Two-Gun Kid #49
The Man Who Out-Drew the Kid!
In the town of Ten Notch, Texas, the Two-Gun Kid is challenged to a showdown by a gunslinger named Will Scragg who has been trailing the Kid in order to challenge him in the hopes of making a name for himself. The Two-Gun Kid is punched in the face by Scragg, but refuses to fight and tries to convince Scragg that there is no point in shooting it out. Will then tries to prove he is the better shot by having a man toss a coin in the air and shooting it four times in mid air before it hits the ground. Scragg then demands that the Two-Gun Kid draw, seeing that Scragg was a faster draw, the Kid decides he has no choice but to stand his ground even if it means his death.
Before drawing, Will Scragg tells the Kid how he grow up trying to prove he was the toughest there was, one time taking two of his classmates at a time. However as an adult his constant fighting forced him to move from town from town and lose job after job until he became a roving homeless man. After seeing the Two-Gun Kid shoot in an expedition, the homeless Will Scragg decided to try and become an even better shot than the Kid. Earning a living he spent his time practising how to draw and shoot faster than the Kid before tracking him down.
With the story done, the Two-Gun Kid then then draws, and although Will Scragg outdraws the Two-Gun Kid, Will cannot bring himself to pull the trigger and folds. When Scragg can't understand why he couldn't pull the trigger, the Two-Gun Kid points out that while Scragg learned how to be a faster draw, he never developed the guts to pull the trigger on a live person. Suggesting that perhaps that Scragg can find new meaning in his life by becoming a deputy in town and then rides off.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
The Fox Strikes!
While riding on the range the Two-Gun Kid comes across what appears to be a posse of men chasing after an old man in trouble. Without hesitation, the Kid comes to the old man's aid, covering his escape from his pursuers. However the Kid soon realizes that he is shooting it out with lawmen and that he has been tricked by the outlaw, and master of disguise, known as the Fox who had just succeeded in robbing the Laramee stage. Knowing the hills where the Fox ran off, the Two-Gun Kid asks to have 24 hours to bring in the Fox by himself and rides off to hunt down the notorious outlaw.
The Kid finds the Fox's trail easy to follow and it leads him to the small town of Gopher Gulch. However his plans of finding the Fox easily are quickly quashed when he learns that there is a rodeo in town that has brought in some 100 strangers. Going to the local saloon as the likely spot for the Fox to blend in the Kid begins his fruitless search for his query. Suddenly Kid finds himself accused of stealing the purse belonging to a woman. Suspecting that the Fox framed him, the Kid tries to get away from the mob when he realizes who the Fox is posing as. Using the chandelier to swing out the window he catches the "woman" as "she" tries to escape. The Fox drops his cover by drawing a gun, the Kid shoots it out of his hand and tries to grab him, pulling the phony wig off his head. When the crowd comes outside to stop his attack they realize that the "woman" is really a man, and when the fox tries to escape, the Kid shoots the straps off his saddle, causing him to fall off his horse. With the Fox taken into custody, he asks how the Kid saw through his disguise. Two-Gun points out that the bartender identified the "woman" as a stranger in town and then he noted that the Fox buttoned his coat like a man -- from right to left, instead of left to right -- giving him away. The Kid then takes the Fox into custody and turns him over to the posse that was after the outlaw.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
Sacrifice for the Sioux!
The Two-Gun Kid is on the hunt for escaped outlaw Hank Quantrell. While out on the trail looking for him, Quantrell manages to get the drop on him and creases the Kid's head with a bullet, knocking the heroic gunslinger out. Hank then leaves the Kid to die in order to flee across the border into Mexico to avoid recapture. The Kid comes to a short time later and follows after Quantrell's trail but finds evidence that Hank was attacked by Sioux warriors along the way. Further along the trail, he finds Quantrell's guns, confirming his fears that Hank is a prisoner of the Sioux. Although Quantrell is an outlaw who tried to kill him, Two-Gun cannot bring himself to leave Hank at the mercy of the vengeful Native Americans and follows after their trail.
At the Sioux camp, Hank is brought before their chief, Red Feather, and is considered a coward when he begins to beg for his life. Before the Sioux can execute him, the Two-Gun Kid arrives and demands that they release his prisoner. When Red Feather refuses, he orders his men to kill the Two-Gun Kid. Surrounded by bow wielding braves, the Kid dives down while half of them shoot, hitting their comrades instead of the Kid. Two-Gun then draws his Colts and blasts away the uninjured warriors weapons. The Kid then shoots Hank's bonds free and escapes with him. Along their way out, Hanks vows to turn himself in and go straight. Meanwhile back at the Sioux camp, Red Feather orders his men to stand down, telling them that the Two-Gun Kid's bravery won him the freedom to leave freely.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
