up, Pop. She probably won't do no more cooking now that she's rich. Oh, yes, she will. $20,000 worth of dust won't mean nothing to Ma. She likes to cook. Did you say $20,000? I don't know. Did I? Has she got a husband, Pop? Nope. Her whole family died in the district. In the district. In the district of Syria, Epidemic. Just your little grandson left. Why? You want to marry her? Well, a rich wife who can cook. Does she live all alone? She lives all alone. And there's no use trying to marry her. Lots of men have tried it. Maybe we just better go and sample one of her suppers tonight. You can't do that, Ned. Ma just takes a certain number and closes the date. Hmm? Ain't that interesting. That evening, Slip Crawford and Bill walked toward Ma Baker's Cafe in the darkness. You think she still has the gold in her place? Yeah, she must have. She ain't had time to take it anywhere. I'm worried about that Mounty Slip. Right here in town with us. Ma, quit thinking about him. We get the sled and dog. We'll tie and gag the woman and the kid. We'll be across the border before morning. It ain't far. You think she's alone? Well, the place don't look as if there's anybody here. Well, hello there, strangers. I'm sorry, we're all closed up. Rain to scrap left to feed you. Come in, Bill. We didn't come for food, Ma Baker. Boy, you're the one who kicked Friskie today. You get out of here, Jim. That's enough out of you, kid. But, Grandma, he's bad. We shouldn't let him stay here. Get that, kid, Bill. Go away. Here you go. Don't you touch that boy. Maybe you didn't see this gun, Ma. You better stand where you are. What do you want? Don't you dare hurt my grandma. Let's go. Shut up, kid. Stand still. We heard you got quite a fortune today, Ma Baker. Now, if you're willing to be reasonable and share it with us, maybe there won't be no trouble. You mean you're trying to rob me? You wouldn't want to see your grandson get hurt, would you? Where'd you hide that gold? You ain't going to get it. That gold belongs to Jimmy, and I won't give it to you. Oh, yes, you will. You better get out of here in a hurry. Sergeant Preston, the mountain is coming here to get a pie. I promised him. So you better get. Sergeant Preston. Cliff, maybe we better get out of here. Hey, what's that? Bill, pick it in the back room. See who's there. That's Keela, the Indian girl who helps wash dishes. And don't you scare her to death. Yeah, that's right. She's washing dishes. Fine. We can use her. One way we can make sure that Preston won't come here for his pie is to send the pie to him. Now, come on, old lady, and no fancy tricks, neither. Tell that girl to take a pie to Preston, and then to go on home and not come back. Bill will be watching you through the door. If you try to tell her anything else, there's no telling what'll happen to your grandson in there. Are you big bully? I'll send the pie to Sergeant Preston. Sergeant Preston patted King as he rose from his chair beside the stove in his cabin. Well, fella, I guess it's time to turn in. I need to sleep. What's the matter, boy? Hear your pie. My what? Won't you come in? No, me bring pie. Me, Keela, work for Ma Baker. You mean Ma Baker is sending the pie? Well, I just left her a couple of hours ago. Why would you... She say, take pie, Sergeant Preston, here. Well, that's nice of her. Thank you, Keela. Goodbye. Good night, and thank you. Well, fella, you want some? This is a special treat for us. I wonder if this is a pie. It's so heavy. Yep, it's a pie all right. Come on, fella, let's have a piece. Wait, this isn't... I guess we don't eat pie tonight, fella. Ma Baker must be in some kind of trouble. Come on, boy. Take it over there as fast as we can. Ma Baker's restaurant and house was a scene of complete confusion. Tables upset. The contents of every drawer strewn over the floor. Flour and sugar and vegetables and a heap. Ma Baker and Jimmy were tied to two chairs. And over them towered slip, livid with rage. Now listen, old woman, this is your last chance. You give us one more false lead and I'll blow your blasted brains out. If you've got any. Where is that gold? It ain't in that vegetable bin. She was lying. Did you look in them coverage? Yeah, they've nothing there but pies. Come on, kid. You tell us and we won't hurt your grandmother. All right, grandma. Are you gonna start talking or do I pull this trigger? No, no! Come back here and pull up your hand. Get away! Take him off me! I'll tell you you can't! Take him away! All right, boy. Hold him there. I've got this one. Oh, you. Get over there beside your partner. Sergeant, I knew you'd come. All right, King. Let him up. Well, no wonder King was so eager to get you. This is the sometime we meet. Get up. I'm handcuffing both of you. Gee, Sergeant Preston. King knew it was bad just as well as I did. How did you get here? You got my message? Message? Yes, ma'am. I'd heard of four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. But when it came to a pie filled with gold dust, I thought I'd better investigate. Let me tell you. Watch him, boy. Gold dust in a pie. I didn't have time to take it to the bank so I covered it with pie crust. All them pies in that cupboard. It takes a smart crook to fool you, ma'am. And the rate any that fool you and King. Sergeant, I don't know how to thank you. Well, I'll tell you how, ma'am. Tomorrow when we come for dinner, you'll see that we get a pie from the right shelf. We like her cooking better than the gold dust, don't we, King? 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. This is Bill Morgan speaking. This is the Michigan Radio Network.