Two-Gun Kid #10
The Horrible Hermit of Hidden Mesa!
Chet Laribee has spent the past few months capturing wild horses when he is suddenly confronted by Lizard Galt and his gang who force him to flee and take his horse. Elsewhere, Chet's lover Julie is racing her horse to find him crossing paths with Two-Gun Kid and his sidekick Rusty Randolph. Her horse takes a tumble and the two cowpokes come to her aid. She pulls a gun on them and tries to take Cyclone, but the Kid easily disarms her. She explains that her boyfriend has a bad rap in nearby Green Valley, explaining that when the massive earthquake swallowed up the town of Hidden Valley City, Chet's grandfather went missing and was assumed to have been killed by Chet's father, the Laribee family has been hated by locals since. Two-Gun decides to help Julie find Chet and they soon locate him. Chet however has decided to recover his stolen horses and flee the area to live as a bum, not wanting Julie to live this life with him he breaks off their engagement. Two-Gun and Rusty, having come through the area to try and find the lost city of Hidden Valley agree to try and help Chet and change his mind about Julie.
They arrive just in time to save Chet from being shot in the face by Lizard Galt. They knock Galt out and retake the wild horses and ride them away. They are chased by Galt and his men who corner them around where Hidden Valley City disappeared in the earthquake. They seek cover in the rocks and suddenly Chet goes missing. They follow the sound of some maniacal laughter and find a tunnel. Going in side they are trapped when bars drop down in front of the entrance. They are then confronted by an insane hermit who kicks rocks at them before disappearing down into the tunnel. They hear Chet cry for help and come to his aid and are shocked to find Hidden Valley City is still intact hidden below the ground. They find Chet in the jail and after they untie them the crazy hermit traps them inside by putting stone blocks over the windows and locking the door. Suddenly the room fills with smoke and they all begin to pass out. The hermit enters, but Two-Gun is not completely out of it but passes out before he can get a good shot. The hermit then ties them all up and leaves them to die.
Meanwhile, Lizard Galt and his men, still searching for Chet Laribee, are riding the wild horses back through the area. The Hermit appears and starts driving down rocks forcing the gang and the horses into the underground tunnel. As the horses are being led in, the vibrations caused by their hoofs threaten the structural integrity of the tunnel threatening to collapse it. As Two-Gun and the others revive they are happy to see that Cyclone has followed them in and chews through their bonds. As the hermit tries to flee, the horse chases after him and strikes a blow to the hermit's skull with his hoof. They all seek cover from Lizard Galt's men.
When the hermit revives he is shaken out of a state of amnesia and they all learn that he is really Chet Laribees' grandfather. They learn that he was the mayor of Hidden Valley City and was jealous of the more prosperous Green Valley, founded by Jake Tompkins. He especially did not cotton to the idea of his son Blaine romancing Jake's daughter Sally. This led to an argument one night at a dance, and when the old man left he was followed by Jake and the two fought it out with Jake getting killed by a gunshot. Then in the aftermath, the earthquake struck Hidden Valley City. The elder Laribee tried to help people evacuate and found himself trapped underground with the town as a result, struck on the head and with no memory of his past he became an insane hermit. With the tunnel about to collapse, old man Laribee helps lead the wild horses out while Two-Gun and the others flee. The tunnel collapses burying the elder Laribee and Lizard Galt's men alive.
With what they know, Two-Gun Kid and Rusty help clear the name of Chet's father and soon he and Julie are married.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Rusty Randolph
Cyclone
The Hunter and the Hunted!
Kid Colt takes a rest while on the run from the law but is concerned that lawman Carlos Grimm -- known for always getting his man -- is in charge of the area. As his rotten luck would have it, Kid Colt is caught by Carlos Grimm and the pair are locked in a Mexican stand-off. Steel charges at Grimm allowing Kid Colt to shoot his gun out of his hand. However, before Kid Colt can get away from Grimm he is attacked by a mountain lion. Grimm shoots the mountain lion dead and arrests Kid Colt.
However, before he can take the Kid off to justice they are surrounded by Apache Coombs and his men, who force Grimm to stand down and free Kid Colt, offering him a spot in their gang. Seeing this as a means of escape, Kid Colt gladly accepts. However, he has second thoughts when they tie Grimm down to the ground on an ant hill and leave him to die. Kid Colt initially leaves with Apache and his men, but lets himself fall behind and doubles back and rescues Grimm. Apache, suspecting this, goes back and catches Kid Colt in the act.
The Kid and Grimm stand off Apache and his men, killing the entire gang. Apache tries to bring a rock slide down on the two men, but Kid Colt shoots him as well and shield's Grimm's body from the falling rocks. In the aftermath, both men owe each other their lives. Grimm decides to let Kid Colt go, but his sense of duty dictates that he must resign as sheriff since he let a man get away. Kid Colt has another idea and punches Grimm out and "escapes" so that Grimm's code of ethics are not violated.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt
Steel
Trapped Between Two Fires!
There is a family feud going on between the Bensons and Waltons, and it rages across their properties which are divided by a stream. The elder Benson warns the elder Walton that he will advent the death of his brother, while the elder Walton also is seeking revenge for the death of his son.
Passing through the area are the Two-Gun Kid and his sidekick Rusty Randolph and they get caught in the middle of the cross fire, and manage to flee with their lives. Entering town, they question the sheriff and learn about the blood feud between the two families. Two-Gun Kid decides to try and talk peace between the two families. He pays a visit to the Benson ranch. He learns that Benson and Walton used to be friends and that Benson's son Bill was slated to marry Walton's daughter Mary Jane when one of the Walton's apparently killed Benson's brother causing the feud. With no luck there, they try the Walton's and hear much the same story, but Mary Jane insists that they stop the violence and learn to live in peace, however her father refuses to listen. As they leave, Mary Jane asks Rusty to deliver a message to Bill Benson for her asking him to meet her at the old oak tree between the two properties.
Later that night, the two cowpokes decide to go and see how their meeting is going. Along the way they are shot at by two men they cannot identify in the dark and they get away. When they arrive at the oak tree they are almost shot by Bill when Mary Jane tells him to stand down. They begin to talk about how to bring about a truce, but there are no immediate solutions.
The following day there is news that someone has killed some of Benson's steers and slaughtered some of Walton's sheep. Realizing that this will start an all out war, Two-Gun and Rusty ride out to the stream that separates their properties and sees a full out gun battle going on. Two-Gun Kid gets into the middle of it and manages to get everyone to stop when it's suddenly discovered that there is gold in the stream. Two-Gun then recognizes the two men who shot at them the night before and identifies them as men working for either ranch. One of them cracks and confesses that they found the gold they decided to start a family feud so that the Benson's and Walton's would wipe each other out so they could buy the land cheap and claim the gold, that they were responsible for all the killings.
With the truth told, the two men are turned over to the sheriff and unity between the two families is restored. More importantly, Bill and Mary Jane are to get married and the families are giving them the gold as a dowry.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Rusty Randolph
Cyclone