Two-Gun Kid #35
Dead Man's Gold
The Two-Gun Kid is riding into a livery stable when he is jumped by two men, but their leader -- a man named Sundance -- tells them that they have jumped the wrong man, but the person they are looking for is in the local hotel, so they leave the Kid where he is. Hoping to save their intended victim, the Kid recovers and rushes to the hotel and learns from the clerk where a recent eastern visitor is staying and rushes to his room. There he stops Sundance and his men from roughing up the easterner and forces them out of the room.
The man, Earl Quincy Hale a history teacher from Massachusetts. He tells the Kid that he has come out west as he found the long lost treasure map of Archduke Maximilian of Austria. He explains that Maximilian was made the emperor of Mexico by Napoleon III in 1864. However when Napoleon later withdrew French troops from the area, Maximilian deserted and sought to maintain his sovereignty over the land and contacted his native Austria who sent him gold to fund the formation of his own army. The gold shipment was attacked by Natives and the only surviving witness of this attack was Fra Bartholomew a monk who was at the battle. He soon joined the Order of Silence and called the treasure dead man's gold. Although he vowed never to speak of the treasure again, he did however write of it and provide a map to its location, which Earl Quincy Hale, in his research of the Civil War era found it in an old book. Quincy explains that while arriving in town he made mention of his discovery to Sundance while in the local saloon, prompting his interest and attempts to steal the map.
After hearing the story, the Two-Gun Kid agrees to protect Earl from Sundance and his men while he goes out searching for the treasure. However the next day their dig proves fruitless, prompting the Two-Gun Kid to recall how he heard that Maximilian eventually backtracked and found the gold. They are suddenly attacked by Sundance and his men again. When trying to convince the outlaws that there is no gold they refuse to believe them and a fight breaks out. The Kid subdues Sundance and shows him how worthless the map is by setting it on fire. Realizing that the Kid was serious, Sundance and his men take off. The entire experience however has had an impact on Earl, who has decided that he enjoys living in the west and plans to start his own ranch in the area.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
Showdown in Shelltown!
Called to visit his friend Sheriff Wayne Cune of Shelltown the Two-Gun Kid finds himself caught up in a heavy rainstorm which tries his patience. He has found that the town has turned lawless. He asks where the sheriff is to the first man he sees and finds the reception less than warm. Noticing that the man is drawing a gun under his rain slicker the ever frustrated Kid jumps him and forces the location of the sheriff out of him, but learns that he is no longer a sheriff any more. On his way to to the sheriff's house he spots Cole Judson a gambler and killer wanted in a dozen states. Now he understands who is responsible for the town going to hell.
When he arrives at the sheriff's house the sheriff's house keeper, Molly Bent, refuses to let him in, but Wayne comes to the door and invites him in anyway. The Kid is shocked to see that the former sheriff is using a crutch The Kid tells him that the outlaws of the Jackson train robbery came to Shelltown to hide out and he recovered the stolen loot. Spotting that Cole Judson was behind the robbery, he hid the loot and confronted Judson, but found himself slow on the draw. Figuring that he lost his touch the sheriff gave up his job and took on Molly to look after him while he continued to fall sick. Noting that Molly has left the house, the Kid offers to make him some food, and as he prepares a meal he smells something off in a box of seasoning. After the meal Wayne feels much better. The Kid then asks to see his gun and is surprised to find that it was loaded with blanks.
The Kid then takes Wayne out of town and they head to the fort. Over the days of travel the sheriff begins to feel better while the Kid gets the information he needed. He explains that Molly is really the wife of Judson Cole and suspects that they rigged his guns and made him sick in the hopes that he would reveal the location of the hidden loot. Furious at this betrayal, the Two-Gun Kid and Wayne return to Shelltown and liberate it from the control of Cole Judson and his gang.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
Two-Gun Kid
Going to a watering hole for his horse Cyclone where he crosses path with a gunfighter named Bart Kelso who saves the Kid's life by gunning an outlaw that had snuck up behind him. They take the outlaw to the town of Sweetwater to turn him over to the sheriff. Kelso tells the Kid that he used to live in the town and is upset to find that the town has cleaned up. The sheriff tells Kelso that he is no longer welcome in the town of Kelso because the town is now peaceful, despite the fact that they hired him to clean the place up to begin with.
However Kelso does not want to leaves and decides to use force to stay and turn Sweetwater back to the way he remembered it. After forcing the local saloon to open up on a Sunday, other easily influenced people begin joining up with Kelso. But when a fight breaks out, the Two-Gun Kid runs out the trouble makers and tells Kelso to go, telling him that his gunslinging ways are not welcome in town. When Kelso refuses to go he challenges the Kid to a draw, which the Kid easily wins and frightened by the Kid's shooting skills Kelso agrees to leave.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
Gun-Law!
Caught in the middle of a cattle stampede, the Two-Gun Kid pushes his horse Cyclone to get them to safety. While going for cover, the Kid is grazed by a bullet fired by the rustlers and he is left to be trampled by the cattle. The Kid is rescued by rancher Vance Lane and Bob Drew, son of the sheriff in Valleytown. They take the Kid with them to report the incident to the sheriff. However, when they arrive in town the sheriff decides to arrest Vance as local rancher Alex Bennock has accused the Kid of rustling his cattle. But when his son and Two-Gun try to defend Vance, Alex Bennock comes to stop them.
Two-Gun and Vance are locked in the local jail and try to plead with the sheriff to listen to them. The sheriff refuses but soon Bob comes and tries to free them, using a gun on his father. After Two-Gun and Vance are freed, the Kid tells the sheriff to arrest his son for helping break out to convicts, playing on his ridged enforcement of the law. Unable to do it, the sheriff realizes the errors of being so rigid. However Alex Bennock appears at the office with a gun who tries to shoot them. The sheriff shoots the gun out of Bennock's hand and locks him up in the jail.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
